Coconut Vegetable Dhal Soup (v)

We eat a lot of soup. It’s tasty, nourishing and you can hide all sorts in it. This used up some leftover sweet potatoes and some sad celery as well as delivering a nutritional hit from the red lentils. Freeze some if you have leftovers. It’s a warm and comforting hug in a bowl.

Coconut Vegetable Dhal Soup

For six portions you need:

• 1 swede, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, washed and sliced
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1-1.5 litres vegetable stock (more or less depending on how thick you want the soup)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp medium curry powder
• Toasted mixed seeds
• Fresh coriander

1. Begin by sautéing the vegetables in the oil for 5-10 mins.
2. Add the lentils and curry powder and mix well.
3. Add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 20 mins.
4. Blitz the soup with a stick blender, season to taste and serve garnished with the seeds and coriander.

March 20, 2020 by veggieg3ek Categories: cheap, dairy free, easy, healthy, simple, soup, VeganTags: easy, quick, soup, vegan Leave a comment

Green Lentil Soup with Cumin and Coriander (v)

My son said this tasted “healthy” 😂 he was right. It tasted like the inside of a 1980s health food shop would smell but in a warming and pleasant way.

For six portions you need

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 leek, washed and cut into 1cm slices
• 2 sticks celery, ditto
• 1 cup green lentils
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock
• 1 tsp each ground coriander and cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Saute the leek and celery in the oil for 5 mins.
2. Add the spices and lentils. Stir to coat then add the stock.
3. Bring to the boil and cook for 20-30 mins until the lentils are tender.
4. Blitz until smooth with a stick blender, season to taste and add the parsley. Enjoy with a side of alfalfa and a sprinkle of nostalgia 😉

January 27, 2019 by veggieg3ek Categories: lentils, soup, VeganTags: easy, lentils, quick, soup, vegan Leave a comment

Thai Sweet Potato Soup (v)

I like soup. We eat a lot of soup. The teen will still eat things as soup he wouldn’t eat as separate components, and this soup is a good example of that. He won’t eat Thai red curry or coconut milk. But he will eat this, go figure…

For 6 portions you need

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1″ piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 3 tsp red curry paste (make sure it has no fish sauce in it if you’re veggie/vegan)
• 750g peeled and diced sweet potatoes
• If you want to increase the heat, then add a couple of extra thai chillies, roughly chopped
• 750ml veg stock
• 400ml can coconut milk
• Juice of two limes
• Small bunch of fresh coriander

1. Begin by frying the onion in the oil for about 5 mins till softened.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste. Stir for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the potatoes and cover in the spice paste for 1-2 mins.
4. Add the coconut milk, stock, chillies and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 mins until the potatoes are soft.
5. Add the coriander and the blitz the soup using a stick blender until smooth.
6. Stir through the lime juice and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve.

August 18, 2018 by veggieg3ek Categories: easy, quick, soup, thai, Uncategorized, vegan, VeganTags: easy, quick, soup, thai, vegan Leave a comment

(M)any Vegetable Soup with Marmite Broth (v)

Also known as ‘wtf-is-there-for-lunch’ soup and ‘try-and-make-the-teen-eat-something-healthy-today’ soup…

 

Basically you can put any vegetables you want in this. Today’s soup is what was left in the fridge and a delicious looking savoy cabbage from the local farm shop. On that note, I got all these veggies for £9!! Love my farm shop!

 

For four portions you need

• Mixed vegetables of your choice. I used 2 small leeks, 2 sticks celery, 3 small carrots, a small head of broccoli, 1/4 cauliflower, 2 savoy cabbage leaves.
• 1.25 litres veg stock
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 tsp marmite
• freshly ground pepper

1. Chop/dice the vegetables into roughly equal sized chunks.
2. Add to a pan with the stock and chickpeas. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 mins until everything is tender but not over cooked.
3. Season and add the marmite. Adjust to taste.
4. Serve. I had mine with melted violife slices for vegan ‘cheese’ on toast and piri piri chutney. Yum.

