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Italian Style Tomato Soup September 13, 2010

Filed under: Soups and Stews,Starters,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 10:28 pm
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This is very simple to make. It’s pretty healthy as well. You would probably get about 6 servings out of this.

Ingredients

1x400g can chopped tomatoes

1 jar passata

1 large onion, chopped

1x 400g butter beans

2x leeks, chopped

2x cloves, garlic crushed

300ml stock

handful of chopped basil

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Fry off the onions and leeks in a lidded saucepan for 2-3 minutes at high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and saute for 3 more minutes. Add in the garlic and stir, fry for another 1 minutes.

2. Add in the tomatoes, passata and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the butter beans and basil and stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Season to taste and serve.

This would be great served with the Traditional Soda Bread With Sundried Tomato & Parmesan.

 

Green Bean and Coconut Soup August 29, 2010

Filed under: Chicken,Favourites,Soups and Stews — delishuss @ 8:44 pm
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This has to be one of my favourite recipes. It’s great as a soup but I often add some cooked chicken and serve with rice.  The recipe is from one of the Avoca cookbooks. Anyway give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

15g/1/2 oz butter

2 spring onions, chopped

1 medium carrot cut into fine strips

2 teaspoons of finely chopped lemongrass

2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of ground turmeric

2 teaspoons of ground coriander

2 green chillies, chopped

12 green beans, roughly chopped

2 x 400 ml cans of coconut milk

½ vegetable stock cube crumbled or 2 tbsp of liquid stock

110g/4oz bean sprouts

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the spring onions, carrot, lemongrass, garlic and ginger and stir over a medium heat for 1 minute.
  3. Add the turmeric, coriander, chillies, green beans, coconut milk and stock cube and mix well.
  4. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in the bean sprouts and fresh coriander, season to taste and serve.
 

Carrot and Lentil Soup August 22, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Soups and Stews,Vegetarian,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 8:51 pm
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This gets the thumbs up from my boyfriend anyway. It’s a good hearty soup. I doubled up on the quantities and put some in the freezer.

This recipe serves 4.

2 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving

Ingredients

Low fat cooking spray

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1 celery stick with leaves, both sliced thinly

175g (6 oz) red lentils, rinsed

4 tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground pepper

For the croutons

2 slices day-old wholemeal bread, crusts removed

2 garlice cloves, halved lengthways

Method

1. Spray a large, lidded saucepan with the cooking spray and fry the onion, celery and leaves and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves, mixed herbs, salt and pepper.

2. Pour in the stock, bring up to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer, half covered, for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Remove the bay leaves. Whizz the soup in a food processor, or use a hand-held blender, until smooth. Check the seasoning and add more if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, rub both sides of each slice of bread with the garlic. Cut the bread into cubes and spray with the cooking spray. In a non-stick frying pan, fry the bread, turning occasionally and spraying with more cooking spray if necessary, until golden and crisp. Serve with croutons on top of the soup and some freshly ground black pepper.

 

Red Lentil, Vegetable and Basil Soup August 2, 2010

Filed under: Soups and Stews,Vegetarian — delishuss @ 8:49 pm
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This is a derivation of a Cornucopia recipe.  I tried the recipe after seeing it in their book.  Normally, I change stuff a little based on my gut feeling but didn’t this time to see if my gut was right. I’m afraid it was in this case. I altered it by adding some leek and some stock and reducing the quantity of basil. I think this is going to be one of my staple soups.  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

1 leek, chopped

3 sticks of celery, chopped

6 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

100g red lentils

25g basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 litre of stock

I litre of water

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

  1. Heat a large saucepan and heat the olive oil.
  2. Add in the vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat and cover and leave to sweat for 5 minutes.
  3. Add in the lentils, stock, water, seasoning and bring to the boil. Once boiled reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are yellow.
  4. Add in the basil leaves and stir.
  5. Blend with a handheld blender. Taste and correct seasoning if required.
 

Mediterranean Sausage and Bean Stew July 22, 2010

Filed under: Meat,Soups and Stews — delishuss @ 9:33 am
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This is great comfort food. I’m not really sure where I got this recipe from, I think it was one of my own creations. Worth a try!

 

Ingredients

1 tblsp of olive oil

6 chopped Denny’s tomato and rosemary sausages (or something similar)

1 tin of cannelloni beans

1 medium size onion chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped

1 small red pepper chopped

1 small yellow pepper chopped

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tblsp of tomato puree

½ tsp of dried Italian seasoning (oregano or basil will do)

Salt and pepper

 

Instructions

  1. Sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil and remove from pan.
  2. Add chopped sausages to pan, no need for any additional oil. When brown add in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tsp of herbs and heat. Re-add the peppers and onions.
  3. Drain the cannelloni beans and add to pan. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
  4. Add in the tin of tomatoes and tomato puree, stir and bring to the boil.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to your desired taste. Remember that the sausages are heavily seasoned so don’t go mad.
  6. Reduce to simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

This would be nice served with some toasted ciabatta.

 

Zingy Summer Soup June 24, 2010

Filed under: Healthy Eating,Soups and Stews,Weight Watchers Recipes — delishuss @ 9:10 pm
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This is a Weight Watchers recipe. In the past I have found their soup recipes to be lacking in any flavour. Well they are onto a winner in my view with this one.

1 1/2 points per serving

Serves 4

Ingredients

410g can white haricot beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 spring onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 litre hot vegetable stock

1 courgette, cut into ribbons

125g fine green beans, trimmed and halved

100g peas

1/2-1 mild green chilli, sliced thinly

Handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

4 tsp green pesto

Fresh basil leaves and chopped red chilli, to garnish

Instructions

1. Place the haricot beans, spring onion and garlic in a heavy-based nonstick pan and add the stock.

2. Bring to the boil, then add the courgette and green beans. Simmer for 3 minutes.

3. Add the peas, green chilli and parsley and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peas are tender.

4. Divide among 4 bowls and top each with 1 tsp pesto, a few fresh basil leaves and a little chopped red chilli.

Comments: This is probably best served straight away, I put it in the fridge overnight and it still tested good the next day. I don’t think it’s suitable for freezing.