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

Char-grilled Chilli Lime Corn on the Cob

After a day at Taste of Sydney food festival, I was inspired by how popular corn on the cob from Kitchen by Mike was, so promptly went home and created my own version.  The secret ingredient is the smoked paprika – the smokier the better!

You will need:
~ Corn Cobs (I only did 2 here)
~ Chilli Powder
~ smoked paprika
~ 2-3 limes, cut into wedges
~ pinch of salt
~ coconut oil spray (or another oil spray of your choice!)

How to make it:
~ place the corn cobs in boiling water for about 3-5 minutes (until bright yellow)
~ once cooked, place on a med-hot griddle pan

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ sprinkle the top side with chilli, smoked paprika, lime juice & coconut spray
~ turn after about 1-2 minutes and repeat on the other side
~ keep turning so that the sides blacken slightly (or to your liking!)
~ cut the corn cobs into 5cm slices and place on a board to serve

The mayo really makes this dish, so while the cobs are boiling in the pot, mix together these ingredients in a small bowl to dip the pieces of corn in:

~ 2-3 tsp good quality mayonaise (I used Best Foods, but you could make your own)
~ squeeze of 1 wedge of lime juice
~ 1/2 tsp crushed chilli (I just used the crushed chilli in a jar)
~ pinch of chilli powder
~ grind of rock salt

 

Kale Chips

Kale is a great way to get some vitamin A into your diet and these chips make for some healthy snacking!  The smoked paprika gives them an awesome bacon flavour.

Rip the curly kale leaves off the stem and place them on a baking tray, on some foil or baking paper

Sprinkle over a few pinches of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and pink salt, then spray the leaves with coconut oil

Bake at 75C for 25-30 minutes on fan bake – any higher and they will burn

Check them a few times throughout, to make sure they don’t dry out completely.

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

Beetroot, Feta and Mint Salad

Three simple ingredients for this delicious salad – great for leftovers too!

~ 3 med-large beetroot
~ 1/4 block of danish feta
~ handful of mint leaves

Clean the outsides of the beetroots with a scrubbing brush and cut into chunks, about 2cm square
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a little olive oil and roast at 180C for about 30 minutes, or until soft when a fork is inserted
Place in a serving dish and allow to cool for about 10 minutes
Dress with juice of 1/2 a lemon and some olive oil as well as a little more salt and pepper
Crumble over the feta, tear the mint leaves and sprinkle them over the top