BEEF VEGETABLE RAMEN

A simple ramen soup choc full of vegetables with a salty soup. Dashi is a type of soup and cooking stock used in Japanese cuisine. It is made from large dried, smoked and cured bonito flakes; bonito being a type of tuna. I used bonito flavoured seasoning, which can be found at all Asian supermarkets, however if you do have time to buy this, beef stock will work just fine. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons dashi (bonito flavoured seasoning) or 1 litre beef stock
• water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons miso paste
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 star anise
• 1 spring onion, plus extra to serve
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stalk chopped
• 2 medium carrots, cut into rounds
• 1 bunch buk choy, end removed and roughly chopped
• 100g ramen / soba / somen / rice vermicelli noodles
• 225-250g eye fillet beef, thinly sliced

Cooking 

1. Combine the dashi with 4 cups of water and pour this or the beef stock into a large saucepan. Add the garlic cloves, star anise, miso paste, spring onion, sesame oil and 2 more cups of water to the pan and bring to the boil, covered. 

2. Once boiled, reduce the heat to medium, add 2 more cups of water as well as the broccoli, carrot and buk choy. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the carrot is just tender. Turn off the heat, add the beef strips and noodles and leave, covered, for 5 minutes. 

Remove the star anise from the broth. Divide into 4 soup bowls and serve warm, garnished with extra spring onion, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN & NOODLE ASIAN SOUP

This recipe is adapted from Annabel Langbein's recipe 'Mushroom & Chicken Tom Yum'.  Langbein is a free-range cook and makes the most delicious meals using fresh and sustainable ingredients. What I love about this soup is that the broth is created without using any stock, so no sneaky salt is added. I love poaching chicken, as it is also much more tender than pan-fried chicken. A very simple soup loaded with protein and lots of vegetables. 

Ingredients

• 400g chicken breast, preferably free range, thinly sliced evenly
• 1 star anise 
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• the juice & zest of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 200g whole mushrooms, quartered
• 3 medium tomatoes (around 400g), diced
• 1 bunch pak choy, chopped
• 1 broccoli head, cut into even-sized florets and stalk chopped
• 90g soba noodles or 100g rice vermicelli noodles
• Optional - 1 spring onion, finely chopped, to serve 

Cooking 

1. Place the chicken breast in a large saucepan and cover completely with water (you will need around 9-10 cups to achieve this). Add the star anise, chilli, juice & zest of the lime, soy sauce, fish sauce, oil garlic and tomato paste and stir to combine. Bring to the boil over high heat, covered. Once boiled, simmer for 5 minutes, covered, then remove the chicken breast from the pan and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes. Discard the star anise. 

2. Change the stove to medium-high heat and add the mushrooms, tomatoes, pak choy and broccoli to the broth. Cook, covered, for 4 minutes, then add the noodles to the pan and stir well for 1-2 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Remove from the heat and add a generous amount of ground black pepper. Thinly slice the cooked chicken breast and add it to the broth. 

Divide the soup into 4 bowls and add spring onion, if desired. 

Serves / 4 
Total Preparation time / max 15 minutes 
Total Cooking time / max 25 minutes 

x Emily 

RED LENTIL SOUP

I do not subscribe to the no lentils and legumes rule that the Paleo eating plan enforces, as I love their nutty & earthy taste and the benefits far out weight whatever carbs they contain. Low in calories, basically fat-free and high in nutrients, lentils & legumes should be on everybody's plate at least once a week. Lentils themselves lower cholesterol, are a great source of protein, iron and magnesium, assist in weight loss, stabilise blood sugar due to their high fibre levels, increase energy and play a role in both heart and digestive health. I chose red lentils for this soup as they are quicker to cook than any other types of lentils, making them a perfect match for a busy cook. Do not be alarmed when your red lentils change colour whilst cooking! They will start off as a beautiful salmon colour when raw and will fade to a golden yellow colour as they cook. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 6 cups water
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium brown onion or medium leek (white part only), finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into even pieces
• 200g pumpkin, peeled & seeds removed, chopped into even pieces
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into even sized florets and stalk finely chopped 
• Optional- 2 celery stalks, chopped into even pieces
• Optional- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped into even pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• Optional- 4 sprigs of thyme
• ground black pepper 

COOKING 

1. Combine the lentils, stock and water and bring to the boil in a large saucepan, covered. 

2. Once boiled, reduce the heat to a low simmer and add the ginger, garlic, onion/leek, carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, celery & tomato if using, tomato paste, bay leaves, fresh parsley and thyme if using. Simmer, covered, for around 20 minutes or until the liquid has thickened slightly and all the vegetables are tender. 

