The Healthy Soup and Stew Thread

neuro-praxis

Soup is an excellent way of getting in your required portions of vegetables in a day - and it's delicious to boot. As autumn gets chillier, it's comforting and warming too.

I'm a big fan of the soup / stew dinner - here are two of my staple favourites - please add yours and remember - if they're lashed with cream and butter it's probably the cooking and recipes forum you should be in...we need some lower-calorie options here.

Roast Vegetable Soup

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius. Prepare a large selection of your favourite vegetables - I simply use what I've got in the fridge - usually peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms and tomatoes. Arrange them in a large roasting dish. Sprinkle with herbs and lots of crushed garlic (maybe 6 cloves). Spray well with cooking spray (or use a small amount of olive/nut oil) and roast until tender. Meanwhile, prepare a litre of hot chicken stock. Blend the cooked veg and some of the stock until smooth. Return everything to the pot and re-heat. When bubbling, add some skimmed milk and season (salt, pepper, some cayenne for a kick). Eat with some brown bread. Tasty.

Mammy's Beef Stew

Take one small steak per person (150g or so) and trim off all the fat. Cut into cubes and brown in some cooking spray. Set aside. Prepare 250g of new potatoes per person, 1-2 carrots per person, half an onion per person and a handful of sliced mushrooms (any other stew vegetables are fine to add here too). Place ingredients in a large pot, including the cooked steak, and spray with cooking spray. Season lightly and sautée on a low heat for a bit. Prepare a packet of Knorr Oxtail soup and add this to the pot too. Turn the heat up on high and when you reach the boil, lower and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender. This is absolutely delicious. Preferably I would eat it with lots and lots of buttery crusty bread but a healthier option is a couple of mini wholewheat pittas.

If you dislike soup from a packet, you can use beef stock, plenty of seasoning, a splash of red wine or Guinness and a spoonful of cornflour to thicken. Delish!

foxy06

Fry onion celery and leeks in spray oil and cover with a lid to soften. Have it on low though or it will burn. Then throw in your beef or lamb and some chopped carrots and pour in some hot water and a stock cube or two. Add some basil and bouquet garni or some mixed herbs and then some gravy granuals to thicken. It is lovely and if you are pointing with weight watchers you only need to count the beef and gravy granuals and the potato if you add some. I usual boil the potato seperately and pour the stew over it in a bowl......yum!

neuro-praxis

This sounds really good...I might give it a go with the lamb!

LivingDeadGirl

The Ultimate Low Calorie Tomato Soup:

1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 stock cube
Fresh/dreid basil
Hot water

Chop garlic and cook in a saucepan on a low heat, add tomatoes. Once it begins to bubble slightly bring it to the boil and add water from kettle. Add stock cube and basil and simmer until cube is completely dissolved.

Amazing.

Susipoo

Dice 2 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 onion, 1 potato and boil in either chicken or vegetable stock (about 750ml). When the vegetables are cooked (stick your fork in them - should slid in easily) empty half into a food processor/blender and puree. Add this back into the saucepan and stir in 1 teaspoon each of dried/fresh parley, thyme and worchestershire sauce and a tablespoon of tomato puree.

I love messing around with this recipe - and you can throw in any veg really - just half fill the saucepan with the veg and top up with stock.....

angeldelight

This is lovely, very warming!

350g of carrots makes 4 good servings, I often double it and keep it in the fridge.
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 medium onion
1 chicken stock cube, made up to 1 and 1/2 pints

Chop up the onions, roughly.
Soften in approx. 6 tablespoons of the stock and ginger.
Thinly slice the carrots and add with the rest of the stock.
Bring to the boil, simmer for 20 mins.
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Puree.... absolutely delicious!

It's 0 points on WeightWatchers and it's my staple at the moment

jam_mac_jam

very nice fish soup taken from http://101things.wordpress.com/2006/06/01/low-fat-smoked-haddock-chowder/. Lovely for this time of year very wintery soup and the milk makes it feel much less low fat then it is.