 

January 5, 2018 by veggieg3ek Categories: easy, quick, soup, Uncategorized, vegan, VeganTags: easy, quick, soup, vegan 2 Comments

Thai Spiced Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup (v)

This quick but oh-so-tasty soup is based on this recipe. I had butternut squash to use up, along with some yellow thai curry paste and only 150ml coconut milk. The results were delicious and nicely filling for a working week day dinner. We had home made garlic bread along side to bulk it out a bit more. And poor old me gets to eat the leftovers for lunch today. It’s hard life 😉

For 4-6 portions you need

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 inch fresh ginger grated

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1cm chunks

½ cup red lentils

150ml coconut milk

1 litre vegan stock

2 tbsp thai yellow curry paste (this isn’t too spicy and uses turmeric to colour the paste yellow which also gives an earthy background note to the soup)

Sliced red chilli and chopped fresh coriander to serve

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp fresh lime juice or fish sauce if not vegan

24 hour risen garlic bread to serve

Begin by sweating the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the garlic, ginger, squash and curry paste and cook for a further 5 mins. Tip in the lentils then add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins until the lentils are cooked.

Blitz the soup until velvety and smooth. Add the soya sauce and lime juice or fish sauce. Serve in warmed bowls topped with the fresh zingy chilli slices and chopped coriander.

March 4, 2015June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: easy, lentils, pulses, quick, soup, thai, vegan 2 Comments

‘Chicken’ Noodle Soup (v)

An unbelievably quick and easy recipe, perfect for warming and cheering you up after a long working day.

For 3-4 people you need

3 nests noodles (egg if not vegan, rice or soba otherwise)

Veggies of your choice: I usually use 1-2 carrots, thinly sliced, ½ cup frozen peas, ½ cup frozen sweetcorn, chinese leaf shredded

1 onion, sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced

2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated

Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

50ml soya sauce

1.5 litres veggie stock

Either some quorn chicken chunks, tofu cubes, marinated tofu strips etc

To serve: hot chili sauce (Econa is my fave!); sesame oil, soya sauce

Place everything in a large pan and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 mins until the protein element is hot, the noodles are cooked and the veggies are al dente. Serve topped with the chilli sauce, chili flakes, chopped coriander and anything else you fancy J

February 11, 2015June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: easy, quick, soup, vegan Leave a comment

Roasted Moroccan Vegetable Soup with Toasted Pine Nuts (v)

I had a glut of veggies that needed to be used so roasted a whole big batch of them and turned half into this soup and the other half into a yummy lunch of roasted veggies, cous cous and spinach. The soup is beyond easy to make but tastes like you’ve slaved over it for hours!

For 4 portions you need
1 sweet potato
2 beetroot
2 onions
2 parsnips
4 carrots
2 courgettes
1.5 litres of veg stock
Handful roughly chopped coriander
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp each of baharat, ras el halour and berber spice mixes (or whatever moroccan spices you fancy)
salt and pepper
1 tin drained cannelini beans
150g spinach, washed

Begin by chopping sweet potato, carrot, onion and parsnips into small chunks. Toss in the oil and spices and roast in a hot oven for 20-30 mins until tender and starting to catch a little.

Prepare the beetroot and courgette in the same way and roast on a separate tin.

Once the tray with the root veg has done, place the roasted veggies in a pan and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins.

Add the spinach to the pan and blitz to a puree. Return to the pan and add the beans. Heat through.

Serve in warmed bowls topped with a couple of spoonfuls of the roasted beetroot and courgette, pine nuts and coriander. Serve with copious bread.

April 10, 2014June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: beetroot, carrot, courgettes, easy, moroccan, onion, pulses, soup, sweet potatoes, vegan Leave a comment

Carrot and Potato Soup with Ginger and Chilli (v)

A lovely friend made us a delicious bowl of soup to replenish our bellies after a walk round the Holmfirth countryside a few weeks ago, so I decided to recreate the flavours and use up some limp carrots from the bottom of the fridge. You can flavour this soup with whatever you like, but the warming ginger and chilli work well with the sweet carrot.

