Thai Chicken and Ginger Soup

Have I told you yet about the meal swap group I'm part of?  It's the best!  We meet about every 6 weeks, and the theory is that we bring along 5 meals, each serving 4 people (so basically, we do 1 big cook-up) - then we swap and go home with 5 different freezable meals for our families!  It's a great way to try new things and wonderful to have meals on hand in the freezer for those days when we're too busy to cook.

Anyway, this one was made by my friend Kristen, also a mum of 2 young kids - and it was so delicious, I had to get the recipe from her and share it with you!  I've never made a Thai soup before, so I'll definitely be trying this one out for myself - great flavours, super healthy and easy too - win!

Ingredients:
2 x 5cm piece ginger
500 ml coconut milk
250 ml chicken stock
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 tblsp finely chopped coriander root, well rinsed
1 thai chilli (small, red chilli)
500 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsps lime juice
3 tsp grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar
coriander leaves, to garnish

Method:
Put the ginger, coconut milk, stock, half the lime leaves, coriander root and chilli in the slow cooker. Simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken. Trim off any fat and then cut the chicken into thin strips. Add the chicken strips, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar to the slow cooker and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir through the remaining lime leaves.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with coriander leaves.

Potato & Leek Soup

Here's a warming winter soup that's simple but so delicious!

Ingredients (serves 4)
olive oil spray
1 large leek, white part only, sliced
1 brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 cup low-fat milk
1 large kranski sausage, cooked
herbs, to garnish

Method
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.  Spray with olive oil.  Cook leek, onion and garlic until soft and translucent.

Add potatoes, stock and water.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Stir through milk.  Blend with a hand-held blender until smooth.

Stir through chopped sausage and garnish with herbs.  Serve.

Hearty Lentil and Vegie Soup

Easy, healthy, tasty and amazingly low in calories (just 150 calories per huge serve!), this is a great one to have on high rotation, especially as the weather cools down.

Nice to serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Ingredients
olive oil spray
1 brown onion,diced
1 large carrot, peeled, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can lentils, drained, rinsed
400g can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
450g savoy cabbage, shredded

Method
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and spray with oil.

Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened.  Add tomato paste.  Stir to coat.  Add lentils, tomatoes, stock, cabbage and 2 cups cold water.

Cover.  Simmer for 40 minutes or until cabbage is tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Cauilflower and Blue Cheese Soup

The weather's getting cooler and soup season is nearly upon us!  Today we have a very special guest post from my friend and workmate, Liam Renton.  He's a great cook and wanted to share this favourite with you! Thanks Liam :-)  And don't forget to get your fruit & vegetables delivered fresh from Charlies!

"It's an honour to be allowed to post my favourite recipe on Vanessa’s Mums in the Kitchen Blog, as I know she has an exceptionally high standard when it comes to easy recipes that are quick to make. This soup is amazing. I wish when I was advanced to the Top 200 of Nation Wide Materchef Hopefuls out of 10,000 applicants back in its first season that I had this recipe in my bag of tricks to call on."

Ingredients

1 Litre of Pre Bought Chicken Stock

1 Large Cauliflower

3 Onions

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Standard block of Blue Vein Cheese

Method 

Dice the onions and Garlic and sweat them down in a pan with the butter for 10-15 minutes

Add those to the stock and bring them to the boil

Dice the Cauliflower and boil for 15 minutes

Take off the heat and add 2/3 of the block of Blue Cheese

Blend till smooth

This will give the entire family a bowl each plus a container or two to freeze for work lunches

I find if you bulk up the meal with crusty bread and maybe a few pre-bought meatballs it’s a meal on its own

Vegetable and Red Lentil Soup

This is a simply delicious soup, courtesy of the Women's Weekly "Good Food Fast" book.  It ticks all the boxes - healthy, tasty, quick, easy and cheap.  You can easily adjust the quantity of curry paste according to what your family likes - enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 6)
2 tbsp. mild curry paste
400g can of diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 large carrot, chopped finely
2 trimmed celery sticks, chopped finely
1 medium potato, chopped finely
1 large zucchini, chopped finely
3/4 cup red lentils
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup light coconut milk

Method
Cook curry paste in heated large saucepan, stirring, about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add undrained tomatoes, stock, carrot, celery, potato and zucchini; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Add lentils to soup mixture; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Add peas; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer soup mixture, uncovered, until peas are just tender. Remove soup from heat and stir in coconut milk.

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

This is a Lyndey Milan recipe that I used as I had some leftover barbecue chicken to use up.  It was delicious and easy and comes in at only 215 calories per serve!

Ingredients (serves 6)
1 litre chicken stock
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
420g can creamed corn
300g chicken breast, sliced
1 egg, beaten
6 green onions, chopped

Method
Bring chicken stock, ginger, garlic and soy sauce to the boil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.

Add creamed corn and chicken, return to the boil then simmer 3 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Add pepper and salt if desired.

With the soup boiling, slowly whisk egg into this so it forms small threads.

Spoon into bowls and scatter with green onions.

