#Cold Courgette Soup recipe

[askwhatsforlunch]

Cold Mint and Cilantro Courgette Soup

It’s not even the tenth of June yet and the temperature is 29°C, the sun is hot and blinding and I can’t remember the last time it rained... The heat lingers at night, too! And if I’ve already officially started my salad season, we might as well begin our cold soup season, too, to help us cool off! This Cold Mint and Cilantro Courgette Soup, fragrant with garden herbs and bright green in colour is a most excellent way to begin! Happy Friday!

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 1/2 large courgettes, rinsed

1 large garlic clove

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

a dozen leaves fresh mint

2 fluffy sprigs Garden Cilantro

1 heaped tablespoon cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Cut courgettes into slices into a large saucepan.

Peel garlic clove, and add to the courgettes, along with coarse sea salt.

Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cook, about 10 minutes until just tender.

Remove from the heat, and immediately drain courgettes in a colander, saving their cooking water. Allow both to cool completely.

In a blender, combine cooled courgettes and garlic clove. Tear in mint leaves and Garden Cilantro sprigs. Add cream cheese and black pepper.

Blitz, gradually adding about 2 cups of the cooled courgette cooking water, until beautifully smooth.

Pour into serving bowl, and chill in the refrigerator, at least 3 hours.

Serve Cold Mint and Cilantro Courgette Soup with toasted Sourdough and a drizzle of good olive oil, if you wish.

[hedgehog-moss]

what do you usually make for dinner? i’m looking for new things to try and the food you show in your photos always looks so tasty

Hi :) I have very seasonal menus, here are some of my go-to summer dishes:

Rice salad with lentils, maize, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, rocket. My salad dressing is olive oil + sunflower oil + cider vinegar + Dijon mustard + whatever herbs I have at hand (usually thyme, basil, sage, rosemary)

I also make a salad-salad with the same dressing but with just lettuce and some rocket + walnuts + goat cheese + my homemade spicy plum-raisin chutney, or a fig chutney. Classic but delicious.

My laziest salads are potato-herring-red onions salad, or just grated carrots & black radish (and dressing obvs)

I love cold tomato soup in summer—I don't think I'm allowed to call it gazpacho because I don't like cucumber and have banished it from this recipe. It's just normal tomato soup with some olive oil, onion, garlic, Espelette pepper, and herbs, and I keep it in the fridge. I'm proud to say all the ingredients save the olive oil are from my greenhouse! Cold beetroot soup is also great, I often have cold soup with croûtons + a hard-boiled egg for supper (and then cheese + bread, and often dark chocolate + bread for dessert if I haven't made any dessert. Plus a fruit)

The chocolate tart I described here is to be eaten cold so it's a nice summer dessert (and breakfast). I keep carrot cake in the fridge too and since my recipe makes for a very moist cake it's very refreshing (I am positive I shared this recipe on here before but tumblr's blog search is useless :( It's my abuela's pastel de zanahoria esponjoso made with biscuit crumbs instead of flour, it's somewhere on this blog I swear, I remember illustrating it with a little carrot drawing 😭)

Another refreshing summer dessert is compote (or do you call it fruit purée?) Right now my favourite flavour is apple-plum (mostly because that's what I currently have and your own fruits always taste better<3) I just put a few (three?) apples to cook in a pan with a bit of water, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a dash of lemon and a bunch of red plums, let it cook then blend it and put it in the fridge. Three weeks from now I will be drowning in blackberries and apple-blackberry will be my favourite flavour.

