Cauliflower and white bean soup

Souping it up! The perfect way to get a light but protein rich meal.

This one is a little different to my normal tomato based soups and is a beautiful creamy white which a beautiful creamy texture to match.  This a beany based soup that I made earlier this week, but for those who read the update to my challenge...you should be seeing a lot more lentil and tofu based recipes in the coming days.

Don't ask why there are mushrooms on the side...I just fancied them and they looked nice! (they are not in the soup itself)

My soups often tell a lot about the contents of my fridge and on this occasion I had a surplus of cauliflower. Throw in some beans, a little onion and some herbs and you are good to go.

When it comes to soups I do love my Thermomix as it literally does everything for me! It chops and sautes the onion and then I set it to 100C cook/stir as I prep the remaining ingredients, then I throw those in too and increase the speed to chop them up a little before reducing back down to 'stir' mode and adding the veg stock to simmer for as long as necessary, then with one final blend you have a silky smooth soup. It totally frees me up to get on with washing up and photo shoot prepping. It's also particularly good for recipes that need to be stirred more constantly, like risotto or polenta.

That said, soup making is not difficult in any situation...a big pot and hand blender is usually all you really need, and since I know most of you don’t have a Thermomix, I tend to write up my recipes accordingly, just thought I’d share that little explanation with you.

I recently had a reader request to share some videos on my blog...in particular the ‘legendary’ TM in action. Videos are something  I’ve never considered before- a whole new world to me. I will see what I can set up in the next few weeks once I transition my blog to it’s new platform...that’s taking a lot longer than I originally anticipated (isn’t that always the way!)  but hopefully it won’t be too much longer!

Recipe: Cauliflower and white bean soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 ½ cups cauliflower

1 400g can cooked white beans (i.e cannellini or butter beans)

1 small white onion- sliced

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic- crushed

2 ½ cups vegetable stock

1tsp mixed dried herbs

Fresh parsley to garnish- optional

Method

Chop the cauliflower into small pieces and cook for approx. 5-6 minutes until beginning to soften.

Meanwhile saute the onion and garlic in the oil for 4-5 minutes until soft.

Add the onion, dried herbs and can of beans and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and blend the soup until smooth.

Serve immediately garnished with parsley or other herbs as desired.

 
For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Stuffed pancake stack!

With Pancake Day just around the corner next Tuesday, I wanted to bring you a pancake recipe ahead of time. See, I am actually getting organised this year!!  (I also have an amazing Valentines themed post lined up for Saturday...so keep your eyes peeled!)

Most people usually think of sweet filled pancakes and I am no exception, however this time I wanted to put a twist on things and create a simple savoury recipe. The concept is based on a savoury version of these fruity oatmeal blinis and I remember thinking to myself at the time that they would work perfectly as a base for a savoury filling...so here we are.

To speed things up even more you could make the blinis ahead of time and freeze them if not using the same day. Simply defrost and reheat in the oven for a few minutes. (It tried this and it works well). The instructions below may seem lengthy but I promise you won't spend more than 10-15 mins tops from start to finish.

The filing is my current favourite dip/spread, which will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days but it's best served fresh when possible. I served it warm this time round...yum! You may remember the dip was first seen here adorning my Christmas trees! Add a few extra roasted veggies or salad leaves as per your preference to create a pretty plate. 

Just remember to stack ‘em high!

Recipe: Stuffed pancake stack

Serves 2 (8 blinis plus filling­)

Ingredients

Oatmeal blinis:

100g ground oats

¼ tsp bicarbonate soda

150ml soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1tsp ground chia or flax

Approx. ½ tsp seasoning as desired

Approx. 50ml water to thin batter as needed

Green pea and bean dip:

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1/2 cup cooked white beans (canned or pre-cooked)
1 garlic clove- crushed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 shallot (or 1/4 white onion)
1 tbs fresh herbs (I used parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

Handful of rocket or spinach

Sliced roasted or sun dried tomatoes

Sliced roasted or caramelised onions

Method

Prepare the onions and tomatoes as desired- I roasted mine for 5 minutes or so whilst I prepared the blinis.

To make the pea filling, add all ingredients to a blender and whizz together until desired texture is reached (I left mine a little chunky). To serve hot, you can either heat the beans and peas prior to blending or heat the blended product in the microwave for a couple of minutes (I did it that way as I also had a bit left over that I wanted to chill in the fridge without heating.)

Meanwhile, to prepare the blinis, blend together all ingredients (other than water) until very smooth. Add as much water as necessary to create a thick but easily pourable batter.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto a hot frying pan and fry for a minute or so on each side until golden.

Serve the blinis immediately layered up with the pea filling and onions, leaves and tomatoes. Make a big stack!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree....

Final pre-Christmas post!!! I got there in the end....

I know by now some of you will be buried under wrapping paper in full flow of Christmas spirit (but hopefully not quite yet Christmas spirits!)

For me it's now 9:40pm on Christmas eve so I'm putting together the finishing touches...final blog post, bread sauce, the first bake of the nut roast (I go for the double bake strategy), wrapping up the gifts (I wont elaborate for now in case of prying eyes)...and finally if I have time, a few games with the family.

So, here you have it, a super simple but super cute christmas buffet recipe...perfect for the times throughout the holidays when you put out a display of 'picky bits' for people to nibble on.

I can't take credit for the 'visual' idea since I saw this version linked through Facebook, the original uses a dairy based guacamole for the 'green' but my version opts for a simple white bean and pea dip layered up on my gluten free flatbread, topped with corn and peppers and white chia seeds for fairy lights...a spontaneous moment of genius ;-) For an even quicker non GF option you could use regular pitta breads as the triangular bases.

On that note, I will be off to get busy in the kitchen. I hope you have a magical day wherever in the world you may be!

Recipe: White bean and pea dip 

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1/2 cup white beans
1 garlic clove- crushed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 shallot (or 1/4 white onion)
1 tbs fresh herbs (I used parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Whizz everything up together until smooth!

Spread onto the flatbread triangles and decorate with corn, pepper pieces and chia seeds (or sesame seeds) and some carrot wedges for the trunks.

Store any remaining dip in the fridge and use within 2 days.

Notes: I only used half the amount of dip to cover the trees, you can use the rest as a dip for veg sticks served hot or cold.  For the flatbreads use half of this recipe to make six trees.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.