Cannellini Bean, Cabbage and Udon Noodle Broth

This is a real soul soothing broth and is perfect if your having a hard day or if you just feel like having food that nearly hugs you from the inside out. This is best if you have a homemade chicken stock which is so easy to make but it can also be made with a good quality shop bought stock if you are really pushed.

This is a veggie version but you could add chicken strips if you want. I love cabbage in a soup especially a broth because it really bulks it out and gives it a gorgeous green vibrancy. If you are looking for a clean, green and healthy supper this will suit you down to the ground. It is a great winter or summer dish because it is heart warming yet light so gives the best of both worlds.

Cannellini Bean, Cabbage and Udon Noodle Broth (Serves 2)

1 1/2 litres chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 red onion, sliced

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into half coins

1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 small sweetheart cabbage, washed and sliced across to form strips

3 rosemary sprigs, stalk removed

3 thyme sprigs, stalk removed

1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained

85g udon noodles

salt and pepper

• Put the chicken stock in a large pot along with the onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, cabbage, rosemary, thyme and parsley. Place over a high heat and put the lid on.
• Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium and let bubble away for 8-10mins or until the sweet potato is tender.
• Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
• Add the beans to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Turn the heat down to low and cook with the lid on for a further 3-4mins just until the beans are warmed through.
• Serve the broth ladled over a bed of noodles and enjoy.

Sunshine Vegetable and White Bean Soup

 

This, in my opinion, would be the perfect example of a simple, no fuss soup that can be prepared in a jiffy and cooked in half an hour. It is a lovely sweet, earthy soup with the most amazing orange color which is why I called it sunshine soup. You only need a few basic ingredients for this and you can even leave out the beans if you want. I served this as a light supper and the beans gave it a bit more substance.

This makes a lovely big pot of soup so you can be generous on portion size. You can give this soup a bit of a kick by seasoning with loads of ground pepper which I think really makes it come alive. I personally would avoid changing the vegetables called for in this as it could alter the color which would be quite a pity. This would be absolutely gorgeous served with some of my Super Simple Irish Brown Yeast Bread.

Sunshine Vegetable and White Bean Soup (Serves about 6)

1tbsp olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 small/medium butternut squash

4 medium carrots

2 large parsnips

1l chicken stock

1tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

1tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1-2 x 400g tins cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper

natural yogurt and extra fresh chives and parsley, to serve

• First prep your vegetables, cut the butternut squash into wedges length ways and peel and chop each section into chunks. Peel and roughly chop the carrots and the parsnips.
• Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat, add the garlic and onion and fry for 2-3mins until softened and lightly colored.
• Add in the chopped squash, carrots and parsnips and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 30mins or until all the vegetables are tender.
• Stir in the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth or let cool and blend in a food processor.
• Stir through the beans and place over a medium heat just until they are heated through. Taste to check seasoning and serve with a swirl of yogurt and some chopped fresh herbs on top.

Colorful Sweet Chilli Veggie Salad

 

This salad is mostly about the visual, I mean it tastes super yum too but look at it! Doesn’t the picture alone make you want to gobble it up this instance? I went for kind of a fiery color theme with this and the sesame seeds add lovely contrast and crunchy texture to the dish. It would be great to add some sort of bean such as soya beans or chickpeas to this for added protein. It is a wonderful light lunch or could be used as a side to a main meal. Having the sweet potato prebaked makes this dish so speedy and you can have it whipped up in under 5mins.

Colorful Sweet Chilli Veggie Salad (Serves 1)

1/2 large sweet potato, baked until tender and cut into cubes

3 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 fresh beetroot, diced

1 small carrot, grated

1/4 red onion, sliced

1/4 red, orange or yellow pepper, sliced thinly

Sweet chilli sauce

salt and pepper

sesame seeds, to garnish

• Combine all the veggies in a bowl or container, drizzle with the sweet chilli sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and either dig in or pop in your bag for later.

Carrot, Lentil and Cumin Soup

My mom at the moment is sick with the flu and she seems to just be getting the raw end of the stick. Everyone knows how horrible it is when you feel sick and tired and generally yuck, so I thought I’ll make some soup. It soothes the throat and warms your insides. It is basically the best medicine when your feeling horrible. This is a pretty simple carrot soup with the herbs and cumin complimenting the carrots well, enhancing their flavor. The combination of the creamy soup and the coarse lentils

works perfectly. It is also really quick to make. I think I had it done and served in about 30mins.

Carrot, Lentil and Cumin Soup (Serves 2-3)

1 large onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves

1tbsp rapeseed oil

500g carrots, peeled and roughly sliced

500ml good quality chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1tsp dried thyme

1/2tsp chives

1tsp cumin

1 x 400g tin green lentils, drained

salt and pepper

• Heat the oil in a medium heavy based, non stick pot and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 2-3mins until slightly softened.
• Add the sliced carrots, chicken stock, bay thyme, chives and cumin to the pot and stir to combine. Season to taste.
• Bring it to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20mins until the carrots are softened.
• Blend the soup with a stick blender  and tip in the lentils. Mix and taste, correct the seasoning if needed.
• Serve hot with a dash of cream, some fresh sniped chives and a crack of black pepper.