Curried Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

I made up this recipe as I had most of the ingredients on hand and was really happy with how it turned out.  It's thick & hearty and I really enjoyed the flavours.  Perfect to freeze for another meal and it's only 280 calories per serve.

Ingredients (serves 6)
olive oil spray
1 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tin light coconut cream
800g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tins lentils, rinsed and drained
a squeeze of lime juice

Method
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and spray with olive oil.  Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until softened.  Add curry paste and cook for a further minute.

Add the coconut cream, then fill the empty tin with water and add that (you can add 2 tins of water if you prefer your soup a little thinner).  Add sweet potato and lentils and bring to the boil.  Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Blend soup, add lime juice and salt & pepper to taste.

Delicious served with a couple of pappadums!

A few more soups...

Sadly, today marks the last day of Soup Week.  I hope you've enjoyed the recipes and that you have a chance to try them out over the next few weeks!  I'd love to hear your feedback on them too.  I thought I'd just wrap up the week with a few more for you to try.  The one pictured above is a classic Pumpkin Soup, that's my most frequently-made.  It's delicious and super easy and you should definitely try it out!  Here's the recipe.

I thought I'd also share with you a couple of recipes from readers...thanks Julie for this delicious Pumpkin & Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients
Olive oil spray
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp curry powder
1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
175g (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
1.25L (5 cups) water
1x 10g Massel Salt-Reduced Vegetable stock cube
90g (1/3 cup) low-fat natural yoghurt
Fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Method
Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.

Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.

Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.

Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.

And Elizabeth was kind enough to share this one for Pumpkin & Apple Soup - the apple really gives it a nice sweetness.

Ingredients
1kg pumpkin
2 green apples
2 onions chopped
2 clove garlic chopped
2 celery sticks
1 teaspoon ground comin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Black pepper
6 cups chicken stock

Method
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until tender.

Purer mixture until smooth and strain. Return to saucepan to repeat.

And finally, a couple more soups I've posted on the blog previously...

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Corn Chowder
Easy Chicken Laksa

Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Leek Soup with Curry Spice

Today's soup is a rich and indulgent one that's so flavoursome.  I saw Luke Mangan cook it on the Today Show and decided to give it a go.  I've made a few changes to make it far lower in fat and calories than the original - this one came out at just over 300 calories per serve.  Really tasty and easy to make!

Ingredients (serves 6)
50g butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
2 medium-sized cauliflowers, roughly chopped
1 large leek washed and sliced (discarding the dark green section of the leek)
2 tablespoons curry spice
600ml low-fat milk
Sea salt and freshly ground
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 a bunch of chives, finely chopped

Place the butter and oil in a large saucepan and heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add the onion and leek and cook over a gentle heat until soft, making sure it does not go brown.

Add curry spice and cook for a further 1 minute.  Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened.

Pour in the milk and cream and bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the cauliflower is completely soft.  In a blender, puree the cauliflower mixture until smooth.

Return to saucepan and bring to boil, check seasoning.  Serve in individual bowls, and sprinkle on chopped chives.

Minestrone

I have to thank my friend Gemma for sharing this Women's Weekly recipe with me. She raved about it and once I made it, I could easily see why! It is healthy, delicious, hearty and only 227 calories for a generous serve. If you're after a great minestrone, look no further!

Ingredients (serves 6)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 celery stalk, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 litre (4cups) vegetable stock
1 cup (250ml) water
810g can crushed tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
150g small shell pasta
400g can white beans, rinsed, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup (60g) shaved parmesan

Method
Heat oil in large saucepan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens.  Add celery and carrot; cook, stirring, 5 minutes.

Stir in stock, the water and undrained tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add zucchini, cabbage, pasta and beans; cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Stir in parsley.

Serve soup topped with cheese.

Pea and Ham Soup

I had never made Pea & Ham Soup until recently and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I loved the flavour of this Women's Weekly recipe - it was really rich and rounded - and the addition of the pasta (I used small macaroni) made it nice and hearty too.  My kids LOVED it - and it was just as delicious as leftovers the next day.  Also worth noting, I used a ham hock that weighed about 600g and that was plenty.  I also pureed the soup, then added the pasta as the last step and I quite liked it smooth.  A classic soup that's worth adding to the meal plan!

Ingredients (serves 6 - 200 calories per serve)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion (150g) chopped coarsely
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2.5 litres (10 cups) water
2 trimmed celery stalks (200g) chopped coarsely
2 dried bay leaves
1.5kg ham bone
1 cup (220g) risoni pasta
2 cups (240g) frozen peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Method

Heat oil in large saucepan; cook onion, stirring, until softened. Add cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant.

Add the water, celery, bay leaves and bone; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1 hour, skimming occasionally.

Remove bone; when cool enough to handle, cut ham from bone, discarding any skin and fat. Shred ham finely.

Return soup to the boil; stir in ham, pasta and peas. Cook, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle bowls of soup with mint.

Hearty Chicken Soup

I think it's been scientifically proven that chicken soup really is good for the soul. At the very least, it's a cheap, healthy, hearty, easy and delicious winter meal that will be loved by the whole family. This one is taken originally from www.taste.com.au but I've made a few changes. This will really fill you up and comes in at just 210 calories per serve! Plus it is soooo tasty - our whole family loved this, it's definitely one of the best chicken soups I've ever tasted.  A winter warmer winner!  Plus, see how Liam & Robbie rated it - the Family Show Taste Test is below.