3. Remove from the stove, find and discard the bay leaves and the thyme sprigs. Stir in a generous pinch of ground black pepper. Serve warm, with extra parsley on top, if desired. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / up to 25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN SOUP

Chicken soup; good for the soul and for those hard-to-shake winter sniffles.  Its been such a windy week that soup was a must this Sunday night. Another reason for a nutritious soup; I attended an amazing hens party last night which included the works: great company, a stripper and mountains of junk food and alcohol. I woke up feeling hungover from chocolate, cheese and a delectable coconut, raspberry and lime cake. So a vegetable packed soup was greatly needed for dinner tonight. As this soup serves 4-6, myself and my husband can eat this for the next days and will hopefully stay away from those nasty winter flus that are going around. If you want to make this soup vegetarian, skip the poaching step and instead add all the ingredients to the saucepan including a 400g tin of chickpeas and a 400g tin of lentils, rinsed and drained. Cook for the same amount of time as you do the vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g free-range chicken breast, fat removed 
• 1/2 medium red chilli, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ground black pepper
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme and/or parsley 
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken salt-reduced stock 
• 2 medium carrots, cut into even cubes
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into even cubes 
• 300g pumpkin, cut into even cubes
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

COOKING 

1. Place the chicken breasts, chilli, garlic, pepper, thyme and/or parsley, stock and 7 cups of water in a large deep saucepan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes before 'shredding' the chicken (I do this with 2 forks and pull in separate directions, as you would when 'pulling' pork). 

2. Whilst the chicken is poaching cut up all the vegetables. Once the chicken has been removed from the saucepan add the carrot, zucchini and pumpkin to the poaching liquid and bring to the boil. Lower to a medium simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and remove the sprigs of thyme and/or parsley. Stir the fresh 1/2 cup of parsley into the soup and sprinkle some extra ground black pepper, if desired. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4-6 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes

Total Cooking time / approx. 40 minutes 

x Emily 

NOURISHING VEGETABLE SOUP

There is nothing more that I love in winter than warm, hearty soup. I adapted this recipe from one I found in Yoga Girl's (Rachel Brathen's) book. Brathen lists some delicious recipes at the end of most of her chapters, all vegetarian, all super healthy and all very easy to make. I adapted her 'Carrot & Ginger Soup' to include more vegetables, particularly some that were on their last legs in my fridge. To spice up this soup you could add some ground or fresh chilli or more garlic or ginger. The amount that I used below of both garlic & ginger is subtle, however if you are fighting off winter bugs I'd suggest a bit more of each. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 kg of carrots, peeled and cut into similar sized rounds
• 5cm of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large or 4 small to medium garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 400g potatoes, peeled and cut into similar sized sliced
• 1 large zucchini or 2 small to medium, cut into similar sized rounds
• 3 large celery sticks, cut into similar sized pieces
• 1 large brown onion, cut into similar sized pieces
• 2 litres of low salt vegetable stock
• 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk 
• salt & ground black pepper
• Optional- a large handful of fresh finely cut parsley

COOKING 

1. Place the carrots, ginger, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, celery and brown onion in a large, deep saucepan. Pour the stock over the top and season with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of pepper. If the stock does not just cover all the vegetables, add a bit more water, 1/2 cup at a time. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened considerably. 

2. Pour in the coconut milk then return the pan to the boil, covered and over high heat. Once boiled, remove from the stove and leave to cool slightly for a few minutes before blending or processing in a blender or a food processor. Make sure to blend/process a little of the vegetables and liquid at a time. 

Serve warm, with extra ground black pepper, a touch of ground chilli and/or some fresh parsley on top. 

