Courgette and mint soup

This soup is very light and refreshing - well needed for summer days.It's also perfect for using any leftover vegetables that you may have at the back of your fridge.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, sliced

2 cloves of garlic

2 celery sticks, sliced

2 medium size courgettes or more, also sliced

pinch or two chilli flakes 

1 litre veggie stock 

salt and pepper

fresh mint

feta cheese for garnish + mint leaves as well as olive oil

In a large cooking pot heat up the oil, add the leek and garlic and sauté for five minutes.

Add the celery and courgettes, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil.

Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

Blend the soup until smooth. Stir through the chopped mint.

To serve scatter some mint leaves, feta cheese, pepper and olive oil if you wish.

Enjoy !!!

I am sharing this recipe with Veghog and Eat Your Greens

Detox balance soup

This soup is a little treasure, it's packed with nutrients from the veggies as well as the lentils and if that wasn't enough it's topped with kale and parsley. Why cheese? Detox is boring without balance !!

Kids approved it so I am over the moon 🌙

you will need or I should say I used:

1 big onion, diced

half a leek 

1 parsnip

2 potatoes

1 large carrot

about 350 gr butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 cup green lentils

1/2 cup red lentils

2 handful of kale

1 handful of chopped parsley 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1.6 l water or 6 - 7 cup

parmesan shavings ( optional )

Method:

Place all vegetables into a large cooking pot, add 1Tbsp oil.

Sweat the veggies for five minutes, add the lentils and boiling water.

Cook the soup for 40 minutes or until the green lentils are soft, the veggies and the red lentils will be cooked quicker.

Add the salt.

Take four cups of the soup and blend it together with the olive oil until smooth.

Pour back into the pot and add the kale as well as the parsley.

Serve the soup with parmesan shavings and crusty bread 

Serve 8 people 

Enjoy :)

I am sharing this post with eat your greens

Pumpkin three ways ( part 1 )

October is already here and I have been busy baking and cooking with my favorite veg Pumpkin !!

I've got some lovely velvety soup that is protein rich, I've also got a pumpkin wholemeal bread full of goodness and I've got pumpkin granola. Yes, I am so excited about the granola, the taste is phenomenal and everyone adds a handful or two as a topping on their cereal …..  

Pumpkin and red lentil soup with zaatar croutons 

1 diced onion

1 diced carrot

2 cloves garlic

1 celery stick

400 gr pumpkin, butternut squash or any squash you can get, peeled and chopped into big chunks

2/3 cup red lentils 

6 cups of water

1 veggie stock cube 

for the zaatar croutons I used rye bread, cubed and seasoned with zaatar, splash of olive oil before oven bake for 10 min on high temp. 

In a large cooking pot splash some olive oil begore adding the veggies. Stir in the pumpkin, lentils as well as the water. 

Cook until the pumpkin is soft then add the stock cube.

Cool is down a bit before you blend it.

Add some black pepper and salt if needed.

Serve 6 or more.

Pumpkin wholemeal seeded bread

500 gr pumpkin 

100 gr pumpkin seeds

200 gr wholemeal flour

200 gr white flour

150 gr porridge oats

4 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp sugar

7 gr salt

7 gr active dry yeast

Cut the pumpkin into big wedges no need to peel and roast it in the oven for 40 - 60 min or until soft.

Spoon out the pumpkin flash and make a pure.

Set a side.

In a large mixing bowl place all dry ingredients ( reserve about 30 gr seeds for topping ) add 400 ml of lukewarm water . Mix it all up adding more water if needed. Knead the dough on floured surface adding the oil here and there.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour or so.

After that place the dough back on floured surface, fold it a few times and place it into a baking tin ( covered with baking paper ) of your choice, mine is 900 ml loaf tin.

Brush the dough with warm water and sprinkle the seeds.

Let it rest for 1 hour.

Bake for 50 - 55 min on 200 C .

Pumpkin granola

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup mixed seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin 

1 cup pumpkin pure

1/2 cup maple syrup 

2/3 cup coconut oil

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl pour in the maple syrup, add the pumpkin pure and the soften coconut oil.

Stir all together and add the oats, nuts, seeds as well as the cinnamon and salt.

Mix it all making sure all the dry ingredients are covered with the pumpkin mixture.

Spread the mixture onto two baking trays and bake for 30 minutes on 180 C stir it half way through the baking.

The granola should be slightly colored and crisp.

Cool it down before you store in some glass jars.

Add some dry fruit if you like, I add some raisins !!

Delicious !! 

Three ways with yellow split peas

Hello my lovely readers!!! I have missed the whole September in a terms of blogging but I haven't stopped dreaming about food, cooking, baking and creating new recipes. As usual, I use simple ingredients, seasonal produce, nutritious and always budget friendly. This time the main character is yellow split peas : rich in protein, flavour and very attractive golden colour. Comfort food - made easy!!   

