As soon as winter arrives I haul out my pressure cooker and it lives on my kitchen counter until springtime!
In an effort to eat as healthily as possible and to avoid unnecessary carbs one of my favourites is a basic vegetable soup that becomes the backbone for a few more interesting heartier dishes.
I find that most pre-cut soup mixes contain potatoes. I’m not a fan of the texture of potatoes in soups and they are carb rich, so I buy stir fry mixes or shredded carrot and cabbage (coleslaw mix). You are probably thinking, ‘why on earth does she not buy the raw veggies?’! If you have a small household you do not have the use for a large variety of veggies at once! By all means make use of your veggie supply if you buy larger quantities. I add lentils to give the soup body and it is a good way of adding healthy proteins.
Once you have the basic soup, which you can freeze in suitable quantities, I recommend about 500ml for 2 hearty portions.
Then use this soup to create delicious dishes. Some are part soup, part stew, but the important fact is that they are quick to prepare and are so different that you can literally serve a variation every day without your family knowing that they all have the same base!
My favourites using 500ml basic veggie soup are (the quantities are included in the hearty veggie soup recipe!) :
Chicken Curry Soup
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- Add a good quality curry paste
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- Chicken breast
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- Serve with yoghurt
Mexican Bean Soup with Chorizo
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- Apologies for the Hungarian Paprika, but it was the best flavour I had in the pantry!
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- Canned beans are added
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- With chorizo it makes a delicious meal
Seafood soup
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- Fennel seeds and leaves go well with seafood
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- The basic soup is blended to give a smoother texture
Moroccan Chicken Soup
Regret no photos …… it was so delicious we ate it before it was photographed!