Serves / 8 

Total Preparation time / 20-30 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

POTATO & LEEK SOUP

I’m wishing autumn away and hoping that winter comes soon with this leek & potato soup. Whilst I love the sun, there’s nothing I love more than hearty winter meals. Leek & potato may sound like a bland combination, but when paired with thyme it is just magical. Thank you to Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans for the inspiration and for all your hearty & humble recipes. I love a filling meat-less dinner and what better way to start a week than with a filling, wholesome vegetable meal. Evans makes his own vegetable stock for this recipe, which I greatly admire (but did not 2 plus hours to do yesterday!). Hence I used water and unsweetened almond milk instead of stock, due its high sodium content. I further adjusted the recipe with a chunk less butter, less oil and less ingredients for a no-fuss soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small tablespoons Nutalex or rice bran oil 
• 2 leeks, white part only, washed & finely chopped
• 1 handful of fresh thyme springs, stems discarded or 2 tablespoons dried thyme 
• 2 heaped tablespoons garlic or regular chives, finely chopped 
• 700g low-carb potatoes, such as Kestrels, peeled & chopped evenly into small cubes
• 1 handful of fresh thyme springs, stems discarded or 2 tablespoons dried thyme 
• 1 litre (4 cups) water 
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk 
• a generous pinch of ground black pepper 
• roughly chopped almonds & finely chopped thyme & chives, to serve 

COOKING 

1. Melt the Nutalex or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When just melted add the leeks, thyme and garlic chives and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until the leeks are soft but not burnt. 

2. Add the potato cubes, water, almond milk and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer, lid on, for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender and are falling apart when touched with a utensil. 

3. Pour the soup into a blender / food processor and blend / process into a puree. 

Serve with a few almonds, thyme and/or chives sprinkled on top. 

Serve warm or cold. 

Serves / 4 as a main 

Preparation time / 15 minutes 

From pot to plate  / 35 minutes 

x Emily 

SWEET POTATO and COCONUT SOUP

As soon as slightly cooler weather arrives in Brisbane, I crave soup. Perhaps this intense desire to cook soup stems from the knowledge that the winter weeks are fleeting in this town. The chilly mornings hit this past Tuesday am, as I reached for a jumper when I woke at 4:30am for work. At that moment, I knew in my very bones that it was time for soup. 

Sweet potato (kumara) lends itself beautifully to soup, hence my first soup of 2015 was a no brainer. If you do not have fresh thyme on hand, use dried thyme. Fresh or ground sage works wonderfully as well, as would fresh basil. The function of whatever herb or herbs you use to is assign a strong flavour to the soup, as sweet potato and coconut can be a tad bland without any help. Some days I use coconut cream for a thicker consistency and sometimes I use coconut milk for a slightly more liquid soup. I try to never use stock in my soups, unless I make the stock myself, as it is almost always drowned in salt. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
• 1 small leek, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 800g sweet potato, peeled & cut into even cubes
• 2 cups water
• 400ml light coconut cream or milk
• 2 tablespoons of whatever herb you choose to use, stems removed and washed  (I used fresh thyme) 
• ground black pepper 

COOKING

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add leek, garlic and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until the leek is transparent. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. 

2. Pour in the water, coconut cream/milk, herb/s and a generous pinch of ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 10 minutes or until the sweet potato is quite tender.

3. Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and process/blend on high for just a few seconds until smooth (or almost smooth if you like a little more texture in your soup). Ladle into 4 soup bowls and top with more herbs and extra chilli flakes, to garnish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / maximum 25 minutes 

x Emily 

ASIAN CHICKEN BROTH with UDON NOODLES

This broth was adapted from a recipe I found whilst perusing through Who magazine last weekend. I purchase a shameless gossip magazine once every two months or so, as I feel like I am on holiday when I do so. Lo and behold, besides learning about some very sad murders and what celebrities did this past week, I also got a killer recipe out of my reading. This broth is beautifully and full bodied, thanks to the ginger, garlic, two types of soy sauce and star anise, a Chinese spice with a strong taste similar to that of licorice. The recipe called for a whole 1.6 kilo chicken, however I found this meal much easier to make with chicken breast. Just make sure that you remove the chicken from the pan 12 minutes after the broth has started boiling and no later, or you will have tough chicken for dinner. Leave the chicken to sit on a chopping board for 10 minutes to continue cooking slightly before slicing. If you cannot eat wheat, you can substitute udon noodles for vermicelli.

