Potato & Cauliflower Soup

So here's another one of my family's fave soups.  My kids are always asking for it - they think it's just potato soup and don't realise there's (plenty of) cauliflower hiding in there!  Very quick and easy to make, great dinner for busy weeknights.

Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp cooking fat
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
- 250g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 800mL Campbell's veggie stock OR chicken broth OR water with 2 tbsp Thermomix veggie stock concentrate
- Sea salt, pepper, Herbamare and fresh lemon juice to taste

Method:
1.  Into a saucepan on medium heat, add cooking fat, diced onion and crushed garlic cloves.  Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes or until softened.

(Thermomix - add halved onion and garlic cloves.  Chop 2sec/sp7.  Add cooking fat and cook 2min/100deg/sp1)

2.  Add potato and cauliflower, stock and seasoning.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer for around 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

(Thermomix - add potato, cauliflower, stock and seasoning.  Ensure the level does not exceed the 2L mark.  Cook 20min/100deg/sp2.  Check that the vegetables are soft at the end of the cooking time)

3.  With a stick blender, puree the soup and check seasonings.

(Thermomix - puree by slowly turning the dial from speed 1 to speed 7 for 30 seconds.  Check seasonings)

Spicy Tomato Soup

Well I must admit I'm still getting used to how cold Perth is (and I know it's going to get much colder yet!).  I've been in the mood for soups as a result!  This one is a great winter warmer thanks to all the spices.  And I've also topped it with slices of pan-fried nitrate-free chorizo which was a great addition but it can be a bit difficult to find!

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp cooking fat
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tomatoes, halved or 400g can diced tomatoes
1L chicken broth (or Campbell's veggie stock or 1L water + 1 tbsp TM veggie stock concentrate)
Sea salt, pepper and Herbamare to taste
Optional - nitrate-free chorizo sausage, sliced and pan fried

Method:
1.  Dice onion, mince garlic and add to a saucepan with cooking fat.  Cook on medium heat, stirring, until softened.  Stir in herbs and spices.

(Thermomix - add halved onion and garlic cloves, chop 5sec/sp7, add cooking fat, herbs and spices and cook 2min/Varoma/sp2)

2.  Puree tomatoes (if using fresh ones) and add to the saucepan along with the stock, sea salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer for around 20 minutes.  Serve.

(Thermomix: add tomatoes if using fresh ones and puree for 5sec/sp7.  Add stock, salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Cook 20min/90deg/sp2. Serve).

Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Well the cooler weather is definitely upon us now in Perth and in the past week we have also had a crazy amount of rain (until now, I have barely seen any rain in Perth since we moved here in January!) and some strong winds - the winds reminded me a bit of the September winds in the Hunter Valley! Anyway, back to the topic at hand... so this cooler weather definitely calls for more soups for dinner.  The chicken broth that I used to make this soup takes some time to make but it is well worth it (and the broth recipe makes a nice big batch if made in a slow cooker, I had enough left to freeze a batch for another recipe), and gives the soup extra nutrients as well as a depth of flavour... though as per the recipe below, you can substitute this broth with stock. 

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp duck fat (or other cooking fat)
1/2 zucchini, peeled
1/2 carrot, peeled
1/2 cup broccoli florets
Corn kernels from 1 cob of corn 
1L vegetable stock (Campbell's)
OR 1L water + 1 tbsp Thermomix vegetable stock concentrate
OR 1L chicken broth (this is what I used, made as per Quirky Cooking's linked recipe)
300g free range chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Sea salt, pepper and Herbamare to taste

Method:
1.  Into a saucepan on medium heat, add the cooking fat, diced onion and minced garlic.  Cook, stirring, until onion has softened.

(Into Thermomix add halved onion and peeled garlic cloves.  Chop 5sec/sp5.  Add cooking fat and cook 2min/100deg/sp1)

2.  Grate or process the zucchini, carrot and broccoli.  Add to saucepan along with corn kernels and sliced chicken.  Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.

(Into Thermomix add zucchini, carrot and broccoli.  Chop 5sec/sp6.  Add sliced chicken and corn kernels.  Cook 3min/100deg/rev+sp1)

3.  Add broth/stock, apple cider vinegar and parsley.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for around 10 minutes.

(Into Thermomix, add broth/stock, apple cider vinegar and parsley.  Cook 10min/90deg/rev+sp1)

4.  Season with sea salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Serve. 

Pea & Ham Soup

It's starting to cool right down in Perth so it's definitely feeling a lot more like soup weather!  Both my kids love this soup, which is always a great sign that whatever I have cooked is a winner!  Also, make sure that you use nitrate-free ham or bacon in this recipe.  I get mine from a farmers market not far from where I live, and it's also available at some IGA supermarkets and some butchers.  So it's worth asking around and finding out!

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp duck fat (or other cooking fat)
250g nitrate-free bacon, rind removed, cut into chunks
1/2 zucchini, peeled, cut into chunks
1 cup yellow or green split peas, rinsed
1L vegetable stock (Campbell's) OR 1L water + 1 tbsp Thermomix vegetable stock concentrate
Herbamare, sea salt & pepper to taste

Chopped fresh parsley and extra cracked pepper to garnish

Method:
1. Heat a large pot on medium heat and add the cooking fat, diced onion and minced garlic.  Cook, stirring, until onion has softened.

(In Thermomix, add halved onion and garlic cloves.  Chop 5sec/sp6.  Add cooking fat.  Cook 2min/100deg/sp1).

2.  Add chunks of bacon and zucchini and cook, stirring, until bacon is slightly browned.

(In Thermomix, add zucchini and bacon.  Chop 5sec/sp7.  Cook 1min/100deg/sp1).

3.    Add split peas and stock.  Bring to the boil, stirring.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook for around 25 minutes or until peas are soft and cooked through.

(In Thermomix, add split peas and stock, ensuring that the liquid level does not exceed the 2L mark.  Cook 25min/90deg/sp2.  Check that the peas are soft and cooked through).

4.  Season with salt, pepper and Herbamare.  Puree the soup with a stick blender.  Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and extra cracked pepper.

(In Thermomix, season with salt, pepper and Herbamare, then puree for 30 seconds by slowly turning the dial to speed 7.  Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve with chopped fresh parsley and extra cracked pepper).

Creamy Pumpkin & Bacon Soup

This is another family fave that allows me to get more veggies into my kids.  Super quick to make and it's dairy free. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp duck fat
1 potato
1 carrot
100g sweet potato
300g pumpkin
2 rashers nitrate-free bacon
1L water + 1 tbsp Thermomix veggie stock concentrate
(OR 1L Campbell's vegetable stock)
1 tsp Herbamare
200mL coconut cream
Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1.  Melt duck fat in a pot on medium heat and add diced onion and crushed garlic.  Cook until softened.

(In Thermomix, add halved onion and garlic.  Chop 2sec/sp7.  Add duck fat.  Cook 2min/100deg/sp1).

2.  Peel vegetables, cut into chunks and add to pot.  Add stock and chunks of bacon.  Cover and bring to the boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for around 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.


(In Thermomix, add chunks of veggies, bacon and stock ensuring the level does not come up above the 2L mark.  Cook 15min/100deg/sp1.  When finished, check to ensure that the veggies are soft).

3.  Add Herbamare, coconut cream and season with salt and pepper.  With a stick blender, puree the soup until a smooth consistency is reached.


(In Thermomix, add Herbamare, coconut cream and salt and pepper.  Puree for 1 minute by slowly turning the dial to speed 7). 

4. Garnish with a drizzle of coconut cream and chopped fresh parsley.