John Mason

Ingredients

1 Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

1 Potato

2 teaspoons of Curried Powder

a handful of lentiels

squirt of Tomota Puree

1 pint of vegetable stock

Instructions

Throw all ingredients in to a pot

bring to the boil

Simmer until veg are soft and puree

absolutely devine, takes 5 mins. to make

olaola

Butternut Squash Soup

Cut 1 squash and put it into a pot with a little water.
Add about 1/2 carrot diced & 1/2 red pepper also diced.
For more flavour I add some garlic and nutmeg. Cinnamon is also quite nice.

Boil it all up until it's soft - whizz it up and serve!
I have it with a dollop of fat free fromage frais and some torn basil.
Coriander would also be nice.

podge018

Can't beat this.

Cut chicken breasts into squares and fry until brown.

Chop 1 onion, 1red, 1 green and 1 yellow pepper, 15 mushrooms, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots.

Put chicken at bottom of casserole dish. Then put vegetables in on top. Mix chicken casserole powder with 800ml of water and pour into dish.

Cook for 1h 45mins-ish on 190.

Beautiful.

dudara

Fry some onions and garlic until softened. Add some chicken stock, black pepper and broccoli and simmer gently until the broccoli is cooked. Puree and place back on the head. Crumble some stilton (or othe blue cheese) into the soup, let it melt, stir and taste. Add more cheese if required.

Serve with a little dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream.

Macha

olaola wrote: »

Butternut Squash Soup

Cut 1 squash and put it into a pot with a little water.
Add about 1/2 carrot diced & 1/2 red pepper also diced.
For more flavour I add some garlic and nutmeg. Cinnamon is also quite nice.

Boil it all up until it's soft - whizz it up and serve!
I have it with a dollop of fat free fromage frais and some torn basil.
Coriander would also be nice.

Just a variation on this:

The canned tomatos make it a deeper orange and it goes a but further as well. This makes about 8 bowls of soup..mmm..

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_28720,00.html

mykingdomlisa

LivingDeadGirl wrote: »

The Ultimate Low Calorie Tomato Soup:

1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 stock cube
Fresh/dreid basil
Hot water

Chop garlic and cook in a saucepan on a low heat, add tomatoes. Once it begins to bubble slightly bring it to the boil and add water from kettle. Add stock cube and basil and simmer until cube is completely dissolved.

Amazing.

i'd like to try thanks a lot

dudara

Just made a delicious soup last night, using up what was left in the fridge.

1 chopped onion
1 chopped clove garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1/2 chopped chili, deseeded
1/4 butternut squash, finely cubed
1 leek, sliced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
stock
pepper and salt to taste
double cream

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chili until soft. Add the leek and butternut squash and fry for another few minutes. Add the cumin and fry to release the flavour. Add the stock, enough to cover the vegetables, cover the pot and boil until the squash is soft. Liquidise the soup to the texture you like and add a little double cream.

ch750536

Not a recipe as such but when making chicken soup the other day I decided to throw in half a root of fennel.

Couldn't taste the fennel at all but the flavour of the soup was much stronger.

Pat McGhee

1 bag x luxury frozen mixed veg
1 stock cube

Cook veggies as per pack instructions, but in approx 1L of water with the stock cube.

Allow to cool, pour into a blender & blitz. Et voila! Reheat in a microwave.

gi-diet query

No calorie soup here (well practically).

Slice two courgettes into rounds and then halves, and cover with water in a pot.
Add chicken stock cube.
Boil then simmer for 10 mins until courgette is soft.
Add one or two triangles of extra light Laughing Cow cheese.
Whisk in pot with hand-blender to a consistency you like.

