Cucumber carrot soup

Ingredients-
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 tbsp coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 chopped onion
1 tsp butter / olive oil
Water or borth for soup - 3 cups

Method-
Heat a  deep pan, add olive oil. Fry the onion and garlic, add veggies. Add water and bring to boil, simmer and let the veggies cook. This will take about 20 mins on medium flame.
Turn off flame, in a blender, puree the soup. Return to pot, heat and serve.

Sweet potatoes and cheese pie

I was in no mood to make the usual dinner today. I wanted a shortcut, because Yashi has a cold and would cry for attention any minute. Thought of baking something easy.

Here is my recipe for sweet potato cheese pie-

Ingredients:
200 gms of sweet potatoes cleaned and boiled

(I had them boiled, you can also clean and use raw, they will take longer to bake, that's all)

1 medium chopped onion

1 chopped tomato

1 soup packet- I used Knorr Corn soup (Mast masala)- mixed with lukewarm water / milk as directed on the packet with no lumps

1/2 tsp each of Oregano and parsley
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese cubed
Can use pepper too

salt to taste (I skipped both salt and pepper, because the soup has enough salt)

olive oil- 1 tbsp

Directions-

Use a deep baking dish. I didn't have one, so I used my regular one.

Combine potatoes, onion, tomato, olive oil and herbs. Mix well. Add the soup to this mix and combine. Top this mix with the cheese cubes. Micro for about 8 mins till the soup is bubbly. 

If you have a microwave that you can set to convection, bake for 20 mins if using boiled sweet potatoes and about 40 mins if using raw. Stir in between to combine the cheese.

If using a simple micro, once the soup is hot and bubbly, micro for a couple of mins more, till the soup is cooked. Cover and keep for about 15-20 mins and reheat before serving.

Goes well with plain rice. I served it with organic scented rice which I cooked in the rice cooker. Made my dinner in minutes today. Needless to say, we overate! and sat on vajrasana for a complete 10 mins!

Next time, I have to try it with tomato soup :)

I am sending this to MEC- Potato feast (afterall it is sweet potato!) hosted at Sinamontales. Check Valli's announcement page here.

Edit- 11th July 2011

I tried this with a mix of raw banana and boiled potato, and I used tangy tomato soup from Maggi this time. It turned out well too. This looks like an easy subb for our daily sabzi! I am going to experiment more :-)

Spinach and carrot thick soup

I have kept a nurse for my baby since the past 5 days or so. Yashi doesn't like her yet but I am hoping she will get used to her and I will be able to soon come back to work.Office has shifted from Jayanagar to Bommannahalli and I feel as if my second home has shifted!!

The nurse, her name is Silvi, told me a recipe for spinach soup. I altered it a bit and made it some days back. Bangalore is rainy and gets a bit cold in the evening, just the right weather for a bowl of soup! and what could be better than home-made healthy soup?

The recipe- (serves 3)
2 cups spinach cleaned (1 fresh bunch is good)
2 carrots medium sized cleaned
2 tomatoes tops removed and cut in halves

Boil them with half a cup of water in a pressure cooker for one whistle. Let cool. Blend in a mixer for a couple of mins. Use some water if it gets too thick.

Before serving-
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp powdered mustard seeds (can use whole too)
1/2 cup milk

Heat a wok, add ghee and add mustard seeds. Pour the blended mix in and add milk. Bring to a boil. Serve in 3-4 bowls, along with toasted bread or soup-sticks.

Before serving- youc an skip the ghee etc and just add some fresh cream or butter and can serve with poached egg and toast for breakfast too!

I am sending this to Mina's Healthy meals for kids events.

Also check Srivalli’s blog for Kid's Delight post

Potato carrot and coriander thick soup

Ingredients (will serve 4-5)
1 large potato peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped coriander
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 onion chopped
1 cup water

some milk to think out the soup

cream , pepper, chopped coriander to garnish

3 tsps olive oil

Directions-

Boil the carrots, potato and coriander with water in the pressure cooker for one whistle. Let cool. Blend everything together.

In a deep pan or kadahi, heat the oil and fry the chopped onions. (If you have some dry coriander, add in. I didn't have so skipped it) Add in the blended boiled soup. Add some milk if you need thinning and also for a creamy taste. Add some salt to taste. Turn off flame.

Serve warm with toasted bread and / or pasta or JLT! Garnish with cream, fresh coriander and pepper.

This is going to "Herbs and Flowers in my Platter" - Coriander leaves/Cilantro at Krithi's. Check original announcement page at PJ's.