Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Happy new year, dear readers! I hope that 2014 will be a wonderful year for all of you, filled with much love and happiness! Of course, may it also be filled with good food!

At this time of year, many of us (myself included) vow to live a healthier lifestyle in the year ahead. It is also at this time of year, that we all tend to feel the after-effects of indulging over Christmas and New Year. What better way to get back on track than with clean and simple food like this soup. Thanks to the sweet potato, this really is a meal in a bowl, so we tend to enjoy it without bread on the side. Nourishing, comforting, and fuss-free... a great way to start the year I think :)

Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
An adapted recipe from Australian Good Taste, July 2000

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g orange sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
110g (1/2c cup) dried split red lentils, rinsed
3.5 cups vegetable stock
1 zuchinni, coarsely grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and once they start to darken and are aromatic, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until the onion softens slightly.
2. Add the sweet potato, lentils and stock to the saucepan and stir well to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
3. Stir in the zucchini and cook, uncovered, for 3 minuted. Season to taste and serve.


Anna x

Easy Vegetable Soup

The title says it all! This is my new favourite vegetable soup recipe from none other than the queen of quick and easy - Donna Hay. This post is a quick one too as I am about to bring little Roman to the doctor for his 6 month checkup and vaccinations... Oh bless, he's always so happy and chatty at the doctor's, and then the jabs come out.. poor lil' nugget! Sometimes I feel like crying too when I see him suffer like that!

Oh, and please excuse the rather hideous accompanying photos taken on my phone last night...

Nowadays recipes such as this one are a favourite of mine because time is of the essence! As soon as baby goes to sleep in the evening at 7pm, there is a flurry of activity in the kitchen. If I can manage to prepare the dinner in time to watch My Kitchen Rules (MKR) at 7:30pm, I'm a happy girl.

Easy Vegetable Soup
Adapted recipe from Donna Hay - Fast, Fresh, Simple

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons lemon thyme leaves
• 2 cups (500ml) tomato purée (passata)
• 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 zucchini (courgette), grated
• 1 parsnip, peeled and grated
• raw sugar, sea salt and cracked black pepper
• finely grated parmesan, to serve

Method


1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the oil, onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 3 minutes or until soft.

3. Add the tomato, stock, carrot, zucchini and parsnip.
4. Cover and bring to the boil.

5. Season to taste with a salt, pepper, and about half a teaspoon raw sugar or to taste (to take the edge off the tomato). Allow to simmer rapidly for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender (Tip - the coarser the vegetables, the longer the cooking time and chunkier the consistency of end result).


6. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with parmesan. Serve with some crusty bread, or even better, some homemade garlic bread! Mmmm...


So tell me, is anyone else enjoying MKR this season? Can't wait to watch the final tonight - Go Nic and Rocco!!!


Ladybird x

Roasted tomato and thyme soup

There's nothing like a nice tomato soup in winter, and this recipe from the latest issue of Donna Hay is definitely a keeper - fast, simple and healthy, not to mention absolutely delicious!

Roasted tomato and thyme soup
Adapted recipe from Donna Hay magazine, June/July 2011

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed under a knife
2 red onions, sliced
10 tomatoes, halved and deseeded (I used roma tomatoes)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups vegetable stock
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
1. Place tomatoes, garlic, onions and thyme on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

2. Heat stock and tomato paste in a pot. Add the roasted tomatoes mixture and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, and blend until smooth. Top with a little extra pepper.

3. Serve with toast spread with goat's cheese and topped with a few thyme leaves and a little olive oil.

Bon appetit!

Ladybird x

Detoxifying Green Mung Bean Soup

Just a quick post from me this evening after a rather busy weekend!

Here is a nutritious soup recipe from our cookbook of the month - Eat Right for your Body Type by Anjum Anand. This soup is widely recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners as it is said to be revitalising and revitalising for the body. The green mung bean's outer green skin is rich in minerals and has a cleansing action on the digestive tract. It is commonly used as a source of sustainance during Ayurvedic fasts.

Seeing as I'm expecting, fasting is definitely off the cards for me. I like it on its own for a light lunch now and then, or for dinner I sometimes make this a little thicker by reducing the amount of water and then I serve it with steamed rice and vegetables.

The following is an adapted recipe from the book and suits all doshas. Speaking of which - did you take the quiz I linked to at the end of my previous post on the book? How did you find it?


The basic soup (suits all doshas)

200g green mung beans, washed in several changes of water
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
750ml water
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
rock salt, to taste
fresh coriander, chopped
lemon juice, to taste

Basic tarka (flavoured oil)
2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander


Method

1. Wash the mung beans thoroughly and then soak them either overnight or for at least 4 hours before cooking. Bring the lentils, fresh water and ground turmeric to a gentle simmer and cook until soft - around 30-40 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

2. Once the beans are cooked, heat the ghee in your smallest pan/saucepan, add the asafoetida ad allow to sizzle for 5 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds until the seeds have darkened and become aromatic. Add the remaining spices, let them sizzle for 20 seconds then tip into your soup and stir through. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, add salt and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

Till next time!

Ladybird x

Mushroom and Potato Soup

The wet, dreary weather over the weekend saw the return of soup to the Ladybird household. I chose to use the ingredients I had on hand to make a comforting a nutritious soup. It's packed with mushrooms - one of my very favourite vegetables. Not only are mushrooms packed with B vitamins, but they are also high in particular antioxidants.