Tastes much better than it sounds.
It's the only way I like courgettes.

joseph brand

@ Irishgirl

Carrot and Parnsip Soup

---

Ingredients

1 Onion

2 cloves of Garlic

1 Potato

2 teaspoons of Curried Powder

a handful of lentiels

squirt of Tomota Puree

1 pint of vegetable stock

Instructions

Throw all ingredients in to a pot

bring to the boil

Simmer until veg are soft and puree

absolutely devine, takes 5 mins. to make

Where are the carrots and parsnips? :eek:

joseph brand

A flavoursome vegetarian soup with fresh and ground coriander. Serve with cheese and onion bread for a warming supper or lunch.
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
450g/1lb carrots, sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1.2 litresl/2 pints vegetable stock
large bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper



Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and the carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
2. Stir in the ground coriander and season well. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
4. Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the fresh coriander and serve.

Love coriander.

neuro-praxis

Chicken and vegetable soup

A simple warming, filling meal. Adjust quantities according to how many you'll be feeding. One chicken breast is quite a lot for 2 people.

1 chicken breast, steamed and shredded
Assortment of finely chopped carrots, onions, garlic and celery
1 potato, chopped into small cubes
1 small can sweetcorn kernels
Stock (either home-made or from a cube is fine)
Olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Canned tomatoes (optional)

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot on a medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, potato and celery, and soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in chicken and sweetcorn. At this point, you may wish to add the tomatoes. The tomatoes will float unattractively and reduce the look and taste of the soup on the second day, so if it will all be eaten in one go you can add them, but if you want to save the soup for the next day, leave the tomatoes out.

Simmer until the vegetables are tender and taste to see if seasoning is correct. Delicious and nutritious.

Sowra

10 tomatoes
2 courgettes
1 aubergine
3 peppers (red,green,yellow)
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
olive oil

1/2 stock cube
black pepper

This makes enough for about 5 servings or will keep for 5 days in sealed tupperware in fridge!

1.Make 2 slits in each tomato with knife.Put in bowl.Pour on boiling water, enough to cover. leave for ten mins, then drain and remove skins and top bit around stalk part.Put aside

2.Chop peppers(remove seeds if perferred) and courgettes, put aside

3. Chop onion and garlic finely. Soften in large pot with olive oil over high heat. Do not allow to burn

4. Slowly add peppers and courgettes. Stir contantly about 3 mins

5.Chop aubergine and add to pot (do quickly cos it goes brown)

6.Add tomatoes, cover pot and simmer for 20 mins on low to med heat.Do not add any water, the juice in the tomatoes is enough. After this add black pepper and half a stock cube and stir in well.

Serve with buttered soda bread!

aare

(Sowra...great minds think alike...I nearly LIVE on that...try a few baby corns, and/or olives for variety too)

Not sure if this is a soup or a stew, or even a stir fry, could be any of them depending on how you chop/blend...It's more fun to vary the texture, but best to chop the yam and onions fine...

Heat a wok with olive oil then chuck in the following while turning and stirring:

2 fine chopped medium yams
3 fine chopped medium onions
5 or 6 buttom mushrooms (chopped or not as the mood takes you)
4 tomatoes (chopped or not as the mood takes you)
6 crushed cloves of garlic (or to taste)
rock salt to taste
Splash of balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
.3kg of chopped pig's liver...

Keep stirring till it is well cooked and browned.

Two lovely big servings...totally gluten, tannin, egg and dairy free and gorgeous IMHO...

Might be quite nice grilled brown, on wholemeal toast too if you have a normal digestive system and can handle it

Gryzor

some great ideas here, definately be trying some of them.

How long can homemade soups be stored in the fridge??

Queencake

Gryzor wrote: »

some great ideas here, definately be trying some of them.

How long can homemade soups be stored in the fridge??

I'm wondering this too? Help oh wise soup makers?

