Also remember that if you add any cabbage family vegetables ( inc. cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage), these will make the soup sour very quickly so, it's better to add them to smaller batches of soup that you will eat within 2 days.
For Monday's Menu my clients have chosen 3 fairly standard soups but they have been given the GOOD LIFE touch:
Menu for Monday, Veteran's Day
Minestrone soup with tri-colored pasta
Lentil and tomato with cumin
Beet borscht with apple juice
Followed by a Vegetable Hot Pot ( bake at client's home)
2 great Vegetable side dishes.
Own grown broccoli greens ( I am going to be picking my own broccoli this week) with chili and cardamon
Brussels sprouts with sesame oil & 5 spice powder
Dessert is a Coconut-pineapple cake..made with fresh pineapples
A simple menu for simpler times.
The Minestrone is a celery, onion and tomato base, with white wine, also contains, zucchini, garlic, peas, mushrooms, new potatoes and wild asparagus
The tri-colored wholewheat pasta is pre-cooked then added at the end so it doesn't soak up all the soup stock.
Don't be tempted to finish this soup with basil (as is the American way with everything Italian), this is a mixed vegetable soup, so finish it with rosemary and thyme, adds more depth of flavors.
The lentil soup is the original "set it and forget it soup"..cumin scented tomato vegetable stock, with bay laurel, fresh oregano, carrots leeks, garlic and tomatoes, simmered for an hour. Then check seasonings and serve..it should be quite thick, great with extra virgin olive oil & lemon wedges.
The beet soup is my surprise hit of the year...I par-boil the beets so they are easier to peel.
Then add the chunks to some olive oil with sliced onions , when the onions wilt, deglaze the pan with white wine,add a good flavored hot vegetable stock and equal parts bottled apple juice.( if you used fresh apple juice the soup will be cloudy and not nice and clear as this is).
Bring to a boil then simmer for about 35-45 minutes until the beets are tender, adding ground cinnamon, a bay leaf and ground allspice.
Remove from heat, check seasonings and serve with lebne ( yogurt cheese), or Greek yogurt.
The vegetable hot pot is a basic English dish with a vegetarian touch..
..again par boil the potatoes, and layer them with a mix of vegetables in a roux based veloute sauce ( wine, milk and stock) with herbs and topped with grated cheese..the vegetables are broccoli, cauliflower, onions, celery, carrots, green beans and peas.
I am also adding nutritional yeast to the mix then topping with grated Cheddar cheese..the whole dish will be baked at the client's home.
The filling is delicious and reminds me of a great chicken pot pie.
"Lovely grub" for wintery weather..here it has been cooler for the past 2 days ( mid 70's day time temps) and we did have a nice amount of rain, nights are colder down to 50's, But by Wednesday this week it will be back in the 80's!
So much for wintery seasons here.
Here are some photographs I have just taken..yes my herbs and vegetables are doing well
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| apples, squash, carrots and beets |
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| New potatoes and brown onions |
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| Lentil & Tomato soup |
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| Minestrone soup |
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| Own grown broccoli will be using the tender leaves as a vegetable |
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| one of my basil plants |
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| English thyme |
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| Rosemary flowering |
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| Oregano |
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| Gold Hibiscus |
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| The fabulous filling for the Hot Pot |
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| The apple and beet borscht steaming |
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