Spicy Vegan Soup - slow cooked

Everyone thought I was crazy starting to prepare soup on a 35 degree day. I must have had an inkling in my subconscious that it would cool later in the day...sure enough it did. A huge southerly hit and the temperature dropped 15 degrees in about 20 minutes. This soup was easy to make, it's healthy as, and it's Vegan. It takes about an hour and this amount serves 6 bowls...lovely served with crusty rolls.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• ¼ cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ green capsicum, roughy chopped
• 3 tablespoons pearl barley
• 400g tinned corn (or 2 full length corn cobs, kernels removed and cob discarded)
• 400g tin lentils (or 400g dried green lentils, rinsed and pre-soaked)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon rock or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 500ml water

Method:

1. On a medium to high heat in a large saucepan, heat the oil, throw in the onion and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon
2. Add the celery and carrots, turmeric, curry, cumin, coriander, fennel, salt and pepper and stir well
3. Add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to mix the spices into the water
4. Stir often, for about 5 minutes so the carrots can soften slightly
5. Add the cauliflower, capsicum, pearl barley, vegetable stock and water, then stir, bring to the boil and turn down to simmer for 20 minutes
6. After 20 minutes add the corn and lentils, stir and simmer for another 40 minutes
7. Serve into bowls with crusty bread rolls...D-E-L-icious XD

Thai Red Chicken Curry

This is one of my favourite Thai dishes. This recipe serves 4 with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 2 tblspn olive oil
• 1 tblspn Red Curry Paste
• 3 cups coconut cream (I use light coconut cream)
• 500g thinly sliced chicken breast
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1 tblspn white sugar (palm if you have it)
• 1/2 tspn chicken powder
• 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup green beans, halved
• 8-10 corn spears (tinned is moister than dried)
• 200ml water
• Fresh coriander leaves

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the wok
2. Add the curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes
3. Add the coconut cream and stir until hot
4. Add the sugar, salt, and chicken powder and stir
5. Add the chicken and cook on high until tender
6. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes
7. Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

*Warning* This is a very hot dish.

Thai Beef Salad

This is one of my favourite Thai dishes. This one is so healthy, lean, tasty and spicy - it's the whole kit and caboodle. This serves 4.

Ingredients

• 600g lean rump steak, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, quartered and cut into 1cm chunks
• 2 tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 3 shallots, sliced into 2cm lengths
• 1 garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 12 mint leaves, torn into halves
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste

Method:

1. Prepare all vegetables, place into a large bowl, toss and set aside
2. In a small bowl mix together the chilli paste, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, chicken stock and lime juice and set aside
3. In a very hot wok, add 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil
4. When hot, add the beef
5. Stir fry and watch it carefully. As soon as there is no red meat left, turn the heat off
6. Add the beef to the salad (discarding the juice in the wok)
7. Pour the dressing mixture over the beef and salad and toss well
8. Serve on a bed of steamed Jasmine rice... D-E-L-icious  XD

Spicy Nut Mix

I was given this recipe by a friend of a friend about 20yrs ago. I enjoyed it then, but for some reason it was forgotten. I found it recently, made it and we devoured it in one sitting. The blend of raw nuts, salty rice crackers and sweet Nutrigrain make this mix something special. You can taste sweet, salty, nutty and spicy all at once like an explosion in your mouth...seriously!

Ingredients:

• 375g raw mixed nuts
• 2 cups Nutrigrain
• 1/2 packet plain rice crackers
• 125g melted butter
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoky paprika

Method:

1. Combine dry food in a large baking dish (it doesn't have to be deep, just a large surface area)
2. Mix the melted butter with the sauce and spices
3. Pour over the dry food in the baking dish
4. Stir through to ensure everything is coated
5. Cook at 150 degrees celsius for 30 minutes
6. Stir twice during cooking
7. Remove from oven and let cool
8. See if you can not eat all of them before you put them in a dry container!

Absolutely D-E-L-icious  XD

Spicy Lentil Soup

This is totally vegetarian and totally delicious. I made this for the first time for my daughter a few weeks back and she loved it. It serves 4 and can be frozen for later. Nice served with a piece of crusty bread stick.

Ingredients:

• 250g red lentils
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 3 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1litre vegetable stock

Method:

1. Wash and soak lentils for at least 30 minutes
2. In a large pan, fry garlic, onions and ginger until soft in a bit of oil
3. Add cumin and curry paste, stir for a few minutes
4. Add capsicum, tomatoes and carrots
5. Add salt & pepper
6. Add lentils
7. Stir for 5 minutes then add stock
8. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes
9. Allow to cool
10. Transfer small amounts to blender and puree
11. Place in saucepan to reheat for a further 5 minutes
12. Serve with crusty bread.

D-E-L-icious  XD