Liam79

i always make mine on a sunday night and use up until Thursday, put it in a jar/measuuring jug, cover (so not to stink the fridge!) and leave. keeps its flavour all week.
Mine is very basic!
One whole onion chopped, 2 cloves of garlic chopped, tiny drop of EV Olive Oil, stir until soft, add cauliflower, Brocolli, Carrots and one chopped Potatoe, fill with water, add veg stock, bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Blend until purreed and voila! And so filling Great way to get your veg. Easily 3-4 a day in a bowl, have before a small dinner and your full have all the nutrients and its soooooo healthy
(give me any of the above with dinner and i would cringe, put them in a soup and i will eat/drink them all day )
ps do you eat or drink soup :cool:

Bedhead

My absolute favourite!

1 large butternutsquash
3 carrots
1 parnsip
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 stock cubes (chicken or veg)
1 bouquet garni
a generous shake of dried coriander leaf (although you could use fresh coriander as well).

Put all this in a litre and a half of boiling water, bring back to boil. Leave simmering for about a half hour. I usually puree it because I hate chunky soup but you don't have to.

Yummy!:D

neuro-praxis

Well the cooler Autumn evenings are upon us again and I've recommenced my soup making. This one is courtesy of a Texan friend. I'm adding points values for the Weight Watchers. To calorie count go to www.fitday.com and add up the ingredients.

Note: My friend uses a small, whole chopped butternut squash in this soup (0) but I am leaving it out because I don't like the texture of the squash when boiled (roasted, it's good, but not in this soup!). With the squash included it would probably serve 5-6.

Texan style chilli beef soup

4 generous servings, 4 points per person

230g (half a pound) lean minced beef (11)
1 red chilli, chopped (0)
2 cloves garlic, chopped (0)
1 large onion, chopped (0)
1 red pepper, chopped (0)
1 green pepper, chopped (0)
1 can kidney beans, drained (3)
2 cans chopped tomatoes (0)
8 tablespoons sweetcorn, canned or frozen (2)
1 pint beef stock, made with two stock cubes (0) (Note: use half a pint to 2 pints more stock if you are including the chopped squash.)
1 teaspoon paprika (0)
1 teaspoon cayenne (0)
2 teaspoons cumin (0)
Plenty of black pepper (0)

Taking a large saucepan, add your meat, onions, garlic and chilli and cook until the meat is browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add all other ingredients. Stir and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least one hour. Eat with a pitta bread (2) and some sour cream or grated cheese if you like (extra calories for these of course!).

This is absolutely delicious. Comfort food extraordinaire, and very good for you.

journey

This is one of my favourite recipes, it's really tasty, very filling and low in points. And the portion sizes are HUGE lol. I guarantee you that it will become a favourite once you try it.

Serves 3 (large portions) @ 6 points per portion

3 chicken breasts chopped into quarters (7.5)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Few grindings of fresh black pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil (4)
1 large onion, chopped roughly
2 garlic doves, chopped finely
1 pint of chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Leaves off 1 sprig of fresh oregano, or 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
650g boiling potatoes, cut into medium-sized dice (6.5 points)
6 button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 courgette, sliced
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped roughly

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350º F/Gas Mark 3.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan.
3. Add the chicken and brown. Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain off the fat, leaving a thin covering behind.
4. Add the onion, mushrooms and courgette to the saucepan and gently fry until softened but not browned - this takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add a little vegetable stock and stir with a wooden spooon to scrape up the bits that have stuck on the bottom.
6. Add the remaining stock, the bay leaf and the oregano and bring to the boil.
7. Add the carrots and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid off. Return the chicken to the pan and then place the whole lot in a casserole. Cover and place in the oven.
8. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, then stir in the parsley and serve.

neuro-praxis

I know carrot and coriander soup has been mentioned before, but one of my problems with soup recipes is that making them can be time-consuming and they tend to produce about 8 bowlfuls, and I get sick of it and end up throwing it out.

Today I threw this together in 10 minutes for lunch for 2 people, and it was great.

3 large carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, slliced
1 potato, chopped (100g, 1 point)
Spray oil
1 pint chicken stock (I used a "Just Bouillon" cube)
Half a teaspoon of dried coriander (I had no fresh herbs to hand)
Plenty of black pepper
Shake of dried chilli, for kick

Saute the carrots, onion, potato and garlic in spray oil until softened. Add a pint of vegetable stock. Simmer until tender. Blend. Season. Eat.