Quiche!! Endless possibilities with quiche. I like to make a quiche-ratatouille combo—I start with sautéing whatever vegetables I have (often courgettes, tomatoes, a couple of potatoes, maybe an aubergine & bell pepper, + Espelette pepper, onions, basil) in a pan with some olive oil; while it's cooking I prepare the body of the quiche in a bowl (20cL of milk, 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour, 2 eggs, some herbs and a tiny bit of olive oil for luck). I make a pie crust with flour, water, salt, oregano and olive oil (sorry I'm from the Mediterranean, I put herbs and olive oil everywhere). I spread the ratatouille on the pie crust then add the milk/egg mixture on top of it, then add little bits of cheese on top (gruyère or bleu or St Nectaire personally). I eat it with a side of rocket, it's perfect. And very colourful:

When I'm too lazy to do the ratatouille (and quiche) steps I just make a tomato tart—the same pie crust as above, then I spread Dijon mustard over it then cover it with sliced tomatoes, and add some (obligatory) herbs and olive oil. It's less effort and also looks very summery:

Some favourite autumn-spring dishes: vegetable lasagna, chilaquiles, hachis parmentier with mashed pumpkin, fish brandade, potato-courgette gratin (with blue cheese)... Then winter is for comfort foods like camembert fondue, risotto, calzones, pumpkin-chestnut soup, and crêpes—the savoury kind with sarrasin flour, what we call galettes. I grew up eating a ton of fish and seafood but I've curbed this habit due to environmental worries—hence why I'd like to raise edible fish in my greenhouse tanks! I get to eat a lot of eggs thanks to my hens, but I don't eat meat very often���hardly ever in summer except if I'm invited for dinner at someone's house. Sometimes I buy a homemade duck terrine from my neighbour and have a tartine for apéritif. My cold-season dishes call for ham in galettes and chicken in chilaquiles / risotto / quesadillas, and I make my hachis parmentier with duck. But yeah soup / salad / 'ratatouille quiche' and pasta with veggie sauce are my staples.

This list lacks pasta, I eat a lot of pasta. But mostly in autumn and spring; I just prepare my sauce in summer and store it for later. I also prepare & freeze a lot of soup and vegetable mash in summer with my greenhouse harvests. I often eat green beans as a side with my crêpes or other winter dishes because they grow so fast and incessantly in summer, my freezer ends up stuffed with bags of green beans. My usual pasta sauce is pretty much the same ratatouille combo as above (minus the potatoes so it's less thick), sauté'ed in a pan with olive oil, I also add an egg, parmesan (sometimes extra blue cheese or emmental) and liquid cream, then blend everything. I have a lot of courgettes and tomatoes right now, industrial quantities of basil and rocket, and beautiful Ecuador purple chili, so I've been making lots of jars of this sauce and also my new basil-rocket-cashew pesto! October-me will be thankful.

[manasseh]

"if you can't beat it, eat it"

— is a common phrase to hear from foraging people and i love it, so I'm 'helping' my brother by trying different ways to use the ground elder that's taken over his backyard. I'm hoping to learn to use many native edible plants in the future!

I had trouble finding anything nice besides the overused pestos, teas and quiches they recommend for every edible plant at first, until I thought to search in Korean and to my surprise found a very similar plant grows there too! It's the cuisine I'm used to and the people still forage a lot more, so there's a lot of great recipes to source.

I tried a couple of different recipes so far, - almost all a couple weeks ago on one day of hanging out and cooking and tasting small dishes all day with my family/friends at my brothers place. I will share the keepers as reblogs!! Hoping to try some more, or a different plant, soon.

Coming up are at least 산미나리무침(sweet fresh salad side dish), 산마리 탕(a clear soup), and maybe a few others. Starting with 한단미나리전 (savoury fried korean pancake) under the cut ↓↓

한단미나리전 / savoury fried Korean pancake.

First I made this simple 전, because it's one of my favourite type of dish with alcohol :) Jeon is any type of dish where something either covered or mixed in with batter and pan fried, like a fritter or in this case like a crispy savoury pancake. Some popular ones are made with green onion (파전), kimchi (김치전), or seafood (해물전), but you can find most anything. Fritter style jeon are often things like courgette, fish and crab sticks,- in this case the mix is usually mixed with egg as well.

This recipe I saw, from a KBS show, uses only two ingredients, the minari and 부침가루 (jeon pancake mix).

I don't know if the mix is available premade like that where I live but I prepped some based on this recipe from GEE (@/jieworld)'s naver blog.

