Pumpkin Soup and Macaroon Balls

Had a bit of a cooking day today:

Easy Pumpkin Soup: 

1. Cut up a 1/4 Jap Pumpkin into small cubes, toss with 1tsp olive oil, salt, pepper and some curry powder and lay it flat and put it in the oven on 200 degrees celcius for 45 minutes

2. Sautee a small onion with 1tsp curry powder (or more), 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3. When pumpkin is done, put it with the onion and add 1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup veggie stock or 2 cups chicken/veggie stock. Then put enough hot water to cover the vegetables if needed.

4. Simmer for 10 minutes and then blend for a few minutes leaving some pumpkin so it's more chunky. Season with salt and pepper

This was really nice and quite filling

This is the pumpkin (roasted) and the onion and spices are down the bottom.

Finished:

Chocolate Chip Macaroon Balls

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

2. Mix vanilla extract with 1 egg white until combined but dont overwisk.

3. Combine 1 cup dessicated coconut (I used shredded), 1/8 cup caster sugar, 1/2tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. If you don't have chocolate chips, it would still work.

4. Scoop into 1 tablespoon balls (makes about 8 large ones) and put it in the oven for 10 minutes. Done

It is seriously delicious even if the mixture seems a little dodgy the egg really binds it well

Mixed the egg white with the coconut mixture

Form into balls:

Sorry I didn't get a good picture of the finished product but trust me they are really good! and they only took 15 minutes in total.

Also, I made these banana, strawberry oatmeal squares and added some blueberries. I wouldn't recommend them because they tasted quite dry and although the outside was hard (tasted more stale than crispy the inside was soft) and leaving it longer in the oven didn't help either.

Carrot, Apple & Ginger Soup

I'm making this right now and I know it'll be fantastic and I know I said I liked soups with texture but I love the sound of this. This reminds me of something I read once, what's longer a microwave minute or a treadmill minute haha how about waiting for a delicious soup bubbling away.

Cut up 5 cups of carrots, 1 big apple, grate 2tbsp of ginger, mince 2 cloves of garlic. Cut up 1 onion and add to pot with 1 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes. Then add ginger and garlic and let it cook for a few minutes then add the carrots and apple.

We freeze our ginger and it's fine and easier to grate.

Add 4 cups of vegetable stock (mine wasn't salt reduced) and let it cook for 20 minutes

Blend with an immersion blender, I didn't have nutmeg so I added a pinch of cinnamon.

4. Done

Found this to be delicious and warming from the ginger (good if you have a cold). It also makes a lot of servings and is quite cheap. This soup would be perfect on a chilly winter day or if you were sick.

Moroccan Sweet Potato, Carrot & Chickpea Soup

This Moroccan Sweet Potato, Carrot and Chickpea soup is crazy good. With 187 glowing reviews to boot.

Cut up 1 brown onion, 500g of carrots (I used 6 small/medium sized ones), 600g of sweet potato (2 medium sized ones).

Put in 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan on medium/ high heat. Keep stirring and after 3 minutes or so add in 2 teaspoons of cumin and 1/4tsp of chilli powder. Then stir for another minute. Then add the carrots/sweet potato and stir often for another 5 minutes.

Add 6 cups of salt reduced chicken stock. Let it simmer for 20 minutes (turn down to low/medium flame)

Add 300g of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or until chickpeas are soft. 

Once it's cooled a bit, blend with a stick blender until smooth (it's probably best to blend it in batches as recommended)

Put the saucepan back on the stove to heat it up. Add salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. 

7. Done! 

To store: It should be fine in the fridge for 2 days and in the freezer for anything longer (it shouldn't affect the taste, I think all non dairy soups freeze well). Put into individual containers or into zip lock bags and when you want it, just defrost it and put it in the microwave.

I thought it was the perfect combination of sweet/salty/spicy and found it very filling. I also liked that it's full of vegetables, makes quite a lot (around 5 serves) and quite cheap. It should be fine with vegetable stock as well. 

Quinoa Fried Rice

I made an adapted version of this recipe and will definitely be re-making this. This recipe serves around 4

Rinse then cook the quinoa. I cooked 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water for 15 minutes then drain whatever water is left.

Beat up 2 eggs and pour into an oiled pan (like an omelette). As soon as its in the pan start breaking it up then let it cook.  Leave this aside to be stirred in at the end

Cut up zucchini, 1 onion, mushrooms. 

Put 1 tablespoon of oil, add onion and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (2 cloves). Then add frozen peas, corn and carrot, rinsed. Then add zucchini and mushroom. Cook vegetables until done. Finally add the quinoa. 

Add in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, stir in the egg, add a small bunch of chopped fresh corriander, some walnuts (or any nut) for a bit of crunch and you're done. Add Sriracha sauce and season with S&P.

Serve with extra Sriracha sauce or any chili sauce.

To store: keep in an airtight container and it will last 2 days in the fridge.

I liked that this was healthy, a good way of using up vegetables, easy, high protein from the quinoa and fairly cheap/serve. 

Vegetarian Frittata

I made this vegetarian frittata for lunch today

Chop an onion, zucchini, capsicum and mushrooms. Any leftover vegetables would work though. Pumpkin would be nice

Sauté vegetables and season with salt and pepper

Beat eggs first. Then add half a cup of soy milk (rather than together as in picture)

Put vegetables in baking dish and pour egg mixture over it. Bake for 40 minutes. 

Done!

Such a great recipe when you need to get rid of vegetables as it's incredibly easy, tasty, healthy, fast and cheap. I did find it a little watery though so next time I'll drain the liquids after sautéing the vegetables some more. I'll also try it with some cheese and pine nuts on top for a stronger flavour. I might also add an extra egg in. 

Once it's cooled, wrap it in cling wrap and you should be able to store this in a fridge for around 3 days or so.