Makes 2 bowls.

ya-what-now?

Hey Journey, thanks for that chicken casserole, looks great!

I made a lovely soup over the weekend, not too dissimilar to the butternut squash recepie above but this one also has sweet potato. I'll throw down this specific recepie for anyone that's interested

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup (in total about 4 points for lot, due to Sweet Potato - for the Weight Watchers out there)

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash
2 Sweet Potatoes
2 Carrots
6 Shallots
2 Cloves of Garlic
Parsley
Salt and Pepper
2 Litres of Veg Stock

Chop up all of the veg above. Bring to the boil in the veg stock then allow to simmer for about 20mins before adding the parsley. Season with S & P.

Don't know whether its the butternut squash or the sweet potato but this soup has a lovely creamy consistency. Really Delish!

Anyone got a good recepie for a healthy (low point if poss!) chicken curry that doesn't involve throwing in any tinned tomatoes? Kinda getting sick of bulking stuff out with tinned tomatoes!! Love to do a big one pot meal that I can portion up, but so far only really do spag bol / chilli. Will deffo give Journey's Chicken dish a go, but anyone got anything else?

journey

Ya-what-now, I found this recipe. Haven't tried it, but have pointed it and it's low fat and no tomatoes to be seen lol.

Cooking time: 30 minutes
Preparation & cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus marinating time
Serves: 4
Total Points: 13 (not including rice).


4 x chicken breasts, skinned and boned (10 points)
284ml/½ pint very low fat natural yogurt (3 points)
2 tsp turmeric
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 large onions, sliced
426ml/¾ pint chicken stock
3 cardamom pods
1 x 2½cm/1in piece cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
4 cloves
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped root ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves


1. Slice the chicken and place in a bowl. Mix together the yogurt, turmeric and garlic and pour over the chicken. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator or a cool place for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

2. Put the onion and chicken stock in a large, heavy saucepan. Cover the pan, bring to the boil and then boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat, uncover the pan and cook gently for 20 minutes, until the onion is tender, golden and syrupy.

3. Add all the spices to the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken and the yogurt marinade. Cover the pan and simmer very gently over low heat for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately with boiled rice, and sprinkled with fresh coriander.

journey

I'm trying this recipe out this evening - serves 4 at 4 points each. I'll be having it with my homemade crispy garlic and herb potatoes - yummy!

Ingredients
225g / 8oz Broccoli florets - 0 points
4 skinned chicken breast portions - 10 points
1 can Campbell's low fat condensed chicken soup - 1.5 points
50g / 2oz Hellmans Extra Light Mayonnaise - 0.5 points
1 tsp curry paste - 0 points
Splash of skimmed milk - take out of your daily allowance
4 slices WW brown bread made into breadcrumbs - 2 points
50g grated low fat cheddar cheese - 2 points

Preparation method
Cook broccoli in boiling water until almost tender.
Place chicken breasts and broccoli in a shallow oven proof dish.
Mix together the soup, mayonnaise, and curry paste with a splash of skimmed milk (to double cream consistency).
Spoon the mixture over the chicken and broccoli, coating them well.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the cheese on top.
Bake at 190C / 375F for 45 mins or until bubbling all the way through.

ya-what-now?

