Easy cauliflower soup

Cauliflower soup

This soup is yummy and healthy! 

It is great on it's own as a meal or snack, 

or as an entree or accompaniment to a main meal.

Ingredients:
2 whole cauliflower
1L of chicken stock (vegetable stock can also be used)
Boiling water (from the kettle)
Salt and pepper


To serve:
Chives
Low fat greek yoghurt


Method:
- Wash cauliflower and roughly chop into even sized pieces.
- Place in a large saucepan and pour in stock.
- Add enough boiling water to almost cover the cauliflower, cover the saucepan with it's lid and cook over a medium heat until soft enough that that the cauliflower will break with the edge of a fork.
- Allow to cool slightly and blend mixture in a food processor until smooth. (Control thickness of the soup by adjusting how much of the liquid you use).
-Season with salt and pepper and serve with a dollop of low fat greek yoghurt and some chopped chives.

Homemade pesto

I made pesto for the first time last week and it turned out really well, so i thought i'd share the recipe. I had a look at several recipes but changed things around a little and used less oil than most suggested. You can play around with the measurements to suit your tastes and available ingredients.

Ingredients: (This makes a fairly large batch, halve all ingredients if you only want enough for one meal)

(You will need a food processor)

2 x bunches fresh basil

1 x bunch fresh rocket

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup raw pine nuts

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tblsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

(i used about this much, but didn't actually measure it as i just poured from the bottle until the right consistency was achieved. I also used "extra light" olive oil).

1/2 cup grated parmesan 

(i used pre-grated, next time i will grate it myself as i think the flavour will be nicer that way).

Method:

1) Remove the leaves from the washed basil and rocket, and discard the stems. Place the cashews, pine nuts, garlic, salt and half of the basil and rocket leaves in the food processor, and blend on low until combined.

2) Add the rest of the basil and rocket and blend on low again.

3) While the food processor is set to low, gradually add the olive oil.

4) Stir the parmesan through the pesto and it's ready to use!

This pesto tastes great with chicken, spread on sandwiches, as a sauce for pasta, in salads or on veggies..the possibilities are endless!

If you'd like to store the pesto for a few days, pour a thin layer of olive oil over it and keep in an airtight container.

Easy snacks/side dishes: Broccoli & cauliflower mash, home cooked beetroot and cabbage in soy sauce

After a trip to the fruit and veggie shop today, i was finding it difficult to squeeze my purchases into the fridge. I cleaned out the crisper to make some room and in doing so, found two florets of broccoli, half a cauliflower, four whole beetroots and half a green cabbage that all needed to be used in the next few days or they would be destined for the compost. I decided to cook them so they could go in the fridge, ready to accompany a main meal, be thrown in a salad or stir fry, or enjoyed as a snack.

 

Broccoli & Cauliflower mash:

- Chop broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces (make the broccoli pieces slightly larger as they cook faster).

- Cook in a large pot of boiling water until soft. Drain and return to pot.

- Mash well, or use a food processor if you prefer.

- Add salt and pepper to taste, or even a little low fat cheese.

I really like this on it's own but it's also great to serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Cabbage in soy sauce:

- Roughly chop cabbage and put in a large saucepan with 3 tblsp of soy sauce.

- Cover the saucepan with it's lid and cook over a low-medium heat until cabbage is soft.

Again, i happily snack on this on it's own but it can also be added to stir frys and soups.

Home-cooked Beetroot:

- Place whole beetroot (do not pierce skin or they will bleed into the water) in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.

- Bring the water up to the boil and place the lid on the saucepan.

- Cook over a moderate heat until tender.

- Once cooked, allow to cool. You should be able to rub the skin off with your fingers but be careful, this can get very messy!

These are delicious served as a hot vegetable, or cooled and added to salad. One of my favourite salads is freshly cooked beetroot, orange segments, coriander and balsamic vinegar.

tasty snack - under 50 calories

I keep these little 75g packs of frozen mixed berries in the freezer for when i feel like a sweet treat after dinner. They're also delicious when added to your morning oats or into a protein shake.

Each pack is only 42 calories and although it yields around 6g of sugar, the low g.i. and high fibre content of the berries mean that they have little effect on your blood sugar. Berries are also full of vitamins and antioxidants!

Poached chicken- Perfect for lunches and snacks on the go!

On a Sunday afternoon i often do some cooking to save time later in the week, and simply because i enjoy it. Even if cooking isn't something you like to do, the following 5-10 minute process of poaching chicken breast meat will save you loads of time and provide a quick, easy and healthy meal foundation.

Poached chicken breast

You will need:
- Chicken breast meat, sliced into pieces approx 2 cm thick
- A saucepan (large enough that the chicken will cover the bottom in one layer) with a lid
- Boiling water (from the kettle)
- One chicken or vegetable stock cube (this is optional, plain boiling water can be used)


Method:
1) Pour boiling water over chicken and add crushed stock cube.
2) Stir until stock cube is dissolved and cover saucepan with lid.
3) Leave to sit for about 5 minutes, then cut the largest piece of chicken to see if it's cooked through (the meat should be white, not pink).
4) If not completely cooked, pour the water out and repeat the steps.
5) Once cooked, drain chicken (shred if desired) and store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last around 3 days.

Poached chicken meal ideas:
-Salads
-Wraps/sandwiches
-Burritos/tacos
-Pasta/pasta salads/rice salads
-Stir frys
-Omelete/scrambled eggs/frittata
-Dropped into hot soup