Salmon Chowder

10 04 2013

Due to the miserable cold, wet Brisbane weather this week, and my current ‘can’t be bothered chewing’ attitude, my soup obsession has well & truely spiraled out of control. As part of my mission to ‘Calm the f$ck down’ and not be such a Rushing Woman, (as per the book I am currently reading), I need to eat slower. Chew my food properly. Not do a million other things while I am eating. I am finding this VERY difficult. I hover my food. It’s not my fault, it’s what coming from a big family does to a person. Survival of the fittest. So because I am struggling to masticate (what a weird word) properly, I have taken the lazy way out & created food that I can drink :) This probably defeats the purpose but it’s where I’m at right now.

Cream of Cauliflower soup was followed by Creamy Broccoli & Parsley soup this week and now we have reached the pinnacle of soups, the chowder. I have eaten chowder only once in San Francisco and never cooked it before so I would suggest I am hardly the expert on chowder. In saying that, I am the expert of my tastebuds & this tastes freaking tops so if it’s not “chowdery” enough for you then I say “NO SOUP FOR YOU”! Get it? Seinfeld? Oh whatever. Just eat the chowder. It’s good for you you. And it’s delicious. Go, get chowdering. What a cool word “chowdering”, use it in a sentence sometime this week please.

300g bacon, diced (preferably nitrate free if you can find it)
500g salmon fillets, chopped in half (skin and bones removed)
1 leek, sliced
2 cups carrots, diced into small pieces
1 litre chicken stock/bone broth or vegetable stock
500ml full fat coconut milk
1 tbs fresh dill
Salt & black pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until it’s nice & crispy. Take out 1/2 the bacon & set aside. Add the leeks to the remaining bacon and continue to sauté until the leeks are tender. Add the carrots and cook until they start to soften. Add the stock, dill, salt & pepper and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Use a stick blender to blend this until smooth. Return to the heat, add the coconut milk, bring to the boil again then add the salmon fillets to the soup, make sure they are covered with the soup, and let simmer until they are easy to break apart. Gently flake the salmon pieces apart and stir gently. Serve in big bowls, sprinkle with a bit more fresh dill & the remaining bacon.

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Cream of Cauliflower Soup

7 04 2013

It has been a cold, wet week so far and it feels like perfect soup weather! Soups are a great way to get loads of veggies in your guts without trying very hard. Make them on some bone broth and you get even more amazing health benefits like immune support, joint support, gut healing and reduction of inflammation. Cauliflower is from the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it contains many essential B-complex vitamins and loads of vitamin C. Cauliflower contains several anti cancer phyto-chemicals which have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers. You could make a cream of broccoli version by substituting the cauliflower for broccoli & adding a couple of handfuls of baby spinach too.

1 carrot, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely diced
Coconut oil to sauté
1 heaped tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 small head cauliflower, chopped roughly
1 cup coconut cream
2 lge zucchini, peeled and chopped into 1/4′s (you don’t have to peel them, I just didn’t want green soup this time)
1L stock (vegetable, chicken or your own homemade bone broth)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh thyme to serve

In a large pot sauté the onion, garlic, ginger & carrot in the coconut oil until the onion is translucent. Add the cauliflower, zucchini & stock & bring to the boil. Reduce to a low heat & simmer for about an hour. Use a stick mix to blend until smooth. Add coconut cream & salt & pepper & blend until combined. Serve with some fresh thyme. Easy as.

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Celeriac & Cauliflower Soup

6 09 2012

This is seriously the WORLD’S best soup. Big call I know, but I think it’s true. I think much of the deliciousness of this soup is due to the bone broth- I let this one cook for 2 days before adding it to this soup. Celeriac is something I had never tried before but will definitely use again! It is from the same genus as carrots, is very low in calories, high in vitamin K and C, phosphorous and copper. Cauliflower is from the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it contains many essential B-complex vitamins and loads of vitamin C. Cauliflower contains several anti cancer phyto-chemicals which have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers.

1 celeriac bulb, chopped
250g cauliflower, chopped into chunks
800ml chicken BONE BROTH (you can use Veggie Stock instead for a vegetarian or vegan option)
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Juice 1/2 lemon
Olive oil, to garnish

In a pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add celeriac, cauliflower and broth and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for about 45 mins (you can do this in your slow cooker). Once it is cooked, remove from heat, add lemon juice and parsley and blitz with stick mixer until smooth. Serve into bowls and drizzle with olive oil.

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Broccoli & Basil Soup

29 08 2012

Broccoli has a strong, positive impact on our body’s detoxification system, it is also a rich source of fiber, Vitamin C, beta carotene, folate, as well as a variety of other important nutrients. Broccoli has fantastic anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects in our bodies, it is low carbohydrate and helps support a healthy digestive system. Basil has been shown to have some great antibacterial properties. This soup is very low in carbohydrates, high in fibre and a great source of nutrients.

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
500g broccoli, chopped
500g cauliflower, chopped
Bunch basil, including stems
1.5L Chicken Bone Broth (use veggie stock if you are vegan or vegetarian)
1 avocado, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Pop everything except the basil and avocado in your slow cooker or a big pot and let it simmer for a few hours until the veggies are nice and soft. Add the basil and avocado and blitz with a stick mixer or food processor until smooth. You are ready to eat! It is pretty delicious with a nice big dollop of natural yoghurt :)

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Chicken Bone Broth

29 08 2012

The benefits of broths made on bones are plentiful! As the bones cook in the water, minerals and other nutrients are released from the bones and into the water. Homemade broth is rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals that are really easily absorbed when we eat it. Bone broth contains glucosamine and chondroiton – these are useful in the treatment of arthritis and joint pain. This broth also contains loads of collagen, which is the building block of cells to bones, ligaments, cartilage and the brain. Read more about the health benefits of bone broth HERE.

4 chicken frames, roasted
2 L water
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
Chunk ginger, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Take the roasted chicken frames and rest of the ingredients, chuck it all in the slow cooker, turn it on, go to bed/work. The longer you leave it, the more nutrients will end up in your broth. Strain the liquid through a sieve. Done, magic. You can do this in a big pot instead, just pop everything in the pot, let it simmer for at least 6 hours. (I generally leave mine for 24-48hrs just topping it up occasionally with more water.) Strain through a sieve. This can be frozen if you like as well.

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