Ooh that looks yummy-definitely one to try out! Thanks Journey

journey

Serves 4 at 1 point per serving

Ingredients
4 white onions
1 clove garlic
3 oxo cubes dissolved in 1 litre of boiling water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 teaspoons olive oil (4 points)

Peel and chop the onions into small bits (I use a food processor - way easier!)
Fry over a medium heat in a non stick saucepan with the olive oil for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are gone soft and have turned slightly brown.
Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook over a medium heat for a further 30 minutes.

lots2lose

Hi Everyone

As we are coming into the winter months I find Salads just dont do it for me! This chilli is hearty and tastes better by the day

Cooking time 30-40 mins
Serves - 4-6 Portions

What you'll need -

1 Bag of Quorn Mince (5)

Garlic (as much as you like!) -0

2 Peppers -0

1 Onion -0

Mushrooms -0

1 Large can of Kidney beans -4

2 - 3 Cans of Chopped tomatos -0

2 Chillis or Chilli Flakes (also if you like cumin seeds etc)

1tsb Honey (optional)(3)

Prep-

.Chop onions / Mushrooms/Chillis(fresh)/Peppers and add to a large pot filled with a little water

. Once they start to heat and soften add in the Quorn mince and stir

. Add the tomatoes , Garlic and Kidney beans and cook on a high heat till it bubbles a little.

.Lower heat ( I tend to simmer!) and add Kidney Beans and Honey (if your using chilli flakes I would add these now but if you prefer you can add them with the Quorn)

.Continue to cook on a low heat until mixture thickens (if its too thick you can add some water If its not thick enough drain a little of the fluid!)

.Serve with Brown rice or a Wrap and enjoy!

This is also really tasty on its own with a little LF natural yogurt

neuro-praxis

Sounds great.

Kidney beans are not 0 points however. You need to point them as per the info on the can. If I recall correctly a whole can is something like 4 or 5 points. No pulses are 0 points.

Also, 1 tbsp of honey is 3 points.

lots2lose

neuro-praxis wrote: »

Sounds great.

Kidney beans are not 0 points however. You need to point them as per the info on the can. If I recall correctly a whole can is something like 4 or 5 points. No pulses are 0 points.

Also, 1 tbsp of honey is 3 points.

Thanks NP have updated accordingly

Minus the honey I would point this as 1.5pts per portion (divided into 6 portions!) Would you say this is correct?

Thanks!

neuro-praxis

Yes, minus the honey, 1.5 points per portions seems right. What a great, nourishing, low calorie meal.

foundry

journey wrote: »

I'll be having it with my homemade crispy garlic and herb potatoes - yummy!

Could u share this recipe? is it healthy?

IcedJade

boiling for an hour? really?

I think that kills off most of your nutriants.

Sapsorrow

Ok fraid I don't do measurements so the ones I give here will be rough estimates and you'll prob need to improvise a bit! Here are some of my most popular creations hope ye like em..

My super special tagine recipe;

Fry and onion and leek in a little olive oil until golden.
Add diced sweet potato, carrot, pumkin or any combination of sweet orange/yellow root veg you like and (1 tsp each) cumin and corriander seeds (whole) and sweat for a few mins.
Add enough veg stock to just cover, a couple of teaspoons of garam masala, 2 tsp of turmeric and simmer until just tender.
Add 1 or 2 tins of chickpeas, one or two cups of dried prunes (of halved dried apricots is equally lovely), 3 cloves finely diced garlic and a carton of passata (not tinned tomatos or fresh has to be passat for the right texture)
Continu to simmer and when very nearly done add a generous drop of coconut milk ande fresh (not frozen) spinach or chard and cook just long enough to wilt the spinach (ie: when it's turned a lovely bright virant green)
Serve with plain soya or ordinary yoghurt and toasted almond flakes and/or chopped frsh corriander.
You may like to adjust the amount of spices used generally I find the more shockingly generous you are with the garam masala the better.


Best ever pumkin (or sweet potato) soup;

Chop up your pumkin (or sweet potato) and lose the skin, coat it in olive oil and stick it on a bakin tray with a whole bulb of garlic in it's skin (but borkn up into individual cloves) and bake until tender.
Then squeeze out the pulp from the garlic and blitz with the pumkin with veg stock, add dried ginger (1 verly level tsp), cinnamon (1+ tsp), a bit of chile as hot as you like it and 1tsp garam masala (if you like not necessary).
Add a generous drop of coconut milk and cook for a few mins until serving again this is lovely with natural yoghurt and toasted nuts as a garnish.