----

You can find the original recipes in Korean by clicking the links. Here's my translation with some edits:

■ Korean pancake mix (just combine all) 1 cup (240ml) flour // 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Potato Starch // 1/2 teaspoon baking powder // 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder // 1/2 teaspoon sugar // salt and pepper // If you have it, add onion powder, 2 tablespoon glutinous rice powder. I didn't :')

■ Minari Jeon 1 bunch(?) of ground elder // ±100ml cold water // 6 big tablespoons Korean pancake mix (부침가루) // cooking oil

1. Slice the ground elder to pinky finger length. 2. Add the ground elder, cold water, and the pancake mix into a bowl and mix. ※ About 1 parts water to 2 parts pancake mix! ※ Mix until the mix and the leaves are tangled together! 3. Put 5 rounds of cooking oil on a pan heated over high heat and preheat until bubbles form. ※ Put enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the frying pan! 4. Reduce to medium heat, add alll the dough at once, and fry for about 5 minutes. ※ Put the dough in the pan and press it into flat shape ※ Do not touch it. Don't. ※ After adding the dough for a minute, add a bit of cooking oil to the edges ※ If it moves gently as a whole when you shake the pan, it's time to flip ~ 5. Flip the pancake, add some cooking oil to the edge, and fry it for about 3 more minutes. ※ Press it slightly after flipping so that the bottom isn't floating.

----

This was a a favourite! Everyone enjoyed eating it a lot and I was asked to send over the recipe. Like any it's crispy and make for a very satisfying snack with some alcohol. The simple fresh taste of this wild plant makes it a little lighter and more textured than other options. I love jeon in general but haven't made many since I moved back - definitely will now. Next time I want to try it with this sauce by the same guy.

obsessed that this herb is called 'seven-leaf' in my language bc it has seven leaves but then in English it's called Ground Elder like i've just cooked some great wizard's soup

[ladyhearthkeeper]

Courgette cherry tomato Quiche

I’ve been using this easy recipe for a long time. The quiche tastes good and people usually find it nice to look at.

It’s a summer recipe however... I also make it in winter it seems.

source (it’s in french : I got it for free in my local supermarket chain)

Ingredients :

One 12 inch/30 cm uncooked pie crust (you can use your own recipe or buy a ready to use pie crust)

600g courgettes/zucchini (the small the better)

100 ml of milk.

100 ml liquid cream

2 eggs

10 cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

Basil or any other fresh herb (I used rosemary and sage from my garden)

Pre-heat your oven at 200°c or 390F

Oil your pie tin and set your dough on it. Don’t forget to pierce it with a fork here and there.

Thinly slice your courgettes. Place them on your pie crust starting from the middle, like a spiral. Don’t worry if it’s tight, they will become smaller once they cook. It’s even better if they are slightly stacked.

In a bowl, beat the two eggs, add the 100ml of milk, 100 ml of cream. Pour the mixture on your pie, over the courgettes.

Slide your pie in the oven. It will have to cook for 30 minutes in total.

Slice your cherry tomatoes in two (or more if you want it to be more colourful)

After 15 minutes, gently take out your pie and add the cherry tomato slices. Let it cook for 15 more minutes.

Once you take it out of the oven,  disperse pieces of basil or of your chosen herbs on the pie and one or two spoonful of olive oil.

You can serve it warmish (not too fresh though) or even cold with a salad or soup.

[illululusion]

top 5 soups?

Parsnip soup

Snert (Dutch pea soup)

tomato soup(our own recipe)

Courgette/beet soup/asparagus soup

Cucumber soup (cold soup love it)

Edit: adding the greens soup we make sometimes its just nostalgia

[reshapepro]

