Curried Pumpkin and Banana Soup

I love it when an ill-planned recipe results in deliciousness. I was making my aunt's curried pumpkin soup when I realised, at the moment I was supposed to add it, that I had no apple. I didn't have much in the way of fruit except some frozen berries and a large banana that was lazying about in the twilight of its life. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I chose the banana as berries would just be weird.

Well! What a delightful delicious potentially kid-likable winner recipe! Not wanting to risk sharing a recipe that was a one hit wonder I made it again today and I'm equally impressed.

Ingredients

• Half a large Kent pumpkin, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• Two sticks of celery, chopped
• Two medium carrots, chopped
• 1 parsnip, chopped
• 1 large or two small browning bananas
• 1 tbsp (or to taste) curry powder
• 1 heaped tsp (or to taste) vegetable stock powder
• Olive oil
• Water

Putting it together

1. In a large pot, brown off the onion in some olive oil
2. Add the chopped carrot and celery and cook for about three minutes
3. Add the chopped pumpkin and parsnip, the stock powder and cover with water. 
4. Bring to the boil then lower the temperature to a simmer. Cook until everything is soft (I often forget about it which luckily doesn't affect the success of the soup).
5. Add the banana and curry powder and cook for a further five or so minutes.
6. When the kitchen (and your house) fills with the smell of sweet banana curry it's time to blend the soup. Of course as I have one I use a vitamix but it would probably be easier to use a stick blender. 
7. That's it! Serve it up.
   

Results

This is so easy to do and the taste is seriously yummy. For the sweet tooth this is a dream. Depending on how much curry you add it could be a winner with the kids too due to it's almost desserty type flavour. With the full tablespoon of curry powder mine was probably a little too spicy for my nephews but with some training they could like it a little hot.

Verdict

This is now my favourite pumpkin soup recipe. It's near impossible to get wrong so it would be a great one to make with the kids. It does freeze but it looks a little different after defrosting. However the taste is unaffected. Oh, and the curry flavours develop if you eat it the day after you make it. Enjoy!

Creamy buckwheat and vegetable soup

Soup is one of my favourite things about cold weather. Tonight after driving through the rain and traffic that was double the congestion as I'm used to, I set to work brewing my dinner. On my detox I am required to have protein at lunch and dinner. I had chicken soup for lunch so I wasn't keen on having the same for dinner. I didn't have any fish at home and my affinity with beans still needs some work. Then I remembered a recipe a friend of mine had graciously shared with me. Her mother's chicken soup avgolemono - Greek egg-lemon chicken soup.

In true adventurous style I tested the question, 'can you use the avgolemono in any soup?'

Ingredients

• 1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 zucchini, chopped
• 1 small stick celery, chopped
• 2 large button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 small flowerettes of broccoli, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp Bob's Red Mill Creamy Buckwheat (partially stone ground buckwheat)
• 750ml water
• Stock powder or cube
• Two eggs
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Putting it together

• In a pot put all the vegetables (except the broccoli) in the pot with the water and stock.
• Bring to the boil
• Add the buckwheat and stir
• Cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes
• Whilst that is simmering separate your egg whites from your yolks
• Whisk your egg whites until you have very soft peaks
• Add your lemon juice and keep whisking
• Add your broccoli to your soup (not the egg mixture)
• Get a ladle and fill your ladle with the broth from your simmering soup
• Slowly add it to your egg whites and keep whisking them for about a minute
• Mix in the egg yolk to your egg white mixture
• By this stage it is looking less soft peaks and more frothy egg mix
• Making sure your soup isn't boiling, pour your egg mixture into it stirring the whole time. 
• Keep stirring for about 30 seconds then turn off the heat.
• Serve it up

Result

This is a protein rich, vegetable soup with the added umph of buckwheat. The flavour of lemon is delightfully tangy without being weird.  All and all, it's a winner. A complete meal in a bowl.

Verdict

This is definitely a keeper in my repertoire. You do need to watch that you don't boil the soup after you've added the egg mixture. If you do, your soup looks more like curds and whey than creamy soup. I really like the addition of the buckwheat.

Links and information

Benefits of buckwheat: Buckwheat is high in insoluble fibre and is a good source of protein and B vitamins and is rich in phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium.
Learn more about buckwheat and its nutritional benefits

Bob's Red Mill products can be found and select supermarkets like IGAs or Leo's. They are also usually stocked at health food stores.