Mushroom & Potato Soup
An original Ladybird recipe

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 large sebago potatoes (400g), peeled and diced
250g swiss brown mushrooms*
250g button mushrooms*
1 tsp fresh, picked thyme leaves (plus extra to garnish)
1 bay leaf
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2c thickened cream
salt and pepper, to taste
* rinsed and patted dry with paper towel, then sliced (no need to peel)

Method
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.
2. Stir in the potato and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season well.

4. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Blend (I use a stick blender) until smooth, and season further if required.
6. Stir in the cream, and voila, tasty soup is ready! Serve in bowls garnished with fresh thyme, along with some crusty bread.

All in all a delicious and quick soup, and satisfying to create something with the most basic of ingredients. Soups are great like that, you can use whatever you have a create a wholesome meal out of it!


Love,

Ladybird x

No Croutons Required: Carrots

Did your mother ever tell you that if you ate your carrots, you'd be able to see in the dark? Mine did. As a child I gobbled up carrots in the pursuit of superhero-like night vision.. until a boy in my class told me my skin would turn orange if I ate too many! Out of fearing of turning into an umpa lumpa, I abandoned carrots altogether for a while. I decided I'd rather not have night vision after all!

I still like carrots though - raw or cooked. They are just so good for you!

So today when I discovered No Croutons Required, I was excited for a number of reasons. First, it's a vegetarian food blogging challenge so it's a bit different to other challenges out there. Secondly, this month's theme selected by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes is... 'Carrots'!

So how does it work I hear you ask? No Croutons Required is a monthly soup and salad challenge hosted alternately by Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa's Kitchen. Each month a theme is announced, and bloggers around the world are invited to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe fitting the theme. To read more about this food blogging event, click here.

This is my first entry to No Croutons Required, and in fact my first challenge entry of any type as a food blogger. So even though I have only known about this challenge for a few hours, I simply had to get on board :)

A Tuscan Supper

On a cold weeknight, a lovely soup and crunchy bread is so comforting. This easy and delicious combination is my new favourite...

Tuscan white bean and garlic soup with a side of bruschetta

This soup is a delicate and subtly flavoured one, so the punchy bruschetta is a great pairing. Strictly speaking, using tomatoes and basil as part of a cosy winter meal is not very seasonal (quite the faux pas actually), however my fruit and veg shop still has the most amazing tomatoes and basil in stock. How can I resist?!

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup
(a Giada De Laurentis recipe)
2 tsbp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 sage leaf
4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken if you'd prefer)
4 cloves garlic, halved
1/2 c single/pouring cream
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place a medium, heavy based pot on medium heat and add the butter, olive oil and shallot. Add a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add the sage leaf and beans, and stir to combine.
3. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and fish out the garlic skins and discard. Then puree the soup with a hand-held blender. Be careful not to burn yourself! Transfer to a bowl for this step if you need to.

6. Return to the heat to add the cream and seasoning, then remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

This is how I make my bruschetta. I think there are as many variations as there are cooks! This recipe doesn't include red onion - I am not a big fan of it in bruschetta, but you could always add some if desired :)

Bruschetta

6 ripe roma tomatoes

1/2 c basil, shredded

1 garlic glove, finely chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

3-4 tsp balsamic vinegar, to taste

salt and freshly ground pepper

crusty white Italian-style bread, sliced

4 garlic cloves, halved

1. Score a cross at the base of each tomato and place in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and let sit for 10 seconds. Then transfer to cold water.

2. Remove from water, and peel skin away starting from the cross.

3. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.

4. Finely dice the flesh, then combine with the finely chopped garlic, extra virgin olive oil, basil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning.

5. Toast the bread and while still hot, rub with the cut side of a garlic clove. Drizzle a little oil over each slice and season with a little salt and pepper.

6. Top with the tomato mixture and serve.

Enjoy :)

Ladybird x

Jerusalem Artichoke & Roast Garlic Soup

I have oftened wondered about this curious vegetable, the jerusalem artichoke.

Today I thought it was time for the two of us to get to know each other, and here's what I learnt! Jerusalem artichokes:

- Are, in fact, not artichokes at all!
- Have nothing to do with Jerusalem
- Are native to the eastern United States
- Contain copious amounts of iron - comparable to the iron content of red meat
- Have a nutty, sweet, root vegetable flavour

Introducing my new friend, the jersualem artichoke...

With the weather being so wet and miserable in Sydney at the moment, I thought this recipe would be perfect. If you have never used jerusalem artichokes before, why not try them in a soup recipe like this one.

Ingredients

1 garlic head

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oilive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, washed and chopped

700g Jerusalem artichoked, peeled and chopped

1 small potato, chopped

1.5L vegetable/chicken stock

olive oil, to serve

finely chopped chives, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Slice the base from the head of garlic, spray with a little olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 30 minutes until soft.

2. In the meantime, prep the vegetables. Once artichokes are peeled and sliced, keep aside in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration.

3. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove from the foil and squeeze the cloves from the skin.

4. In a heavy based saucepan, heat the butter and oil. Add the onion, celery and leek and a large pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft.

5. Add the artichokes, potatoes and garlic and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Pour in the stock, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

7. Puree until smooth, and season well.

8. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some chives, and enjoy with some toasted crusty bread.

Recipe from Vegie Food (Murdoch Books).

So, dear readers, do you have any wonderful recipes using jerusalem artichokes? I'd love to hear about cooking this little vegetable in other ways :)

Ladybird x