Ingredients (serves 6)
Olive oil spray
1kg chicken drumsticks
1 leek, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups dry soup mix (lentils, split peas etc)
8 cups chicken stock

Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until just browned. Remove. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft. Add carrot, celery and zucchini. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in soup mix, stock, chicken and 1 cup cold water. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until soup mix and vegetables are tender.

Remove chicken drumsticks from soup. Allow to cool slightly. Remove meat from bones. Roughly chop chicken meat and add to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into warmed bowls. Serve.

What did Liam & Robbie think?  Hear the Family Show Taste Test here:

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I found this recipe in the "4 Ingredients Kids" book and really enjoyed it! It's simple, tasty, fast to make and an amazingly low 120 calories per serve! You could easily use cauliflower instead of or with the broccoli. So good for these chilly evenings!

Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 heads broccoli, trimmed and chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

Method
Cook onion, with 2 tablespoons water, in a large saucepan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add broccoli and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Purée until smooth.

Season if needed and sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Slow-cooked Pumpkin Soup

This is the first entry in what I'm going to call "Soup Week".  The Winter weather is upon us and there's nothing better than warming up with a nice bowl of soup.  There are SO many varieties and I love soup because it's usually very cheap, filling, low in calories and easy to make!  So I'll be sharing a different soup recipe with you every day this week, starting with this Women's Weekly recipe.  It's 305 calories per serve and the slow-cooking gives it a deliciously rich flavour.  The cream is optional, and if you omit it, the calorie count will obviously be less.  You can't go past a good pumpkin soup and this one is sure to be a winner in your house too!

Ingredients (serves 6)
30g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, sliced thinkly
1kg pumpkin, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1/2 cup pouring cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Method
Heat butter and oil in large frying pan; cook leek, stirring, until soft.

Combine leek mixture, pumpkin, potato, stock and the water in a slow-cooker.  Cook, covered, on low, 6 hours.

Cool soup 15 minutes.  Blend or process soup until smooth.  Return to cooker.  Cook, covered, on high, about 20 minutes or until hot.

Stir in 1/3 cup of the cream.  Season to taste.  Serve soup topped with remaining cream and chives.

Easy Chicken Laksa

This is a recipe I found in a little Women's Weekly book called "after-work cookbook".  Perfect - that means we can already tick "quick" and "easy" off the list.  And as it turns out, pretty tasty and healthy too! Hubby would have liked it with a bit more bite, so if I was making it just for us, I would add more laksa paste - but the toddler doesn't like her meals quite so hot, so the toned-down version is perfect.  Something I would definitely make again!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons laksa paste
1 medium brown onion, chopped finely
1.25 litres (5 cups) chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
70g rice vermicelli
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (I just poached a large chicken breast in a saucepan then shredded it)
2 tablespoons lime juice
100g bean sprouts
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

Method
Cook paste and onion in large saucepan, stirring, until onion softens.  Add stock and milk, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Add noodles, chicken and juice; simmer, uncovered, until noodles are tender.  Serve topped with bean sprouts and coriander.

Corn Chowder

Here's another soup recipe while it's still winter.  This one is very cheap - and easy and tasty too!  This recipe can be served blended, or partially-blended, but we enjoyed it chunky.

Ingredients:
40g butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 leek, trimmed, sliced thinly
2 celery stalks, chopped
800g potatoes, peeled, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cups frozen or tinned corn kernels
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

Method:
Melt butter in a large saucepan and cook garlic and leek, stirring until soft.  Add celery, potato, stock and water; bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Add corn and cream, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until corn is just tender.  Stir in parsley and serve.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

I think it's time to blog another soup while the weather's still cool!  Another cheap, easy, tasty soup to warm your winter nights.  This one's packed full of veges - and my one-year-old even wanted seconds!  Enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 tbs olive oil

• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, chopped
• 1 celery stick, trimmed, chopped
• 400g sweet potato, peeled, chopped
• 1 x 400g can brown lentils
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 500ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 
  

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook onion, carrot and celery for about five minutes or until soft.  Stir in sweet potato, lentils, tomato, stock, bay leaves and oregano.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Leave to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove the bay leaves and process until smooth (a stick blender is super easy, but you can also use a blender or food processor).


Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with crusty fresh bread.

Pumpkin Soup

One of my all-time favourite meals, which always ticks every box for me (cheap, easy, quick & healthy) is soup.  During Winter, I make soup once a week and experiment with lots of flavours - but nothing seems to beat pumpkin.  This recipe probably costs about $5 for four decent serves, so you can't get much cheaper than that!  I often substitute the herbs and spices for whatever's in the garden or pantry at the time.

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock (home-made is super tasty!)
1 cup water
1 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup coriander leaves

Method:
In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock and water to a boil.  Add vegetables and spices and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

Allow to cool, then puree (my $12 stick blender from Coles does the job!).  Season to taste.  Serve topped with coriander and with crusty bread on the side.