Mushroom Soup

 I don't make this often because I'm the only one in the house who eats mushrooms. It is a treat!

Ingredients

Oil Spray

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 punnet chestnut mushrooms, washed or peeled and sliced.

1 dessertspoon cornflour

100ml reduced salt soya sauce

Water or plant milk (I used cashew milk today as it was open, I would normally use oat milk)

Method

I bought a set of cast iron pans last year and used the largest one to make this soup.

Start heating your pan.  Add a spray of oil.

Add the chopped onion and stir in the oil.

Add the garlic, stir.

Add the mushrooms, stir with the onions and garlic.  Add a spray of oil if needed.

Add the soya sauce.  Stir and leave to cook for a minute or so.

Add the cornflour.  Mix so it doesn't go lumpy, your soya sauce should start to thicken.  Add the milk or water. 

Serve!  

 Cauliflower and Almond Soup

by Louisa Moss

4 servings

Gluten free, Suitable for vegans, this soup looks elegant

Easy recipe

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

a couple of cloves of garlic, chopped

a cauliflower broken into florets

100g split red lentils, rinsed

1 medium potato

water

almond milk - we used about half a litre

salt and pepper

chives

Method

Add chopped onions to the pot and saute in a little water

Add the garlic and stir for a minute

Add the cauliflower, potato and lentils

Add enough water to almost cover the vegetables, around 3/4 of the way - if you are using an Instant Pot.  If you are using a saucepan, add enough water to the reach the top of the vegetables.

Add salt.
Set the Instant Pot to HP for 8 minutes.  Then QPR.

Saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

Blitz with a hand blender.

Add almond milk to reach the desired consistency.  Adjust seasoning to taste

Serve with fresh chives and enjoy! 

It's cold, its grey and it's wet. So I decided to make a bright, soothing and warming soup for lunch from the sweet potato, celery and tomatoes in the fridge.  We make soup a lot. Weekends I am usually limited to lentil and tomato or sweet onion to keep both the kids happy, but this is a nice bright orange one, perfect for a grey day.
Easy peasy recipe and here it is:

Sweet potato, tomato and red lentil soup

Coconut oil, about a dessertspoon
One onion, chopped
One clove of garlic, grated or finely chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
One large sweet potato, chopped evenly
3 stick of celery, chopped
6 tomatoes
50 grms split red lentils
Water.
Fresh coriander (optional)
Coconut milk (optional)

Fry the onion in the coconut oil over a gentle heat for a few mins, until it starts to soften,  Add the garlic and coriander, give it a stir then add the sweet potato and celery. Fry gently, stirring occasionally.  I skinned my tomatoes today (but I don't always). To skin your tomatoes, place them in a large bowl, pierce the skin and cover with boiling water.  After a few minutes it will be easy to remove the skins, then chop your tomatoes up and add to the pan.  After rinsing your lentils, (I put them in a sieve and keep them under a running tap), add them to the pan. Give it a stir then add enough cold water to cover your vegetable plus a little more. Bring to the boil then simmer gently until all your vegetables are cooked, this will take about 25 mins.  Taking your pan off the heat, whiz with a hand blender for a nice smooth soup.  If you have some fresh coriander it would be the perfect garnish or add just before you whiz with the hand blender.

Tip:  Fresh coriander, and other herbs are often in the reduced section in supermarkets when it hits its use by date.  Buy it,wash it, dry it, freeze it and chip a bit off when you need it.