Parsnip and carrot soup

Ingredients : 2 parsnips, 2 carrots, 2-4 sticks of celery half an onion, 500ml veg stock, garam masalaa

Serves 2

Preparations.

Dice and fry half an onion for 5 – 8 minutes being careful not to burn them. Then add the chopped celery with the peel and sliced parnsips and carrots. Heat through for 5 minutes and add a splash of water to avoid burning. Next add 500 ml of vegetable stock and cook until the veg is soft, around 15 minutes, with  a half  a teaspoon of garam masala.

Finally blend all the the soup to a smooth finish.

 

Brocolli and Pear soup

Ingredients: Vegetable stock 600ml, 2 large ripe pears, half small head of brocolli florets, walnuts, dried cranberries, onion

Serves 2

Preparations

Fry half an onion until soft for a few minutes, add a half a medium/small head of brocolli into small florets and 2 ripe peeled pears. Next add 600ml of vegetable stock and cook for around 12-15 minutes until the brocolli falls apart. Finally, blend until to smooth.

To serve, sprinkle some walnuts and dried cranberries.

Potato and Carrot soup

Cheap, tasty and filling using only a few ingredients.

Ingredients: 4 small to medium potatoes, onion, several carrots, 800ml of vegetable stock, ground cumin, ground coriander, white pepper, salt and chilli flakes.

Preparation.

Dice half an onion and fry over a medium-hot until soft. Next, add 2-3 large sliced carrots to the pan and then add the peeled and diced potatoes. Cover with 800ml of vegetable (use two vegetable stock cubes) and bring to a boil then simmer and continue to cook until the vegetables are soft. While simmering, add half a teaspoon of cumin powder, coriander powder, a pinch of chilli flakes, and season with white pepper and salt.
Finally, blend the soup into a thick soup.

Olive and garlic croutons

The knack to a delicious crunch on a crouton in using fresh bread.

Ingredients: Leftover fresh bread, olive oil and garlic salt

Preparation: In a large mixing bowl pour a tablespoon of olive oil. Then cut the fresh bread into large cubes and mix with the oil. Sprinkle a little garlic salt on top. Now place on a greaseproof tray in the oven at 180 degrees for around 5 minutes or so.

Red lentil and tomato soup

A nice little winter warmer which you can knock up in no time using only a few store cupboard essential ingredients.

tin of tomatoes, vegetable stock, red lentils, onion, carrot, tomato puree, smoked paprika or liquid smoke (optional)

Preparation:
Chop a medium onion and fry in a little olive oil until soft. Add around 85g of red lentils and the tin of tomatoes.
Using the empty tin of tomatoes, fill it with boiled water and add to the soup with a vegetable stock cube.
Add a sliced medium carrot and simmer for 15-20 minutes for until the lentil becomes soft and the carrot is cooked. Add a small squeeze of tomato puree if appropriate during cooking.

When ready, blend the ingredients, which will make a thick and wholesome soup

Red lentil and winter vegetable soup

Red lentils are super easy to cook and add an extra dimension to a simple soup. The great thing about this dish is that it is fat-free, lots of veg and extra protein from the lentils.

Ingredients:

85g red lentils, 2 medium carrots slices into batons, 2 sticks of celery, 1 large leek, few cloves of garlic, a sprinkle of Italian herbs, vegetable stock cube, tomato puree,  1.5 pints of water

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients into a large pot except the herbs and the puree. Bring to the boil and then add the herbs and a good squeeze of tomato puree and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the soup and add any additional seasoning if required.

Lazy noodle soup

This dish can easily be made at work. You just put all the ingredients together and keep the wet stuff away in small Sistema pots and finish with coriander. Simply pour boiling water and microwave for a few minutes. Much tastier than instant ramen noodles or pot noodles. But for this recipe, this will all be done at home.

Ingredients; straight to wok noodles, a few slices of fresh chilli, a few mangetout or green beans, a few baby sweetcorns, a small bit of red pepper, a couple of sliced mushrooms, veg stock gel, chilli garlic paste, coriander, a dash of sesame oil, soy sauce, lime

Preparation; Put half a gel pack of stock with a teaspoon of garlic chilli paste in a pan. Add enough boiling water to provide a large bowl. Then combine all the ingredients and simmer till the veg are cooked so around 5 minutes. When serving, add a tiny splash of the oil and chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Veg soup in a bread bowl

Here is an easy soup served in a novel bread bowl which makes washing up a breeze, as you eat the dirty dish! I had something similar in Prague as they like to serve a goulash in a massive bread bowl, but this recipe is a little more conservative in size.

Ingredients; small onion, carrot, fine green beans, stick of celery, veg stock, white pepper and a crusty roll

Preparation

Start by chopping the onions and celery quite small, and then saute in a little olive oil. Add some cubed carrots and then another water for 2 bowls of soup. Now add some chopped green beans. Next add the veg stock cube and a some white pepper. Of course you can other herbs or veg depending on what you like here.

Tip. If the soup is looking a little watery and thin you can add a little slurry. Sounds yuck, but it is just the term for flour and water mixed together. If you add the flour to the soup dry, it will not break down and you get those lumpy flour bits. So simply take a table spoon of flour and table spoon of warm water and mix to a smooth cream like mixture. Then add to the soup. This is quick and easy thickening agent.

To serve, cut a lid out of the crusty roll and take out some of the bread. Push down the remaining bread inside with your fingers to help protect the walls of your ‘bowl’ . Then fill with soup.