Deliciously simple brothy seafood soup

I was at the market today and as I walked past the fish monger I was drawn to the best looking marinara mix. Without thinking how I was going to use it I bought myself some for my evening meal. Back home I started to make an old favourite of mine - brothy seafood soup.

As enjoyed my dinner I realised I had to share this simple yet indulgent treat.

Ingredients for one

Vietnamese Mint

150g - 200g good quality marinara mix
3 cups water
Stock powder to taste (I prefer to use Massel brand)
1/2 carrot chopped
1/3 zucchini chopped
3 large mushrooms sliced
1 small stick of celery sliced
2 asparagus spears chopped
3 small broccoli heads
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp lime juice
approx 8 Vietnamese mint leaves finely chopped

Putting it together 

• Place water, stock powder, carrot and celery into a pot and heat. 
• When water is hot add the mushrooms and zucchini
• After a while add the fish sauce and lime juice
• Cover and let simmer for a minute or two
• Once the vegetables are looking almost cooked add the marinara mix and asparagus
• When you see that the marinara mix is almost cooked add in the broccoli and the Vietnamese mint leaves
• Once the broccoli is cooked (but still crisp) turn off the heat and serve it up.

Result

I had forgotten how much I loved this simple soup. It is delicious and nutritious. The key really is having a good marinara mix and being able to gauge when it is cooked to avoid over doing it. The Vietnamese mint is the extra something special that just makes the soup complete.

Verdict

It's a winner. It's colourful, tastey, nutrious and super easy. What more could you want?

Good ol' fashioned chicken and veggie soup

When something goes in my freezer it's like a study in long term cryogenics. For me putting something in the freezer is as good as opening a door and throwing something into Narnia - lost in an endless winter. What I'm trying to say (very badly) is that it's a case of out of sight out of mind - especially when it comes to uncooked meats. If I can't remember when I put it in there then I think it's safer to assume it isn't safe to eat which  means much of what I freeze ends up in the bin.

But I'm turning over a new leaf (well trying to). I'm trying to live a less wasteful life which means not letting food I've purchased go to waste. That means either cooking it or freezing it - then of course remembering I've got it in the freezer. Enter frozen 'lovely legs' chicken.

With them thawing in the fridge I went in search of recipes to use. I found an old recipe I have used in the past for chicken and barely soup. Naturally I didn't have half the ingredients so living on the edge of culinary possibility I boldly began chopping anything I could find.

Ingredients
1 tray of free range 'lovely legs' (5 - 6 in a packet)
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil

The corn kernels off 1 ear of corn
1/2 beetroot washed and chopped
1 carrot washed and chopped
Approx 1 cup of chopped sweet potato and pumpkin
7 small button mushrooms
1 small zucchini chopped
1/3 cup of brown rice (I use bio-dynamic)
Massel chicken stock powder
Water

Method

1. Prepare all chopped vegetables
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan
3. Add all vegetables and cook over heat for approx. 5 minutes
4. Add enough water to cover all vegetables with 1 - 2 cms over
5. Add 1 heaped tsp of chicken stock powder (or more if you like it salty)
6. Bring to the boil
7. Add 'lovely legs' and the rice and bring back to the boil
8. Immediately reduce heat to low simmer
9. Partially cover and cook for up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally
10. When rice is cooked and chicken is easily falling off the bone, take out 'lovely legs'
11. Remove the cooked chicken from the bones, chop the chicken meat and throw back into the soup.
12. Stir it all together
13. Ready to serve or freeze.

Result
Any chance to use whole mushrooms and beetroot gets me excited. Aside from seriously burning myself whilst getting the chicken off the bone it worked a treat! I like my soup to be thick - amlost like a stew. For those who prefer a thinner soup just add more water. It has such a rustic flavour and I love the chunkiness of all the chopped veggies and the tenderness of the chicken. It keeps really well and is especially good for freezing - if you can be trusted to remember that it's there.

Verdict
It does take a while to cook which usually is a deterrent for me trying to cook it again - but as there is actually very little effort involved I will definitely keep this one as a staple in my soup repertoire

Useful links
Massel stock has no animal product so is suitable for vegans: http://www.massel.com.au/
Demeter bio-dynamic brown rice: http://www.demeter.org.au/products.html