🥑🍅 To Get More Delicious Vegan Recipes, Visit BIO @ketodiet_recipe_99 . . Minestrone in 25 min. 🍜 This vegan soup is the perfect cold-weather dinner, vegetables simmered in a garlicky vegetable broth with pasta and spinach. 
 By @micadeli_ Recipe here: * 2 onions * 3 cloves of garlic * 4 carrots (150g.) * 1 zucchini (courgette) * 1 teaspoon of thyme * 1 teaspoon of rosemary * 1 can chopped tomatoes * 1 tablespoon tomato paste * 700 ml. Vegetable broth * 200 g. White beans or butterbeans, cooked * A handful of spinach * 200 g. pasta or macaroni (not cooked) * Black pepper 
In a pot add chopped onions and garlic. Add chopped carrots, zucchini, thyme, rosemary and chopped tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes. 
Add tomato paste, Vegetable broth, cooked white beans, a handful of spinach + pasta. Let it simmer in 10-12 mins until the pasta has cooked. 
Serve the soup warm with oven-baked bread (topped with vegan cheese), thyme, salt and pepper. #breakfastideas #breakfast #veganbreakfast #healthybreakfast #breakfastrecipes #recipes #veganrecipes #strawberry #blueberries #berries #breakfastbowl #yogurtbowl #soyyogurt #veganyogurt #granola #peanutbutter #finland #finnish #cottage #finnishsummer #swissvegan #veganschweiz #vegan #plantbased #veganfood #vegetarian #healthyfood #food #healthy #healthylifestyle (at Los Angeles/Hollywood California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRoALWEgK05/?utm_medium=tumblr

[curutquit]

Vegetable soup. Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times. Vegetable soup is prepared using vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms.

Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. Atama soup - a vegetable and palm nut soup that originates in South Nigeria. Cabbage soup - prepared using sauerkraut or white cabbage.

Hello everybody, it is John, welcome to our recipe site. Today, we're going to make a distinctive dish, vegetable soup. One of my favorites food recipes. This time, I am going to make it a bit tasty. This will be really delicious.

Vegetable soup is one of the most popular of recent trending meals in the world. It is appreciated by millions daily. It is easy, it is fast, it tastes yummy. They're fine and they look wonderful. Vegetable soup is something that I've loved my entire life.

Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times. Vegetable soup is prepared using vegetables, leafy greens, mushrooms.

To begin with this recipe, we have to first prepare a few ingredients. You can have vegetable soup using 12 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you can achieve that.

The ingredients needed to make Vegetable soup:

{Take 1 of large onion.

{Take 4 of tomatoes.

{Take 1 table spoon of tomato paste.

{Make ready of Spices of your choice.

{Prepare of Soy sauce.

{Take 1 cup of boiled peas.

{Take 2 pieces of courgettes.

{Prepare 4 pieces of carrots.

{Make ready 2 of egg plant.

{Make ready of Cooking oil.

{Take of Salt.

{Get 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Soup is not only for cold weather. Make yourself soup year-round with these recipes that are seriously satisfying and packed with vegetables! Tomato and Barley Vegetable Soup photo by Brian Hagiwara / Getty Images. Make an economical and wholesome meal from a simple vegetable soup with one our easy, warming recipes.

Instructions to make Vegetable soup:

Grate the tomatoes to make tomato puree..

In a pan add oil and onions and let them cook. Add in the puree cover and let it simmer for 1 min.

Add in the tomato paste, soy sauce, salt and other spices and stir.

Add in all the vegetables and mix well. Then add some water and the sugar. Cover and let it simmer for a few mins..

Serve hot and enjoy 😋.

Whether you like a chunky soup or a smooth and creamy soup, it's a completely satisfying. Potato soup, gazpacho, butternut squash soup—find the best recipes for all your favorite vegetable soups. This homemade vegetable soup is healthy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic. It's also vegan when you use vegetable broth! Jump to the Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe or read on to see our tips for.

So that is going to wrap this up with this exceptional food vegetable soup recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I'm sure that you will make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food in home recipes coming up. Don't forget to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your loved ones, friends and colleague. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!

[kembungsusu]

Vegetable soup. Vegetable Soup - This Vegetable Soup has become one of my most popular soup recipes and for good reason! Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times.

This homemade vegetable soup is healthy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic. It's also vegan when you use vegetable broth! Jump to the Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe or read on to see our tips for.