Lovely (and healthy) spinach, lentil and potato soup;

Fry and onion and a stick of celery until golden with a tsp or so of cumin seeds.
Add 3 medium or small diced potatos, 1 cup or so of split red lentils, 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 2+ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp+ turmeric and veg stock and simmer until the lentils look like they're dissolving and the potatos are tender.
When nearly done add the fresh spinach and a drop of coconut milk and cook for a few minutes and blitz.
Serve with natural yoghurt and toasted sesame seeds.

Roast tomato, red pepper and balsamic vinegar soup;

In a big bowl coat whole fresh tomatos (cherries best and perfectly or just over rip if possible) and red bell peppers cut into bigish chunks in a mixture of olive oil and black balsamic vinegar in a ration of 1:3/4.
Add plenty of salt and fresh cracked black pepper and roast until tender.
In a pot fry an onion until golden and add a cup of split red lentils and veg stock and cook until the lentils are dissolving.
Add the roast veg and a healthy dash of tobasco sauce or even worchester sauce and cook for a further few minutes and blitz.
Check seasoning and see if it needs another dash of vinegar and serve with garlic croutons.

Noodles5

I made this on Sunday night, it was gorgeous! I made it minus the sour cream and bread (trying to cut calories and cut out as much carbs as possible!! )



Ingredients

• 150g Leeks, chopped
• 300g Carrots, sliced
• 50g salted Butter
• 300g roasted peppers, skinned and seeds removed, sliced
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 100g Soured cream
• salt and black pepper, to taste

For the bread

• 1 baguette
• 50g Cheese, sliced

Method

1. In a large saucepan, gently soften the leeks and the carrots in the butter for about 3 minutes. Tip in the peppers and pour in the vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes on a medium heat.

2. Using a blender, whiz the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the soured cream and reheat gently.

3. Slice a baguette to 2 centimetres thick. Toast on one side; then top with your favourite cheese on the other side. Grill until the cheese melts, before arranging over the soup and serving straight away.

McChubbin

Hurray for soup!

Here's my recipe for

Leek & Potato: (serves 4 people. Will keep for 3 days)

You'll need:

-1 1/2 lbs potatoes (Golden Roosters work best-not too watery)
-4 large leeks
-3/4 pint Knorr Stock Pot Vegetable
- 3 tbsp Flora (or other low-fat butter subsitute)
- 300g low fat creme fraiche
- Splash of milk
- Generous sprinkle of paprika

METHOD:
Wash, peel, chop and cube the potatoes. Boil in a large, deep saucepot for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

In the meantime, finely chop the leeks and sautee in a large pot with 1 1/2 tbsp of the Flora until soft and lightly browned.

Lower the heat and add a splash of milk. Bring to the boil before taking off the heat and setting aside.

Drain the potatoes and add the rest of the Flora, mashing vigorously. Chuck in the creme fraiche and mix until fully blended. Gradually add the stock and leeks, mashing constantly and bring to the boil until the mixture is slightly mushy.

Using a handwhisk or an electric mixer, blend the soup mix to remove lumps if you prefer it smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes then serve with a sprinkle of paprika and a massive slab of Soda Bread.

Ahh, bliss!

goat2

foxy06 wrote: »

Fry onion celery and leeks in spray oil and cover with a lid to soften. Have it on low though or it will burn. Then throw in your beef or lamb and some chopped carrots and pour in some hot water and a stock cube or two. Add some basil and bouquet garni or some mixed herbs and then some gravy granuals to thicken. It is lovely and if you are pointing with weight watchers you only need to count the beef and gravy granuals and the potato if you add some. I usual boil the potato seperately and pour the stew over it in a bowl......yum!

i always use cornflour to thicken, these gravey granuals and packets of thickners are full of salts

goat2

Queencake wrote: »

I'm wondering this too? Help oh wise soup makers?

