Tasty Lamb or meatball broth Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins
Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

450g lean lamb mince
(Don't like lamb? Try with beef meatballs instead)
1tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2tbsp freshly chopped mint
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1tsp olive oil
1.2 litres hot vegetable stock
200ml white wine (dry or medium), or apple juice
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
200g baby carrots, scraped and halved, if large
200g baby onions or shallots, peeled
2 small leeks, finely sliced
200g peas or petit pois
100g baby spinach leaves, or shredded kale
2tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, or chervil, to garnish (optional)
Crusty bread, to serve

Recipe Method

Place the mince into a large bowl with the herbs and garlic. Season, mix well and shape into 20-24 small meatballs.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and cook the meatballs for 3-4 mins or until brown on all sides.
Add the stock, wine, thyme, carrots and onions. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins. From time to time, skim the surface of the broth, if necessary.
Add the leeks and cook for a further 3-4 mins. Add the peas and cook for a further 2 mins, or until the vegetables are cooked.
Remove from the heat and add the spinach or kale. Season, garnish with the herbs and serve with plenty of crusty wholemeal bread.

Tasty Lamb or  meatball broth

Chunky vegetable soup recipe

Chunky vegetable soup

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
    2 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
    2 small leeks, trimmed and sliced
    50g red lentils
    400ml vegetable stock
    100g green beans, trimmed and cut into short pieces
    1 tbsp corn flour
    750ml dairy-free milk like Oatly Enriched or Organic oat drink

Method

    Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, carrot, parsnips and leeks and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, stock and simmer for 20 minutes, then add the green beans.
    Blend the corn flour with a little of the Oatly then add to the soup with the remaining Oatly and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
    Season and serve with crusty bread.

Chunky vegetable soup

Leek and Potato Soup

 Simple Leek and Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients 

  3 largish leeks (£1.29 for 3 @ lidl & tesco)
    4 large potatoes
    Butter (or spread of some form. can be a cheap one.)
    Veg stock cube (home bargains 39p for 8, or tesco economy, 6p for 8, veg oxo also works, check your stock cubes instructions for stock cubes to water ratio, i.e. mine are 1 cube per 500ml hot water so i use 4 cubes)
    1.8l boiled water (not from hot tap! yuk!)
    2 pieces of garlic (no more or you will ruin it)
    Large enough pot
    Potato masher (37p tesco)
    Salt + pepper
    Serves 6 to 8. freezable.

Method

1) cut off leak greens (the flappy darker green bits

2) quarter the leaks length ways.

3) now dice your quarters into chunks.

4) rinse chunks in colander

5) crush your garlic under the flat of a knife, peel, then chop.

6) add enough butter/spread to coat bottom of pot on a low heat, usually around 40 grams for my pot

7) add leaks and garlic, sweat off on low to med heat till soft usually 10 mins. If they are browning, your temperature is too high.

8) while leaks sweat, peel potatoes, rinse off potatoes, dice into half inch or so cubes.

9) once leaks are sweated add all remaining ingredients, that's the stock cubes, boiling water, potatoes

10) add a sprinkle of salt(half teaspoon) and pepper to your tastes, simmer gently till potatoes are soft.

11) when potato's are soft, use potatoes masher in pan and gently pulp the potato's

12) serve, with bread if you like, enjoy, simples.

Total cost of ingredients + electricity usage at 2012 rates is less than £2.50, for 6 very large portions that's 41p per serving.

Its also very healthy at <400 cals per bowl and full of good things :)

Easy recipes for tomato soup

This delicious, tomato soup recipe creates a fresh, warming soup that's a big in flavour and easy to make.

Ingredients

    1 onion, chopped
    25g butter
    1 clove garlic, crushed
    1tsp paprika
    1tbsp tomato purée
    1kg tomatoes, chopped
    2tsp sugar
    1 bay leaf
    600ml chicken or vegetable stock
    142ml tub double cream
    Basil leaves, to serve (optional)

 Method

    Fry the onion in the butter for 10 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the purée and continue for 2 mins more.
    Add the tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf and chicken or vegetable stock. Bring the soup to the boil then simmer for 20 mins.
    Remove the bay leaf. Blend the soup in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Push through a sieve to remove any skin or seeds and return the liquid to the rinsed-out pan.
    Stir in two-thirds of the double cream and reheat the soup gently. Once it's hot, serve your tomato soup immediately in warmed bowls with a swirl of the remaining cream and a garnish of basil leaves.


Top tip: Make a double batch of tomato soup and freeze individual portions in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave for a quick, home-made tomato soup for lunch!

Easy Chicken Soup Recipe

Recipes for soup with chicken

One of the quickest and easiest chicken soup recipes you’ll ever come across. For the chicken itself, you have a couple of options Either rotisserie chickens which are super tasty or get three cans of 4.5 or so ounces of canned chicken. I find the rotisserie to be better.

Quick and Easy Chicken Soup Ingredients

- Three bouillon cubes – chicken flavoured of course
- Three cups of water
- Two organic carrots cut into .5 to 1 inch pieces
- One organic yellow or white onion diced into small pieces
- One organic average size potato cut into .5 to 1 inch cubes
- One cup of fresh or frozen organic corn
- One cup of fresh or frozen organic peas
- One can (the 26 oz size) of Campbells Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (or any other manufacturer of a like product)
- Your already prepared or canned chicken
- Hot sauce to taste if so desired

Chicken Soup Method

Grab yourself a four quart sauce pan and heat your water, onion, bouillon, and carrots over medium heat until the water starts to boil. At that point, turn your heat down to low and add your organic corn, organic peas, and organic potatoes. Continue to cook until the potatoes are at a desired tenderness, I recommend you use the fork test to check this. Next, add your canned, condensed soup and the chicken and continue to cook everything until it is nice and hot. Add in your hote sauce if you want to use it and any other spices that make you a happy camper.

Enjoy Your Chicken Soup.