Curried Cauliflower Soup

So although I love my delicious soup recipes it had been a while since I tried something new and I felt it was time to branch out. This Curried Cauliflower Soup recipe I have wanted to try for while and here it is;

Ingredients 

• 1000ml of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Large Chopped Onion
• 600g of Cauliflower
• 3tbsp of Curry Powder
• Black Pepper
• 1tbsp of Oil

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Method

1. Fry the onion in the oil for 3 minutes
2. Add the curry powder and black pepper and cook for 1  minute
3. Add the cauliflower and cook for a further 30 seconds
4. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
5. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and put a lid on the pan
6. Simmer 30 minutes
7. The blend the soup and serve

Serving Suggestions

With a dollop of yogurt in the middle of the soup

This recipe for Curried Cauliflower Soup was really delicious and had a taste of that Indian takeaway I miss whilst dieting! It is so easy to make and really low calorie too, the perfect light dinner or starter for any day!

I am always looking for soupspiration so I would love to hear your favourite soups too!

Slow Baked Sweet Potato

This is not a recipe as such, the actual ‘cooking’ involved is minimal but the results you get could not taste better! I used to eat slow baked potatoes from my university canteen all the time and recently had a craving. To make it a little bit more exciting I decided to make Slow Baked Sweet Potato with Cottage Cheese and Salad. Here is how to bake your potato to perfection:

Ingredients (For One)

• 1 Sweet Potato (around 350g)
• 100g of Cottage Cheese
• 200g of Fresh Salad
• 1tbsp of Oil

Slow Baked Sweet Potato

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C
2. Wash the sweet potato in warm water
3. Pat dry and poke with a fork several times
4. Then brush with the oil and wrap in foil
5. Place in the preheated oven and leave for 4 hours
6. Once slow baked remove from the oven and cut down the middle
7. Fill with the cottage cheese and serve with salad

Simplicity at its best!  Delicious and low calorie I am not sure there is a better meal on my weekly shopping list than this Slow Baked Sweet Potato at the moment!

What are your favourite simple meals?

Chicken Korma

More savoury dishes than I am used to cooking but if I want to lose weight there has to be less of the cakes (sad face)! However, it may not be sweetly delicious but it is delicious, another low calorie takeaway imitation provided to me by the hairy bikers! This weekend’s takeaway is Chicken Korma and this is how you make it;

Ingredients

• 600g of Chicken Breast
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 25g of Low Fat Yoghurt
• 1tbsp of Sunflower Oil
• 2 Large Onions Chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves Pressed
• 20g of Grated Fresh Root Ginger
• Seeds from 12 Cardamom Pods Crushed
• 1tbsp of Ground Cumin
• ½ Heaped tsp of Ground Tumeric
• 1tbsp of Ground Coriander
• ½ Heaped tsp of Chilli Powder
• 4 Whole Cloves
• 1tbsp of Plain Flour
• Small Pinch of Saffron
• 2tsp of Caster Sugar
• 1/2tsb Sea Salt
• 3tbsp of Double Cream
• 300ml of Cold Water

 

Chicken Korma

Method

1. Cut the chicken into equal bite sized chunks and place in a bowl, season with black pepper and stir in the yoghurt. Cover with cling film and chill for 45 minutes
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes until very soft and lightly coloured, stirring occasionally
3. Once the onions are softened stir in the crushed cardamom seeds, cumin, coriander, turmeric and chilli powder. Pinch the ends of the cloves into the pan and throw away the stalks. Cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly
4. Then stir in the flour, saffron, sugar and salt then slowly pour the cold water into the pan whilst stirring
5. Bring to a gentle simmer then cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally
6. Remove the pan from the heat and blend the mixture until it is as smooth as possible
7. Set the sauce to one side and drain the chicken in a colander over the sink, shaking it a few times so that the chicken has just a light coating of yoghurt
8. In a clean saucepan bring the sauce to a simmer
9. Add the chicken and cream and cook for 15 minutes (until the chicken is cooked)

Serving Suggestion

Tastes great with boiled rice

Again with this recipe I would suggest preparing all of the ingredients before you start cooking, the preparation time will make the cooking quick and easy! This Chicken Korma really was as good as a takeaway, if not better as it did not have that greasy base sauce that is oh so familiar from Indian restaurants.  It has such a deep delicious flavour that anyone you feed it to will be extremely pleased with their dinner.

