Category Archives for Soups

Coconut Curried Cauliflower Soup

There’s nothing better then on a Winter’s day, when you are cold right through to the bone, to warm yourself up with a hearty, nourishing soup. The sweetness of the roasted vegetables balances out so nicely with the spice of the red curry paste. This is sure to be a soup that pleases everyone!

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
300g butternut pumpkin, chopped
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1-4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (depending on your level of spice)
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 x 420g can coconut milk
seasoning
chilli oil / lime juice (optional)

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a tray with baking paper.

Place the chopped cauliflower and pumpkin on the tray and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Season with salt and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the cauliflower and pumpkin have softened and begin to brown.

In the meantime, start preparing your soup by heating the remaining olive oil on medium heat.  Add your onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add your carrots and cook for a further 10 minutes until they begin to soften. Add your garlic and ginger and stir to ensure they don't burn for a further minute.

Add your turmeric and red curry paste.  Maybe start with 1-2 tablespoons and you can always add more if you prefer it spicier. 

Stir for 1 minute and then deglaze the pan by adding some vegetable stock.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the dark bits.

Add your roasted vegetables and the remaining stock.  Bring to a simmer and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. 

Remove the pot from the stove and blend the soup until smooth by either using an immersion blender or transferring the soup to a blender in batches. 

Add your coconut milk to the soup and adjust your seasonings as required.

Serve with a squeeze of lime juice or some chilli oil

Serves 4-6

Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Soup

I have had many lentil and vegetable soups in my time, but this one is one of my favourites.  Roasting the vegetables first brings the sweetness out of them and adds an amazing flavour to the soup.  Packed with protein from the lentils, this soup is clearly a meal in itself. 

Ingredients:

1 leek white part only, sliced
300 g butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly diced
1 parsnip, peeled and roughly diced
2 red capsicum, membrane and seeds removed, roughly diced
2 zucchini, roughly diced
½ cauliflower, cut into florets
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
½ cup red lentils, soaked for 1 hour
handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper, as required.

Method:

Prepare your lentils by placing them in a bowl and covering with filtered water. Set aside for 1 hour. Rinse lentils after they have been soaked.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Place your leek, pumpkin, parsnip, capsicum, cauliflower and zucchini in a roasting dish. Add the minced garlic and toss to combine. Roast in oven for 1 hour, tossing occasionally so everything cooks evenly.

Transfer your vegetables into a pot on the stove. Add your vegetable stock and lentils. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes until lentils are cooked through. Check seasoning and adjust to taste. Add fresh parsley and serve.

Serves 6-8

Asian Miso Soup

As a big fan of Japanese food, miso paste is a regular ingredient in my cooking. It is a great source of iron, calcium, potassium, vitamin B and protein. It is extremely versatile and using it to flavour this soup has brought my love for Japanese into my kitchen. I have kept this recipe simple and is a fabulous option for a light lunch or dinner, however if you would like to include more protein into it some shredded chicken would be a great addition.

Ingredients:

2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced finely
2cm piece ginger, cut into matchsticks
6 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons miso paste (I use brown rice miso)
2 tablespoons luke warm water
1-2 teaspoons tamari
1 teaspoon coconut nectar (or raw honey)
500g mixed mushrooms (enoki, shitake, button)
2 cups mixed Asian greens, roughly chopped
250g Kelp noodles or udon noodles.

Method:

Heat large saucepan on stove and add spring onions and ginger. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Pour in vegetable stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare your miso, water, tamari and coconut nectar by mixing well in small bowl. Prepare your mushrooms and greens.

After 10 minutes, add the miso paste and mix well. Add your mushrooms and greens and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Whilst the soup is finishing cooking, prepare noodles as per package, divide amongst bowls and then ladle in your soup with mushrooms and greens.

Serves 4

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Greens, greens and more greens. Soup for me is often a complete meal and this cream of broccoli soup is no different. It's packed with fibre from the broccoli and spinach and has a silky, creamy finish from the avocado. It will be hard to stop at one bowl.

Ingredients:

 1 tablespoon coconut oil
 1 leek, sliced and rinsed well
 1 clove garlic, minced
 2 celery ribs, diced
 2 large heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
 4-5 cups vegetable stock
 60g baby spinach
 ¼ avocado

 Method:

 Heat oil in large saucepan and sauté leek, garlic and celery for approximately 5 minutes. Add broccoli and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is soft. Add the spinach and mix it in until it has all wilted.

 Remove soup from heat. Add the avocado and then either transfer into a high speed blender or use a hand mixer to blend it until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.

 Serves 3-4

Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

Picture a dark, gloomy, rainy day....  How satisfying to know that you could have this thick, sweet, filling soup for your next meal.  Roasting the vegetables takes away all the fuss from the preparation and gives it a delicious flavour. 

Ingredients:
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 4 cloves garlic, skin in tact
 2 brown onions, cut in half
 ½ butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
½ jap pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small sweet potato, peel and roughly chopped
 6 cups vegetable stock
 salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

Place pumpkin, sweet potato, onions and garlic on a tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in oven for 45-60 minutes until vegetables are soft and charred.

Remove vegetables from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a blender. Add vegetable stock and seasoning and blend until smooth.

Serves 4-6

Zucchini and Dill Soup

There is always a soup of some kind in my fridge especially during the colder months.  Apart from it being comforting and warming, it is an easy way to get some additional vegetables into you.  

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil1 leek, sliced and washed
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 large zucchinis, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped

Method:
Heat oil over medium heat in heavy based saucepan. Add leek and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn.

Add zucchini and carrots, stirring for a couple of minutes. Pour in vegetable stock and season to taste.

Cook for about 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add fresh dill and then blend soup until nice and smooth.

Serves 4-6

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

There are many days when I have craved a soup for lunch or dinner, but haven't had one pre-prepared on hand, so have had to put one together quickly. This creamy cauliflower soup is definitely a ‘go to’ option and due to its thick consistency, more often than not it ends up being my complete meal.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 litre vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup coconut milk (optional)

Method:
Heat olive oil in heavy based saucepan.
Add onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for a further minute
Add the remainder of the cauliflower, stock and seasoning. Stir well.
Bring soup to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and tender..
Remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend until smooth.
Check seasoning and add coconut milk now if using.

Serves 4

Chickpea Minestrone Soup

With the warmer months behind us and the cooler weather setting in, there is nothing better than a nice hearty bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. The recipe below came together after pulling out of the fridge the bits and pieces that I had. It is a great basis for a vegetable soup that can be changed and altered to suit whatever vegetables you have on hand. I personally like to add some chilli flakes for that extra pow!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced and washed
3 celery stalks, diced
2 zucchini, diced
½ cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
500ml vegetable stock
100g baby spinach leaves

Method:
Heat olive oil in heavy based saucepan.
Add leek and celery and sauté for approximately 5 minutes.
Add the remainder of the vegetables, seasoning, diced tomatoes and chickpeas and toss well.
Pour in vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and tender.
Add spinach leaves and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve.
Can be served with toasted bread.

Serves 4-6

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