Cauliflower & split peas curry

Ingredients:

serve 4

1 onion, chopped

3 Tbsp green curry paste

2 cups of cooked split peas or 1 cup of uncooked ( soak in water overnight )

half cauliflower, dry grilled in a grill pan 

1 cup of passata 

1 tin of coconut milk

salt and pepper

one mug of rice of your choice 

Heat a grill pan and place the cauliflower florets. Grill them until they get dark colours around the edges. Set a side.

In a large cooking pot heat up some oil, add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the curry paste and stir for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the cooked split peas, cauliflower, passata, coconut milk and one cup of vegetable stock or water. Add some salt and pepper.

Stir it all up and cook for 15 minutes. 

Serve with cooked fluffy basmati rice.

Done !!!

Split peas dip

Ingredients:

one cup of cooked split peas

1/2 cup water from the cooked peas

1 heaped Tbsp tahini 

1 clove minced garlic

juice of half a lemon

salt

pepper

Place all the ingredients into a big jar and blend it, using a stick blender.

You can also place the ingredients into a food processor but the first method saves you washing up :)

Add some olive oil before serving .....

This soup is made of all sorts of vegetables such as: leek, carrots, potato, parsnip and celery.

To make the soup more tick I add one cup or more of cooked yellow split peas before I liquidise it .

Yum !!

Leek potato & spinach soup

Hello first day of spring ! Soup is something I will be eating less this season especially when the sun comes out, but for now here is a hearty and nutritious bowl of soup ..... 

Ingredients:

300 gr sliced leek
600 gr white potatoes
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
3 cubes frozen spinach
salt and pepper or 1 stock cube

garnish: yogurt, avocado,
ground flax seeds, bread,
olive oil


In a large pot pour in 3 - 4 Tbsp olive oil.
Add the leek followed by the potatoes ( peeled and cubed ).
Stir in the minced garlic and pour in 1 .3 litre of hot water.
Bring it to boil, reduce the heat and put the lid on.
Cook the soup for 15 minutes, add salt and pepper as well as the spinach.
Cook for further 5 minutes.
Cool it down for a bit before you liquidise the soup. 
I use an electric stick blender.
Serve for dinner as a first course or a light lunch.

note: add any other veggies such as cauliflower, celeriac or broccoli stalks.... 

Thanks for reading! I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from you.

Chickpeas & veggies soup with rainbow salad

When I was a little girl my parents used to add vinegar to the soup we used to eat as a starter. Oh, I remember now very clear how much I used to hate the taste of it, I would cry or even throw a tantrum until my soup was replaced by a fresh non-sour bowl of soup. Guess what ? I now love adding vinegar to my soup and I buy unfiltered apple vinegar so the taste is as authentic as can be. My father used to make his own apple vinegar from our own apple tree so we were spoiled with taste. Now days any nutritionist will tell you to eat something sour just before you eat your meal to kick start the acids in your stomach so your food is easily digested and you don't get bloated. It can be a Tbsp of vinegar in a little water or it can be a handful of rocket leaves or it can be a bowl of sour soup ☕   I am contributing with this recipe to my fellow blogger veghog, she is promoting " cheap eats week " and I think this soup is very much on budget !!!

Ingredients:

1 onion or 1 leek, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 parsnip, sliced

leftover broccoli stalks

1 can of chickpeas

vegetable stock 

olive oil

pepper

handful of pasta 

handful of polenta 

parsley 

In a big cooking pot splash some olive oil and add the vegetables. Let them sweat on a medium heat with lid on for about 15 minutes.

Add 1 litre of stock + more, depend of how much vegetables you have, as well as the chickpeas.

Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes and add the pasta shapes. Cook for further 5 - 10 minutes before you add the instant polenta ( you don't have to, I just fancied thicker soup ) 

Adjust the taste, add some fresh parsley.

For the salad, grate some beetroot ( mine is golden ) and carrot, slice some purple cabbage, add some chopped red pepper and fresh parsley.

Season the salad with olive oil, vinegar and salt.

The bread dipped in the soup on the photo is this one 

Detox soup

They are saying eat the rainbow 🌈 so here is a rainbow - right in the bowl .......

Ingredients:

olive oil 

1 leek , washed, trimmed and finely sliced

1 carrot

1 parsnip

1/4 head of celeriac 

2 cloves garlic

150 gr green or brown lentils, soaked for a few hours 

1 Tbsp tomato pure

100 gr fresh kale
handful of broccoli florets

purple cabbage

sliced avocado 

salt 

pepper

chili flakes


Heat a spalsh of oil in a large pan, then add the and cook over s medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the root vegetsbles, all chopped up and cook for 10 minutes or so. 
Add the lentils and 1.5 litres of water or stock.
Cook on a medium / low heat for 35 - 40 minutes or until the lentils and cooked.
Season the soup with salt and pepper and add the tomato pure as well as the kale.
Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and the purple cabbage and cook for further 3 - 4 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with sliced avocado, parsley and chili flakes as well as a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the soup with or without bread....Enjoy ....