If you have any great low calorie recipes I would love the links!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

New Years Resolution – lose a lot of weight, easier said than done when I just love baking, so this year baking has been cut down to treats, real treats, not every week treats and birthdays! This started my quest to find meals that are low calorie but not low portion, otherwise I will just eat more than I should, during my quest I stumbled upon the Hairy Biker’s Diet show ”The Hairy Dieters‘ where they set out to lose a substantial amount of weight by still eating good food and not eating like a rabbit! This show has become the source of my imagination as they created loads of great recipe where they just use more of the good bits so you can still eat well and lose weight. But first I decided to try out their recipe for creating  a takeaway Sweet and Sour Chicken at home;

Ingredients

• 425g of Pineapple Chunks in Natural Juice
• 2tbsp of Cornflour
• 2tsbp of Soy Sauce
• 2tbsp of White Wine Vinegar
• 2tbsp of Brown Sugar
• 2tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
• ½ tsp of Dried Chilli Flakes
• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into even chunks
• 2tbsp of Sunflower Oil
• 1 Onion cut into Wedges
• 2 Peppers cut into large chunks
• 225g of Water Chestnuts, Drained and Sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled and Crushed
• 25g of Fresh Root Ginger, Peeled and Grated
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Method

1. Firstly you need to prepare the sauce, to do this drain the pineapple in a sieve over a bowl so you keep all of the juice (you need around 150ml), set the pineapple aside
2. Place the cornflour and 3tbsp of pineapple juice in a bowl and mix together to create a smooth paste
3. Add the remaining juice and 150ml of water, then stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined and set aside for later
4. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan and stir fry onion and peppers for 2 minutes over a high heat
5. Add another tbsp of oil and the chicken to the pan and stir fry for another 2 minutes until coloured on all sides
6. Then add the garlic, ginger, pineapple chunks and water chestnuts and stir fry for another minute
7. Give the sauce mixture a good stir and add to the pan with the chicken and vegetables and stir well
8. Season with some black pepper and bring to a simmer
9. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and glossy and the chicken is tender and cooked throughout stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestions

Serves 4 and tastes great with boiled rice!

The idea of this Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe was to be low calorie and taste great and it really did achieve both for under 500 calories you get a large meal that reminds you of a takeaway! Win win! One warning I have for this recipe is, prepare everything first, most of your time will be spent preparing then when you start cooking it all goes so fast and I was glad to have been organised, if you try to do it as you go it won’t work! However, after the first time you make it, it seems easy and you will want to make it again and again! In fact this is on the menu tonight in our house and will certainly become a regular treat for us!

I have one more low calorie takeaway recipe to share with you but if you have any I would love to hear them!

Sweet Potato Soup

I eat soup a lot and I mean a lot! Although I have a few recipes up my sleeve soup can kind of become boring, so I thought it was time for a new soup! So this week I made Sweet Potato Soup for the first time, I have not really used sweet potato in my cooking before but I thought it was about time that changed! Here is my recipe;

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 Sliced Onion
• 600g of Chopped and Peeled Sweet Potato
• 1 Pinch of Dried Chilli Flakes
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1.2 Litres of Vegetable Stock

Sweet Potato Soup Cooking

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan
2. Add the onions, chilli, salt and pepper
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften
4. Then add the sweet potato and cook for 1 minute
5. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potato is tender
7. Whizz with a hand blender until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Sweet Potato Soup

Serving Suggestion

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

This Sweet Potato Soup was another successful recipe to add to my list, as an added bonus it is really low in calories but still filling on a cold winters evening.

I am looking for even more soup recipes to try out so if you have a suggestion I would love to hear it!

Mixed Vegetable Soup Recipe

To continue the soup-based success I have had on this blog; this weekend I made a Mixed Vegetable Soup. The ingredients basically consisting of the weeks leftover vegetables; it is a great way to use anything leftover in the fridge for Saturday lunch before you go shopping for a new week of food. Here is the recipe which is as always low calorie and really simple to make:

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Paprika
• 1 tsp of Coarsely Ground Pepper
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 500g of Mixed Vegetables
• 500ml of Vegetable Stock

Mixed Vegetable Soup Simmering Away

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the onion, paprika, pepper and garlic
3. Fry for 3-4 minutes until softened and beginning to brown
4. Add the the vegetable and fry for a further 2 minutes
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the ingredients are soft
7. Blend until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Serving Suggestions

As always serve with freshly baked crusty bread

The thing I love about this recipe is its frugality, in honesty a few months ago I would have probably thrown these ‘old’ vegetables away at the end of the week instead of making good use of them. This recipe however, definitely makes good use of them as this Mixed Vegetable Soup was truly delicious and ever so slightly spicy. It also took less than 45 minutes to make, the perfect solution for a Saturday morning!