For 3-4 portions you need

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3-4 carrots, roughly chopped, no need to peel

2-3 potatoes, roughly chopped, no need to peel

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 small chilli, destalked and cut into a couple of sections.

1.5 litres vegetable stock

Fresh parsley and coriander to serve

Heat the oil in a pan and sautee the veggies for a few mins. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and then top up with the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked.

Blitz to a smooth consistency, adding more water if necessary and then serve topped with chopped fresh herbs. Yummy.

September 7, 2013June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: carrot, easy, garlic, ginger, potato, quick, soup, vegan Leave a comment

Mock Duck Noodle Soup (v)

There was a bit of a shopping fail this week, as I’d planned to make fake chicken noodle soup for lunch on Sunday but upon opening the freezer realised that we had no quorn chunks left, d’oh. I did however remember that there was a tin of mock duck languishing in the cupboard where it had lain for months. It made for an excellent and very tasty soup. So now I need to buy another tin to replace the one I used!

For three portions you need
1 tin mock duck (available from larger supermarkets or Asian/Chinese grocers), gluten sliced into bite sized pieces
3 nests noodles
1 litre vegetable stock plus the sauce/liquid from the mock duck tin
1 onion, halved and then sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
125g closed cup mushrooms, cut into quarters
1 cup frozen sweetcorn
1 inch ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp soya sauce

To garnish
3 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
chilli flakes, tabasco sauce and soya sauce to serve

Place the stock into a large pan and add the noodles, onion, garlic and ginger. Season with soya sauce and the chinese five spice powder. Add all the other ingredients, apart from the pepper and mushrooms, and cook for 3-5 minutes until the noodles are done. Add the mushrooms and pepper and heat through for a further two minutes. Serve in large bowls garnished with the coriander and chillies to taste. Delicious.

May 15, 2013June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: carrots, chinese, coriander, easy, healthy, mushrooms, noodles, onions, peppers, quick, soup, sweetcorn, vegan Leave a comment

Clam, Prawn and Smoked Haddock Chowder

Fuz loves fish. I am not that keen. Upon Ocado delivering the ingredients for this, we realised the cat also loves fish! This is quite a rich recipe and not one I would make on a regular basis, but for a nice dinner with friends it was the perfect choice. It didn’t take long to make either and is based on a recipe by Marcus Wareing in How to Cook the Perfect….

For 4 portions you need
500g frozen, cooked clams, defrosted
300g cooked and peeled prawns
450g smoked haddock, skin left on and cut into four portions
200g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
1 large leek, cut into 1cm dice
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
50g plain flour and 50g butter for a beurre marnie
100g butter
200ml dry white wine
750ml fish stock
150g can sweetcorn, drained and rinsed
150ml double cream
Handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley

Begin by mixing the butter and flour together to make the beurre marnie. Leave to one side.

Melt the 100g butter in a large heavy pan and fry the onion, garlic and leek until softened. Add the potatoes and cover. Cook gently for 10 mins until slightly softened. Make sure it doesn’t catch or colour.

Meanwhile, place the wine and stock in a shallow pan and bring to the boil. Add the fish and poach for 2-3 mins until cooked. Remove the fish and leave to one side. Thicken the wine and stock mixture with the beurre marnie and add the cream.

Pour the stock into the cooked potato mixture and leave to simmer gently until the potatoes are 1-2 mins away from being cooked. Add the sweetcorn, clams and prawns and bring back to a simmer. Finally add the cooked fish to the soup to re-heat gently.

Serve in large bowls, garnished with the parsley.

April 15, 2013June 10, 2015 by veggieg3ek Categories: fish, potatoes, prawns, shellfish, soup, sweetcorn Leave a comment