Hey everyone, hope you are having an incredible day today. Today, I'm gonna show you how to prepare a distinctive dish, vegetable soup. One of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I am going to make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Vegetable Soup - This Vegetable Soup has become one of my most popular soup recipes and for good reason! Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients. It dates to ancient history, and is a mass-produced food product in contemporary times.

Vegetable soup is one of the most favored of current trending foods in the world. It is appreciated by millions daily. It's simple, it is quick, it tastes yummy. Vegetable soup is something that I have loved my whole life. They're fine and they look fantastic.

To begin with this particular recipe, we have to first prepare a few components. You can have vegetable soup using 12 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you cook it.

The ingredients needed to make Vegetable soup:

{Get 1 of large onion.

{Take 4 of tomatoes.

{Prepare 1 table spoon of tomato paste.

{Take of Spices of your choice.

{Make ready of Soy sauce.

{Take 1 cup of boiled peas.

{Get 2 pieces of courgettes.

{Take 4 pieces of carrots.

{Make ready 2 of egg plant.

{Get of Cooking oil.

{Take of Salt.

{Get 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.

Soup is not only for cold weather. Make yourself soup year-round with these recipes that are seriously satisfying and packed with vegetables! Tomato and Barley Vegetable Soup photo by Brian Hagiwara / Getty Images. Make an economical and wholesome meal from a simple vegetable soup with one our easy, warming recipes.

Instructions to make Vegetable soup:

Grate the tomatoes to make tomato puree..

In a pan add oil and onions and let them cook. Add in the puree cover and let it simmer for 1 min.

Add in the tomato paste, soy sauce, salt and other spices and stir.

Add in all the vegetables and mix well. Then add some water and the sugar. Cover and let it simmer for a few mins..

Serve hot and enjoy 😋.

Whether you like a chunky soup or a smooth and creamy soup, it's a completely satisfying. Potato soup, gazpacho, butternut squash soup—find the best recipes for all your favorite vegetable soups. Vegetable soup recipe - This easy, healthy & delicious mix vegetable soup is super quick to make. This collection of vegetable soup recipes will hit the spot for vegetarians and Paleo eaters alike. Vegetable soup is a common soup prepared using vegetables and leaf vegetables as primary ingredients.

So that is going to wrap this up for this exceptional food vegetable soup recipe. Thanks so much for your time. I am confident that you can make this at home. There's gonna be more interesting food at home recipes coming up. Remember to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!

[juilojio753]

Courgette dhal. Dhal aux carottes-courgettes et oeufs, Dhal de lentilles corail a la courgette et lait de coco sans Cliquez sur la photo ou le titre d'une recette de dhal et courgettes pour la lire sur le blog de son auteur. Recette : Dhal de courgette au noix de cajou. La courgette peut être très ou peu cuite (oui la courgette se mange crue aussi).

Puis ajoutez le concentré de… Naomi Knill сделал(-а) публикацию в Instagram: "Tamarind dhal, courgette bhaji, beetroot chop and rogni roti. Ajoutez les carottes puis, les courgettes. Recette de Curry indien sec de pommes de terre et chou-fleur, Aloo Gobi > Recettes.

Hello everybody, hope you are having an incredible day today. Today, I'm gonna show you how to prepare a special dish, courgette dhal. One of my favorites. This time, I am going to make it a bit unique. This will be really delicious.

Dhal aux carottes-courgettes et oeufs, Dhal de lentilles corail a la courgette et lait de coco sans Cliquez sur la photo ou le titre d'une recette de dhal et courgettes pour la lire sur le blog de son auteur. Recette : Dhal de courgette au noix de cajou. La courgette peut être très ou peu cuite (oui la courgette se mange crue aussi).

Courgette dhal is one of the most favored of current trending foods in the world. It is appreciated by millions daily. It's simple, it is quick, it tastes yummy. Courgette dhal is something that I have loved my whole life. They're nice and they look fantastic.

To get started with this particular recipe, we have to first prepare a few ingredients. You can cook courgette dhal using 13 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you cook it.

The ingredients needed to make Courgette dhal:

{Prepare 1 tablespoon of olive or coconut oil.

{Make ready 200 g of red lentils.