up to 3 months, but before freezing make shure they are cooled down

poonamt93

Hey, I really enjoyed reading what you had to say.You have lots of good and healthy tips.This is really great stuff.Keep going.Thanks for sharing.

hyperbaby

I am going to buy a blender in lidl tomorrow so i can try and make some of thee lovely soups

Damie

hyperbaby wrote: »

I am going to buy a blender in lidl tomorrow so i can try and make some of thee lovely soups

+1

Quality

Broccoli and Leek Soup

I make a lovely broccoli and Leek soup, the black pepper and worchestershire give it a bit of a kick

Ingredients
One Head of Broccoli
Two Leeks
Pearl Barley handful
Lentils handful
Worcherstershire Sauce tablespoon
Thyme good pinch
Stock cubes 4
Salt and black Pepper
Spray Oil



1 Spray oil into pot. Gently cook chopped leeks, salt, pepper and Thyme to release aroma. Add worchestershire sauce.
2 Fill pot half way with water, bring to boil
3 Add Broccoli, Barley, lentils and stock cubes
4 cook for approx 40 minutes
5 blitz with food blender, just till leak and broccoli have dissolved.

And enjoy, nice with brown bread..

AmeliaPond

It's feckin miserable today so here is a hearty soup

Pasta e Fagioli (aka Minestrone)

1 large onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic (yes, that many)
tbsp olive oil to fry the onion
1 courgette (1cm3 chunks)
1 small aubergine (1cm3 chunks)
250g mushrooms (sliced)
3 tins chopped tomatoes
2 tins beans drained and well rinsed (chickpeas are lovely, red kidney beans are also good and generally cheaper!)
beef stock cubes (or vegetable if you prefer)
about two cups cooked pasta (little shells are perfect but anything will work, great for using up leftover pasta too - if you've got leftover spaghetti just cut it up into soup size pieces)
fresh herbs basil is absolutely lovely but if you don't have fresh dried will do


In the bottom of a large pot, fry the onion and when the onion has gone a bit golden add the garlic and saute a little longer. Add the courgette, aubergine & mushrooms and stir everything together. Add the tomatoes and beans and make up enough stock with the stock cubes to make it "soup". Cook until veggies are tender to your liking. Put pasta into serving bowl, pour soup on top and mix, garnish with basil. Do not mix pasta into soup prior to serving unless you feel like having super mushy pasta in your leftovers for the next while. (Also nice with a bit of parmesean on top)

This recipe makes a LOT of soup. If you don't want to make so much, only use a courgette, 2 tins of tomatoes, 1 tin of beans, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic and the stock & basil & pasta. That will make a more manageable amount

mike65

Some good reading (and posssibly eatin') in here.

My own contribution from another thread

Chicken and Veg broth

Makes enough for about 6 generous bowls.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
3 chicken thighs (obviously you could use any cheap cuts)
4 chicken stock cubes in about 1 litre of boiling water
Carrott sliced and diced
Leek sliced and diced
Half an onion sliced and diced
Two celery sticks sliced and diced
Tomato sliced and diced
Potato chopped up
Add Black pepper (and salt if you insist!)

De-skin the chicken and remove any bone and excess fat.

Throw olive oil into the pot, add onions and heat through adding the rest of the veg a bit at a time mixing as your go, once all in pour in the chicken stock (remember to give the stock a thorough stir so the cubes are completely "melted" into the liquid) and add the chicken and potato bring to a 'gentle' boil and then turn down to simmer for the next hour.

When cooked pluck out the chicken and break up the meat (check for any remaining bone) and return to the broth. Add favourings, though apart from black pepper I'd not bother (say no to salt!)

I call it a broth cos its definitely not a thick liquid though with some dry soup mix/lentils you could could certainly beef it up. I rather like thin broth though.

When it comes to storage I've stored the pot in the pit of the fridge and cook as much as is needed per sitting so the chicken only gets reheated once.