Super detox purple kale & millet soup

Purple kale, wow! How excited was I, seeing it in the farmer's market. I love adding kale into soups but I knew that this purple kale won't give the most attractive colour. Therefor there will be comments from the consumers especially from the youngest one.
Millet is an amazing seed, it is high in fiber, vitamin B and magnesium and it is easily digestible. I ❤ millet ! 

 

Ingredients:

1 leek

2 parsnips, celeriac or potato

2 - 3 handfuls of kale

50 gr millet 

olive oil
1 liter of veggie stock or water + low salt stock cube 

salt

pepper
chili flakes, optional
yogurt , optional

Start by washing and chopping the veggies. In a big-ish cooking pot heat up some olive oil, add the leek, stir for a couple of minutes and add the parsnip.
Pour in the stock and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes or until the parsnip is soft. Now add the millet and the kale and cook for further 10 - 15 minutes.
Adjust the taste. Blitz the soup into a food processor and serve it with some chili flakes and a spoonful of yogurt.   

National Vegetarian Week

For Vegetarian week I have selected these three recipes for a reason. They are really quick meals to cook,  they have Alkaline fresh ingredients that nourishes my body, energize me and make me happy at the same time....

Spring on a plate:

serve 4

3 courgettes made into noodles 

250 gr small tomatoes, halved 

2 cloves garlic, minced

200 gr cottage cheese 

olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh basil leaves

Place the cheese into a sieve or colander to drain off the liquid.

In a big non stick pan heat up a big splash of oil.

Add the garlic followed by the courgettes and the tomatoes.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper and stir for a bit until the tomatoes get wilted.

Add the cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Serve immediately!

note: If you don't have a spiralizer you can grate the courgettes.

Pick me up soup:

serve 4

2 handful fresh kale or broccoli florets

2 spring onions

1 clove garlic

1 potato

200 gr frozen peas

4-5 cubes frozen spinach 

oil

salt and pepper

In a big soup pan heat up some oil, add the minced garlic and almost immedietely add the fresh greens, followed by the potato cut into a cubes. 

Add one litre of water, stock cube if you are using or just add salt.

Cook for 8 minute.

Add the frozen veggies and cook for 2 more minutes.

Taste, add some more salt and pepper if needed.

Blend the soup until smooth.

Before serving add some extra virgin olive oil.

Energy balls:

In a food processor place:

100 gr ground almonds

4 Tbsp desiccated coconut

2 Tbsp sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp goji berries

2 Tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp cinammon 

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

Blitz all the ingredients until smooth and add 2 Tbsp cold water.

Blitz one more time.

Form 10 to 12 balls using wet hands.

Store the balls in a fridge.

Stalls from my last visit to Borough Market 

Витаминска супа / Vitamin-rich soup

Here is south England we have a real autumn weather in the middle of our summer and warm bowl of soup is welcome to my table. Full of flavours, rich in nutrition, made from seasonal vegetables - no doubts, this soup is a winner...  

feta flat-bread

Потребни состојки:

1 поголем компир

3 моркови

350 гр брокули

1 стапче целер

зачини

Во поголем сад ставете го компирот исецкан на коцки, додајте 2 лажици масло и додајте ги сецканите моркови како и целерот.

Промешајте и ставете капак.

По 10 минути додајте 1 литар вруќа вода и 1 коцка за супа.

Варете ја супата на тивко околу 15 минути пред да ја додадете брокулата. 

Се заедно варете 12 - 15 минути.

Оставете ја супата на страна малку да се олади пред

да ја изблендирате со стап-блендер или каков имате.

Дотерајте го вкусот, додавајки сол и бибер и малку маслиново масло или 2-3 лажици кисела павлака или јогурт.

Ingredients:

1 big potato

3 carrots

350 gr broccoli florets 

1 stick celery 

seasoning 

In a big cooking pot put the potato chopped into squares, add 2 tbsp of oil, stir it and add the chopped carrots and celery.

Stir it all up and put the lid on for 10 minutes.

After that add 1 liter of warm water.

Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes with lid on before you add the broccoli florets.

Add 1 stock cube, I use marigold stock powder.

Continue to cook for further 12 - 15 minutes, cool it down a bit and blend it with a stick blender until smooth. 

Adjust the taste,adding some salt and pepper and some olive oil or tbsp of sour cream or yogurt.

I have serve the soup with my feta flat-bread.