{Get 1 of large onion finely chopped or sliced.

{Get 2 cloves of garlic.

{Take 1 of thumb of ginger.

{Prepare 10 g of fresh turmeric.

{Take 1 tsp of ground turmeric.

{Make ready 1 tsp of ground cumin.

{Make ready 1 tsp of ground coriander.

{Get 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds.

{Take 300 g of grated courgette.

{Prepare of Salt.

{Get 3 of eggs at room temperature.

Dhal Vraiment très bon et très fin au niveau du goût. Les épices sont très bien dosés. Courgette confectionne des produits réutilisables et des accessoires pour agrémenter votre quotidien. Courgette plants are easy to grow and fruit abundantly - expect to pick three or four a week in good weather.

Instructions to make Courgette dhal:

Wash and drain lentils at least 5 times until water is clear (initially it will be cloudy and there may be small stones). Then leave to soak in clean water whilst you cook next stages..

Heat oil and gently cook onion until soft. I find about 15 minutes on low heat with lid on makes them intensify but remain colourless..

Then add garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric to pan with onions. Either chopped or I find grating with microplane easier..

Cook for couple of minutes stiring to stop anything catching on bottom. Then add dried spices and cook for a further minute until they release their pungent aromas..

Next add drained lentils and 500ml of boiling water - stir well. Reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes..

Then roughly grate courgette and add to pan along with good pinch of salt flakes. Simmer for another 15 minutes and turn of heat and allow to stand whilst you prep accompaniments..

You can add various things to make this soup more substantial - original recipe suggests a soft yolked egg (straight into boiling water then simmer for exactly 6 minutes then plunge into running cold water for 3 minutes). Or you could served with tandoori chicken thighs, fried paratha bread or simply dollop mango chutney and garnish with coriander or fab Japanese seasoning called 'furikake'..

These plants like to spread out, so give them about a square metre/yard each. Spiralize courgettes for a nutritious alternative to add to fragrant soups, vegetarian ricotta tarts and fresh summer rolls. Dhal de lentilles corail aux pois chiches. Aussi étonnant que cela puisse paraître, à la maison, on me réclame des dhals. alors j'en fais au moins un par semaine ! Courgettes make a decent meal of any storecupboard ingredient.

So that is going to wrap this up for this special food courgette dhal recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I'm sure you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food at home recipes coming up. Don't forget to bookmark this page on your browser, and share it to your loved ones, colleague and friends. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!

[askwhatsforlunch]

Cold Soups For Warm Weather

When the temperature rises high in the day, dancing around the 30°C here, at the moment, and does not cool down much in the evenings, a refreshing, cooling soup makes a lovely dinner! Here are five of my favourite Cold Soups For Warm Weather!

Cold Mint and Cilantro Courgette Soup

Iced Cucumber Soup (Vegetarian)

Cold Mint Pea Soup (Vegetarian)

Gazpacho Andaluz (Vegan)

White Gazpacho (Ajo Blanco)

[thecookreport]

Happy Tuesday team! Let's get through it with the promise of this pork and courgette (that's zucchini to some of you) ramen. It's soooo good and unbelievably perfect for warming you up on cold autumn nights. It's ready in less than half an hour too! 🍜🍁�� Get the recipe #ontheblog now #instafood #food #foodpics #foodphoto #foodstagram #foodphotoaday #f52grams #eater #feedfeed #buzzfeast #yahoofood #kitchenbowl #epicurious #thekitchn #hautecuisines #wimfdt #foodblog #foodblogger #foodblogfeed #huffposttaste #eeeeeats #foodietribe #londonfoodie #thecookreport #recipe #ramen #autumn #soup

[bulbspoon9-blog]

Lemongrass soup with noodles and greens

Hope you guys have had a good week and have exciting weekend plans ahead? We’ve spent the past weekend socialising with my brother and his girlfriend who were visiting. It was a lot of fun, even if the weather was a tad disappointing – we were walking around Bristol in strong wind and rain on Saturday, which is a shame as our guests have not been here before and a blue sky would have definitely left a better impression.