Broccoli Soup

As you all know I am on a quest to find new soup recipes and more specifically recipes that do not use cream or anything else with a lot of calories as a thickening agent. This task has not been as easy as I had hoped so I have been using my own brain to come up with delicious soups. Luckily using the first steps of my Potato and Chilli Soup I have found a good starting point for many a yummy soup. On the menu this week Broccoli Soup; and this is my recipe:

Ingredients 

• 1 Knob of Butter
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Coriander
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 750g of Broccoli
• 800ml of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes

 

My Broccoli Soup Simmering

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the onion, chilli, coriander and garlic
3. Fry for 8 minutes until softened and beginning to brown
4. Add the broccoli and fry for a further 2 minutes
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the ingredients are soft
7. Blend until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Delicious Broccoli Soup Ready to Serve

Serving Suggestions

As always serve with freshly baked crusty bread

This recipe for Broccoli Soup is yet again another quick and easy recipe and most importantly a really filling low calorie meal. I also used frozen broccoli florets which means that this recipe can be made at any time without worrying about getting the ingredients, I will definitely be making this soup again.

If you have any soup suggestions or would like to guest post one of your recipes on my blog, I am going away at the end of the month and am looking for posts whilst I am away!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

In my quest to broaden my soup making horizon as it were, on the menu this week, Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup. Another great simple recipe for a really low calorie soup!

Ingredients

• 5 Large Tomatoes
• 20 Basil Leaves
• 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 500ml of Chicken Stock
• 4 Medium Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Medium Onions

My Roast Tomato and Basil Soup Simmering

Method

1. Preheat the Oven to 200C
2. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds
3. Place skin side down into a lightly oiled pan
4. Roast in oven until soft / around 45 minutes until they just start to brown
5. As the tomatoes are almost done / sauté chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil
6. Chop the basil and add to the garlic and basil
7. Season to taste and sauté for 30 seconds
8. Then add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan and bring to the boil
9. Simmer for 15 minutes
10. Purée with a hand blender
11. Pour into a clean pan and heat through before serving

The Finished Product Garnished with Basil

Serving Suggestions

Garnish with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread for dipping, the only way to go!

Now the outcome was delicious, but I would be lying if I did not say that this recipe was problematic, this recipe apparently for 4 only just made 2 bowls of soup with the serving size of a meal. Also, once you got to the bottom of the bowl you were faced with the unsightly task of fishing little bits of tomato skin out of the inside of your mouth. However, I think that next time I will double up on ingredients and sieve the soup before serving to ensure the perfect dining experience of Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup!

Potato and Chilli Soup

After making Carrot and Coriander Soup like a billion times in the past few months, I thought it was time to branch out in my soup making ventures. However, I really do not want to make soup with cream or the such like as I prefer to make soup lower in calories, so the hunt began. My boyfriend decided on Potato and Chilli Soup which sounded great to me too. This is the recipe that I used;

Ingredients

• 1 Knob of Butter
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Coriander
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 750g of Potato (Peeled and Cubed)
• 500ml of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes
• Paprika – to Serve

Ready to Add the Vegetable Stock

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the onion, chilli, coriander and garlic
3. Fry for 8 minutes until softened and beginning to brown
4. Add the potato and fry for a further 2 minutes
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the ingredients are soft
7. Blend until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat
9. Add a sprinkle (to your taste) of paprika and serve

Potato and Chilli Soup Ready to Eat

Serving Suggestions

Serve with freshly baked crusty bread

Yet again another really easy and low calorie soup recipe that can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days as the portion size is enough to feed 4 easily. It was a little thick and may be more of a Winter-warmer soup than for the Summer, but it did taste great and I will be making it again even in the sunshine. The recipe could easily be adapted to include more stock or minimise the amount of potato used if you  wanted a thinner soup.

However I still recommend that you try this soup and I would love to hear suggestions for other soups as I am always looking for inspiration.

Mango Fool with Whipped Cream

To finish off a Saturday of delicious but surprisingly healthy food in our house was a dessert of Mango Fool with Whipped Cream. However I cannot take credit for dreaming up this recipe as it is borrowed from another blog, Stephanie at Modernchristianwoman.com posted this recipe last week and I have been dying to make it since I saw it. So I thought it would be a great dessert after curry as the flavours are really complimentary and here is the recipe I used;

Ingredients

• 2 Small Mangos Diced
• 2tbsp of Lime Juice
• 1tsp of Sugar
• Freshly Whipped Cream (I cheated and used a can but only because I had it leftover)

My Mango Fools with Whipped Cream

Method

1. Place the diced mango, lime juice and sugar in a blender
2. Pulse until smooth
3. Spoon into glasses and top with whipped cream

I was right, it was a great dessert for after curry, the light refreshing flavour was really delicious. Although, the boyfriend did moan that I may have put a bit too much lime juice in so next time I will restrain myself for him! It was still really delicious and I think it would be a great snack to keep in the refrigerator in-case I get hungry, much healthier than a chocolate biscuit!