Ingredients

• 500g / 2 free range chicken breasts
• 50g ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 large sticks of celery, roughly chopped
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 pieces of star anise 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (keycap manis) 
• 1/2 bunch of coriander, stems and leaves separated
• 2 generous handfuls of green beans, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 270g udon noodles
• 1/4 bunch green shallots, finely sliced 

Cooking 

1. Place the chicken breasts, ginger, garlic, celery, carrot, star anise, two types of soy sauce and the stems of the coriander in a large, deep saucepan. Cover the ingredients with cold water and bring to the boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer. 

2. Once the chicken breasts have been simmering for 12 minutes, remove from the pan and leave to sit for a minimum of 10 minutes before slicing into thin pieces. (This waiting period will give the chicken time to continue cooking out of the pan and to cool down). 

3. After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the broth through a colander or large sieve, reserving the liquid and discarding the vegetables. Pour the broth back into the saucepan. 

4. Bring the broth back to the boil and add the green beans and udon noodles. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the beans and noodles are cooked. Remove from the heat and add the sliced chicken. Pour into four bowls, sprinkling the shallots and coriander leaves on top if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 50 minutes approx. 

x Emily 

SIMPLE PUMPKIN SOUP

This is a very simple, no fuss pumpkin soup recipe for those craving a hearty vegetarian meal. I have recently tried to replace store bought stock with water in soups, as I do become a little concerned with the amount of salt in non-homemade stock. I do, on occasion, make my own homemade stock, however this requires more than 2 hours cooking time and I was without that time last Sunday. The water and coconut milk worked well to create a smooth, slightly creamy soup. I like to season this soup with quite a generous dash of ground black pepper (as this adds flavour and removes the need for salt) and chilli flakes. You can add fried bacon pieces to the soup to 'meat it up', as the picture shows.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil / coconut oil
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 700g pumpkin, skin peeled, seeds removed and cut into small, even pieces
• 3 teaspoons ground sage
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk
• 2 cups (500ml) water
• Optional; to garnish - fresh chives or fresh sage, roughly chopped

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and stir constantly for a few minutes, making sure the leek does not burn. 

2. When the leek has become transparent, add the pumpkin pieces to the pan and stir well, until the pumpkin is coated with the leek and oil. If the ingredients start to stick to the pan, add a splash of water. Pour in the ground and fresh sage, nutmeg and chilli flakes and stir quickly to combine.

3. Pour in the coconut milk and water and bring the heat to high, covering the saucepan with a lid. When the liquid comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and keep the lid on. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender, then remove from the heat. 

4. Pour the liquid in a good blender or food processor and blend / process until all the ingredients have been pureed. Divide into four bowls and top with chopped fresh chives or sage. Season with ground black pepper to taste. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x Emily 

NO-FUSS LEEK & POTATO SOUP

I’m wishing autumn away and hoping that winter comes soon with this leek & potato soup. Whilst I love the sun, there’s nothing I love more than hearty winter meals. Luckily, this soup actually tastes just as good cold as it does steaming hot (if not better). Leek & potato may sound like a bland combination, but when paired with thyme it is just magical. Thankyou to Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans for the inspiration and for all your hearty & humble recipes. I love a meat-less Monday and what better way to start a week than with a filling, wholesome vegetable meal. Evans makes his own vegetable stock for this recipe, which I greatly admire (but did not 2 hours to do yesterday!). For Matthew’s recipe, pick up a copy of Feast magazine, April edition. I adjusted the recipe with a chunk less butter, less oil and less ingredients for a no-fuss soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small tablespoons Nutalex or coconut oil 
• 2 leeks, washed & finely chopped
• 600g low-carb potatoes, such as Kestrels, peeled & chopped evenly into small cubes
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1.5 litres Massel vegetable stock or homemade 
• roughly chopped almonds & finely chopped thyme & chives, to serve 

COOKING 

1. Melt the Nutalex or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When just melted add the leeks and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until the leeks are soft but not burnt. 

2. Add the potato cubes, thyme sprigs and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer, lid on, for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender and are falling apart when touched with a utensil. 

3. Discard the thyme sprigs and pour the soup into a blender and blend into a puree. 

Serve with a few almonds, thyme and chives sprinkled on top. 

Serve warm or cold. 

Serves / 6 as a side / 3-4 as a main 

Preparation time / 15 minutes 

From pot to plate  / 35 minutes 

x Emily