 

Simple Pea and Ham Soup

This has to be the easiest soup ever. I’m not even exaggerating! And not only is it simple, it tastes absolutely fantastic and is done in about 20mins. It is so tasty and perfect for chilly days, like today where the temperature didn’t rise above about 3ºc. I know it’s the end of February which is why I wasn’t prepared to make something to warm my insides and it’s also the reason why I love this recipe so much. I had all the ingredients at home without even planning it. Spontaneity makes life and food even better then it already is!   

Simple Pea and Ham Soup (Serves 2-3)

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

300ml chicken/vegetable stock

500g frozen peas

salt and pepper

100g shredded ham (I used leftovers from a fillet we had for dinner but you could use some from a packet if you need to)

• Heat the oil in a medium pot/casserole dish and fry the onion over a medium heat until softened.
• Pour in the stock and frozen peas and bring to the boil.
• Put a lid on it and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 10mins or until the peas are cooked.
• Take a few spoonfuls of the peas out of the pot and then blitz the rest with a stick blender. Add the whole peas back in and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle into bowls then top with ham.

Asian Broth with Poached Chicken and Noodles

This is such a quick and easy dish that produces a amazingly soothing broth that is just brimming with oriental flavor. It would be the perfect meal if you were sick. Also I think it is so easy that you could probably make it for yourself if you were sick, although it always seems so much better when someone makes it for you, right? The only thing to watch out for in this one is the ginger and garlic. It does give an amaing flavor to the broth but its not so nice if you chow down onto a whole piece of it! In my opinion though it is a small price to pay for an awesome meal.

Asian Broth with Poached Chicken and Noodles (Serves 2)

500ml chicken stock

2 small chunks of peeled ginger, bashed

3 cloves of garlic, bashed

2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 spring onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped

1tsp fish sauce

1tsp honey

juice of 1/2 lime

2 nests of fine egg noodles, cooked according to packet instructions

1/2tsp dried coriander

1/2tsp dried mint

salt and pepper

• Boil the chicken stock in a medium saucepan and add the ginger, garlic and chicken strips.
• Simmer for about 5mins then add the spring onion, chilli, fish sauce, honey and lime juice and simmer for a further 3mins.
• Finally, add the coriander and mint and season to taste.
• Ladle over the noodles and prepare to be relaxed!

Chunky Vegetable Soup

This is the very last of my turkey… sniff sniff 😦 I have to say I’m kind of sad! Never the less the stock I made using the turkey carcass is absolutely delicious and so flavorsome. All you have to do is pop the carcass in a big pot,nearly cover it with water then add a large diced onion, 2 diced carrots, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 bay leafs, 1tsp mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3hours. Remove the carcass then sieve the stock into a large jug and use in my delicious vegetable soup below! This soup is really light but feels like you are having a really substantial meal like stew because it is chunky. You could also blend it if you like. I served mine  with pasta shapes but it would also be lovely if you served it with a hunk of fresh crusty bread.

Chunky Vegetable Soup (Serves 4)

1  large onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium carrots,peeled and sliced

2 large parsnips, peeled and sliced

1/2 turnip,peeled and diced

3 small potatoes, peeled and diced

2 leeks, washed and sliced

1tsp mixed herbs

salt and pepper

1 1/2 litres, approx turkey stock or make it with a stock cube

2tbsp rapeseed oil

3-4 bacon rashers, fat removed and cut into strips

150-200g pasta shapes

a grating or Parmesan (optional)

• Heat 1tbsp oil in a large saucepan then add the onion and garlic and fry over a medium/low heat for 3-4mins, stirring constantly, until softened.
• Add all the chopped vegetables and mix to combine. Pour over the turkey stock, there should be enough to cover the vegetables. If not top it up with a drop of hot water.
• Add the mixed herbs and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables soften. About 15-20mins.
• When you are ready to serve the soup, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Heat 1tbsp oil in a small frying pan and add the bacon strips. Fry until cooked and lightly browned.
• To serve, spoon some pasta into the bottom of the bowl then ladle over the soup. Lay a couple bacon strips on top and scatter with Parmesan, if using. Try not to burn you’re tongue! I already made that mistake. 😀

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

With the changing of the weather and the dark, dreary, wet days here in the West of Ireland, my immune system decided to go into hibernation. Hence I got the king of all flus and really needed some soothing. This, in my opinion, is a better cure to the common cold then any antibiotics or what not that you could get at the doctor. You can modify the soup to your liking, add different vegetables such as peas (Which I would have done if I had had some) or cauliflower, or use different pasta such as tagliatelle or even just up the onions because you like it that way. You are in control! Try making this for your kids too, sick or not. It is very healthy and filling and the pasta might just distract them from the vegetables!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3 chicken breasts (About 500g)

8 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 tsp salt

black pepper

2 medium carrots, diced

1 large parsnips, diced

150-200g pasta shapes (You can add more for a more substantialsoup)

Parsley or dill, to garnish

• In a large (5 quart/5 litre) heavy based pot, heat the oil over a medium heat and saute the onions and garlic until softened and slightly browned at the edges. Add the chicken breasts and and cook until the slightly browned. Add the water, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20mins.
• Remove the chicken breasts and leave to cool on a plate. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Put back onto the heat and add the carrot and parsnip.
• Cook for about 5mins until half cooked. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, about 8mins. Cut the chicken into large chunks then add back into the soup.
• Continue to cook until the chicken is warmed through, ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley or dill and let it wash away your troubles!