GREEN VEGETABLE SOUP

This Green Vegetable Soup was adapted from Sarah Wilson’s (author of the I Quit Sugar cookbook) Cheesy Green Mish-Mash Soup. I added all the green vegetables I could find in my fridge, plus some potatoes to thicken the soup somewhat and add some healthy starch. No dairy was used in this soup. The colour may put some diners off but the taste of this soup is divine and oh-so-healthy. Definitely up there as one of my favourite winter soups. On a side note- use the WHOLE broccoli, stalks and all! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 1 medium brown onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 medium broccoli heads, stalks sliced thinly and florets roughly chopped
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 bok choy, roughly chopped
• 3 small white potatoes, peeled & diced
• 1.25 litres (5 cups) vegetable stock (preferably Massell brand)
• sea salt & pepper
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon

COOKING 

1. Add oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion is starting to soften. Add the broccoli, celery, zucchini, bok choy and potatoes to the pan and stir well to combine. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, covered, then reduce to a simmer for 12-15 minutes. Add the salt & pepper and stir well. 

2. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend/process the soup until it becomes a smooth consistency. Stir in the lemon juice and serve warm. 

Serves / 4 - 6

Total Preparation/Chopping time / 15-18 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

PRAWN, CELERY & PARSLEY RISOTTO

I have to give a great deal of thanks to my mother and her mammoth cookbook collection for my inspiration in the kitchen. I swear every time I go to my parents’ house, my mother has a new cookbook that she’s obsessed with. She has dog-eared the pages, placed post-its on every recipe she wants to make (which is 100 out of 105 recipes most of the time, so I have never fully understood the point of this) and is bursting at the seams to tell me about the meals that she has / is planning to make. Its really sweet. The idea for this risotto came from a recent Weight Watcher’s ‘Takeaway’ cookbook that was shared with me as mum’s ‘new favourite’. Now, I adore risottos however they often are too rich or heavy for me to eat at night. This is why I particularly love this dish. No cream, no cheese, no butter and no fuss.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g peeled prawns, tailed removed
• 3 stalks celery, washed & finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups arborio cup
• 3 cups gluten-free vegetable stock 
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• sea salt 
• coconut oil 

COOKING 

1. Bring vegetable stock to the boil and simmer, covered, until required. 

2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, adding onion and garlic when pan is heated. Stir for 4 minutes or until onion is soft. Add rice to the pan and cook, stirring, for one minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the hot stock, one ladle (1/2 a cup) at a time, stirring constantly until all the rice is absorbed. (This should take around 15-20 minutes depending on the heat of your stove). 

3. Stir in the prawns and celery and season with sea salt. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until prawns are pink in colour and are cooked and heated through. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley, stirring this through if you like. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (add more time if you are peeled & de-tailed the prawns yourself)

Total Cooking time / 27-32 minutes 

x E

VEGETABLE & BEEF BOLOGNESE

Whenever I have a super busy or crazy day, I enjoy winding down by making bolognese. My recipe always changes slightly depending on the mood I am in, and I have picked ingredients up along the way from various cookbooks, friends/family and of course, trial and error. My fiancee and I try to rarely eat pasta hence there is no mention of pasta in the ingredients list! I challenge you to eat this bolognese sans your usual pasta base! You may also see that there is no cheese listed and I would like you to drop that as well from your homemade bolognese. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised with how full and light you feel at the same time with my simple, low calorie and complex carbohydrate bolognese. Remember, this is a healthy cooking blog designed to provide you with meals to assist in weight maintenance and loss, not weight gain!  Super simple, this recipe is comfort meets healthy food made easy.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed 
• 500g extra lean beef mince
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 medium (around 315g) tomatoes, roughly diced 
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled & finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or mixed herbs 
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Optional- fresh herbs to serve such as chives, parsley, basil 

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is soft but not burnt. Add mince to the pan and cook, stirring and breaking up the lumps. When meat is browned and no red flesh remains (around 5-7 minutes), add the tomato paste. Stir well to combine paste with the mince. 

2. Add the tomatoes, celery, carrot, oregano or mixed herbs, worcestershire sauce, a pinch of black ground pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until the liquid has almost been absorbed and the vegetables are soft but not mushy. 

3. Divide into 4 bowls and top with fresh chives, if desired. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily