Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Don’t be fooled by the title, I’ve made this soup using only 100ml of reduced fat coconut milk for the entire soup, which gives it a nice coconut flavour but not too creamy/rich.  Adapted from original recipe here

Prepare 1 pumpkin by peeling, de-seeding and cutting into 1cm cubes.  I have used both kent and butternut varieties for this recipe.

To start with, make a paste which will be the base of the soup.  Blend the following:
~ 1 brown onion, cut into chunks
~ 3 coriander root (the lower part of the stem from the fresh coriander leaf – I keep these in the freezer for times like this!)
~ thumb sized piece of tumeric root, finely diced (again kept in the freezer until needed – it thaws really fast if you don’t want to cut it frozen)
~ thumb sized piece of ginger, finely diced
~ 1 tsp ground coriander
~ 1 red chili, seeds kept in (I used a small, slim, asian chili)
~ 1 clove garlic
~ salt and pepper
~ dash of water (to help create the paste consistency)

Fry the above paste in a large pot for around 3 minutes, until the paste starts to reduce and become fragrant
Add in the pumpkin and fry off for a further 5 minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn’t burn on the bottom
Pour in 500-750ml boiling chicken or vege stock, cover and simmer for around 20 minutes
Once pumpkin starts to break down easily, blend with a stick blender
Season with extra salt / pepper if needed
Stir through 100ml light coconut milk and serve

Bibimbap

This is a great dish when you have a bit of everything in the cupboard, but nothing at the same time – just throw them all together for a delicious Korean inspired dish (serves two)

Place 1 cup uncooked brown rice and 2 cups water in a rice cooker and leave to cook while preparing the rest of the dish

Place the following in a bowl to marinade:
~ around 500g chicken thigh, boneless and sliced into small-med pieces
~ splash of soy sauce (enough to coat all the chicken)
~ few drops of sesame oil
~ splash of white wine vinegar
~ about 1/2 tsp oyster sauce (optional)
~ about 1/2 tsp crushed garlic (jarred or fresh)
~ 1/2 a fresh chili, finely diced
~ salt and pepper

Fry the following in a little butter, salt and pepper and set aside:
~ 6 button mushrooms, sliced finely
~ 1 courgette, sliced finely

Prep the following for toppings:
~ 1 carrot, peeled and sliced (or grated)
~ 1 radish, sliced finely with a mandolin (or vege peeler)
~ 1/2 bunch coriander leaf, chopped chunky

Cook the chicken in a fry pan on high heat for about 5-10 minutes
Add a few french green beans towards the end for a few minutes (optional)

To put the dish together:
~ place rice in bowl
~ add chicken and beans on top
~ add mushrooms and courgettes
~ top with carrot, radish and coriander
~ place a fried egg on the top

Spaghetti Bolognese

In a large pot, on medium heat, fry the following for 5-10 minutes, with 1 tbsp butter (or oil):

~ 2 sticks celery, finely diced

~ 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

~ 1 brown onion (or red if you like), peeled and finely diced

~ 1 tsp crushed garlic

~ sprinkle of salt and pepper

~ 1 tsp dried herbs (anything like italian mixed herbs, basil, parsley etc)

When the veges are soft, add in:

~ 500g mince
~ 250g lamb mince

~ 2 tbsp tomato paste

Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and when the meat is all browned, add in the following:

~ 1 jar of pasta sauce (if I had the time, I’d love to make it from scratch however the jarred option provides a quicker option!)

~ 1/2 jar of water

After about 5 minutes, when it starts to simmer, add:

~ about 6-8 button mushrooms, sliced

~ 1/2 tsp sugar

~ 1 tsp salt

Reduce the heat to med-low and keep simmering, stirring every now and again, for about an hour or more

Serve with any pasta you like and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Kipfler Potato Salad with Radish and Spring Onion

Kipfler potatoes are a nice alternative to the standard potato, and since they are best boiled, they are perfect for this potato salad.

Serves 2-3

 

~ 6 kipfler potatoes, washed
~ 2-3 spring onions, sliced
~ 2 radishes, finely sliced on a mandolin
~ fresh chives, finely sliced
~ 2 tbsp mayonaise (easy to make from scratch with one egg yolk, lemon juice and olive oil)
~ salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, until soft when skewered
While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the onions in a little olive oil and add to the serving bowl
Drain and fill the pot with cold water
Slice each potato into 0.5cm slices and add to the bowl
Add the mayonaise, salt and pepper and flick to coat the potatoesTop with sliced radishes and chives

Lamb Pilaf

This is a great one pan, one pot dish if you are feeding the masses! It is packed with flavour and perfect for a cold night.

~ 1/4 small pumpkin, peeled and diced
~ 2 cups chicken stock
~ few saffron threads
~ 1 brown onion, diced
~ 500g lamb mince
~ 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
~ cinnamon quill
~ 1/2 cup sultanas
~ handful green beans, cut in half
~ 3 tomatoes, diced
~ 1/3 cup slivered almonds (or chopped whole ones)

To Serve:
~ greek yoghurt
~ fresh coriander leaf

Roast the pumpkin in the oven for about 20 minutes at 180c
Place the chicken stock and saffron in a medium saucepan/pot turn to medium/high
Heat a large fry pan and sauté the onions until soft
Add the mince and brown, breaking up as you go
(At this point you may like to drain the mixture as it can be quite an oily meat)
Add the cinnamon, rice and sultanas and continue to cook for a few minutes

Add in the chicken stock, which would have come to the boil by now along with the rice
Reduce heat to med/low and cover to cook for around 12 minutes (you may need to add a little more chicken stock/water if the mixture dries out before the rice is cooked)
Towards the end, add in the beans and stir through (they will braise a little in the heat)
Finally add the pumpkin and stir through, then the tomatoes.
Sprinkle over the almonds when in the serving dish.

Serve with greek yoghurt and fresh coriander leaf

Easy Chicken Laksa

Adapted from a Michelle Bridges recipe to add a few more vegetables, this is a quick, easy and filling dinner.  Prepare the veges in advance so you can just throw them in the pot when you need to.  Takes about 25 minutes start to finish, below is for 2 people.

• Coconut Oil
• 1-2 tablespoons laksa paste (you can make your own but to save time, the jarred ones are good too)
• 1/2 stick lemongrass, finely chopped (optional)
• Garlic, crushed/sliced
• Chili flakes (optional)
• pinch ground coriander
• 250ml Coconut Milk (Ayams)
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 chicken breast, very thinly sliced
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
• small bunch of vermicelli rice noodles (you can soak in some hot water before adding)
• handful of green beans
• 6 button mushrooms
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander sprigs
• Lime wedges, to serve

In a medium sized pot, set to medium heat, fry the laksa paste, lemongrass, garlic, chili flakes, ground coriander in coconut oil, until fragrant
Add the coconut milk and stir until combined with the paste
Add the chicken stock and increase the heat to high until it slightly simmers
Add in the chicken and stir for a few minutes
Add the broccoli, beans and mushrooms and continue to cook

At the end, add the soaked vermicelli noodles

To serve:
Place a handful of bean sprouts in the bottom of a bowl, spoon over the laksa mixture, top with a few more bean sprouts, mint, coriander (any other herbs you like such as thai basil) and a squeeze of lime juice!

Some other dishes you may like:
~ Quinoa Cauliflower Salad with Pistachios and Cranberries
~ Stuffed Mushrooms
~ Zucchini Slice
~ Cauliflower Rice
~ Banana Coconut Bread
~ Coconut Chia Almond Blueberry Muffins