Fi's Minestrone

I found this recipe on Fi's blog Mummy Daze and thought it looked so good and so easy that I'd give it a go! It's absolutely delicious!!

Not my image, as per usual!

Serves 4 - with enough for seconds and leftovers

Get This -

2 tablespoons oil
ham/bacon/salami
onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

800g tinned tomatoes

2 teaspoons stock powder

4.5 cups cold water

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 large carrot, diced

zucchini, sliced

1/2 broccoli, chopped finely

1/2 cup frozen peas

750g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and strained

1/2 cup macaroni/broken spaghetti pieces

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups fresh baby spinach (if you have some)
salt & pepper

fresh basil

serve with a dollop of pesto

Do This -

1. Add diced bacon, onion, crushed garlic and oil to large pot. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
2. Add tomato paste, tinned tomato, stock and water. Cover, and bring to the boil. Add potato and carrots. Cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. When you are nearly ready to serve, add the beans, zucchini, broccoli, peas and pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is just tender. Add sugar and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in baby spinach leaves just before serving.
4. Ladle into bowls and dollop with pesto and basil. Serve with toasted bread or oven-baked rolls - whatever you have handy.

I served it with parmesan instead of pesto, and fresh basil.

Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup

I love pumpkin soup. But I've never made it before...until now.
It's so easy, why did I wait so long?
Another one from Taste.com.au, the best place to go for recipes!!

Serves 4

Get This - 

• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground tumeric  
• 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
• 175g (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
• 1L (4 cups) water
• 2 x vegetable stock cubes
• natural yoghurt & fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin/curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
2. Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cubes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.
3. Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.
4. Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.

Four Bean Soup with Barley & Lentils

I found this recipe on Taste.com.au ...the best recipe website!
I added red lentils and salt & pepper, swapped the parsley for basil because I love basil and we happen to have a big pot of it in the garden.

Picture from Taste.com
But I'm sure mine looks just as good!



Get This (serves 4)

• 1 tb olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup (105g) pearl barley
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 2 cups (500ml) salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 x 400g cans four-bean mix, rinsed, drained
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Do This

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and thyme, and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until onion is soft. Add the barley and stir to coat in the onion mixture. Add the vegetable stock and 1 litre (4 cups) water, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until barley is slightly tender.
2. Add the beans, lentils and tomato, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring back to a simmer and cook for a further 15 minutes or until barley and lentils are soft. Serve in bowls sprinkled with basil.

Angela's Chicken Soup

This recipe was kindly given to my by @AngelaPj when I had a very sore throat.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken to fill half your pot.
Maryland is best and cheap but can have small bones so not for littlies.
You need cuts with bones to get the flavour.
I use wings, drumsticks and breast fillets (for a bit more meat).
Dried tarragon (optional)
Noodles
Rice
Chicken stock powder
Salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Lots of vegies. Fill to top of pot. I like to use at least 10 different types.
Must have:
One bunch Shallots (definitely not onions)
Carrots
Potato
Pumpkin (not too much or will be too sweet)
Silverbeet or spinach or asian green like bok chuy or choy sum (use lots as it shrinks)

Optional:
Swede or turnip
Beans
Parsnip
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zuccini
Celery
Squash
Brussel sprouts
Etc.

1. Boil Chicken for about ½ hour (as long as it takes to chop vegies) scrape off scum from top of water.
2. Add vegies and a few tablespoons of stock powder. Add tarragon and Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Fill pot up with water.
3. Simmer for about 1 ½ hours.
4. Take out chicken and add noodles and a handful of rice.
5. Cook for another ½ hour or so.
6. Strip chicken from bones and put back in pot. Top up with water.
7. Add more stock powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If using wings take them out before they fall apart otherwise the little bones escape from the skin.
Add a little more chicken stock than you need then you add water when you eat. That way you get more out of a pot cos there’s not much room for water in the pot with all those vegies.