It was fun, nevertheless, even if we all overate (I put my hand up sheepishly…I am a feeder, you see!) to the point that we were looking forward to spending some time away from the table and getting back to our exercise routine once we part ways.

We are planning to spend this weekend recharging our batteries so that we can socialise again the weekend after. I am attending a day pottery course on Saturday, which was my birthday present from Duncan and which I am looking forward to immensely and on Sunday, we plan to simply spend some relaxing time together.

Although technically it is May, I find that the weather has been blowing hot and cold lately and I cannot quite dispense with putting the heating on just yet and I am still craving warming and comforting food. This is why I’ve decided to make a warming noodle soup today, it heroes my favourite flavours of lemongrass, coriander, ginger and lime leaves. It’s light and fragrant yet warming and filling thanks to all the beautiful trimmings that a soup like this usually calls for. I went for char-grilled tofu, noodles, pak choi, tenderstem broccoli and heaps of fresh coriander.

I am very lucky as Bristol has a lot of stores that sell a plethora of Asian ingredients, from Chinese to Malay and I am all over that. Stepping into one of these stores, I am like a kid in a sweet shop – excited about what every single thing tastes like and what it is traditionally used for. There is so much to discover that I don’t think I will ever get bored of going there, reading up on all of these exotic ingredients and putting them to use in my own kitchen. If only I could do that for a living 😉 .

PS: If you make my lemongrass soup with noodles, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

serves: 4

prep: 30 min

cooking: 30 min

Ingredients

BROTH (approx. 8 cups / just under 2 l)

4 stalks of lemongrass*

85 g / 3 oz fresh ginger, sliced

1 large shallot, cut into quarters, skin on

2 garlic cloves, smashed, skin on

½-1 Thai red chilli, sliced

½ sheet of kombu (15 cm x 5 cm / 5 in x 2 in ) (optional)

1 celery stalk, sliced roughly

1 large carrot, sliced roughly

a bunch of fresh coriander stalks (keep the leaves for serving)

1 dried shiitake mushroom

8 fresh or frozen Makrut lime leaves, torn

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted

½ tsp black peppercorns

approx. 2 tsp sea salt, divided (adjust to taste)

2 tbsp shiro / white miso paste

approx. 2 tbsp lime juice, adjust to taste

GARNISHES AND SEASONINGS

200 g / 7 oz vermicelli rice noodles

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

400 g / 14 oz favourite tofu (I like Japanese-style tofu fillets by Taifun)**

200 g / 7 oz tenderstem broccoli

100 g / 3.5 oz bok choi

1 large courgette, turned into ‘zoodles’

1 spring onion, sliced finely, to garnish

chilli oil or condiment like sambal oelek, to taste (optional)

fresh coriander and mint, to garnish

Method

Cut appox. 10 cm / 4 inches off the bottom of each lemongrass stalk. Discard the tops, take the tough, outer layer off and bash the stalks with a rolling pin until crushed.

Place all the stock ingredients (up to, but not including, the miso paste) including 1 tsp of salt in a pot with approximately 2 litres / 9 cups of water.

Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Remove kombu and discard. If possible, set aside for a few hours for the flavours to develop.

Strain the broth through a fine sieve – squeeze as much liquid out of the veggies as you can.

Season with miso diluted in some of the broth, more salt (if needed) and lime juice.

Cook your noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, drain and stir 2 tsp of toasted sesame oil through them, for extra flavour.

Heat up a griddle pan or a heavy skillet. Brush the pan with some oil if your tofu is dry, place tofu on the hot oil and press it down well – I like to use a heavy saucepan – allow it to char on one side before flipping to the other side.

Steam tenderstem broccoli adding bok choi a minute later – the first takes approximately 7 minutes and the latter 6 minutes to steam. Plunge into ice cold water as soon as they are done to retain their beautiful colour.

Place a cluster of noodles, the zoodles, a few bits of tofu and steamed veggies in each bowl. Pour hot soup on top. Garnish with sliced spring onions, chilli oil (optional), fresh mint and coriander leaves.

Notes

*I went for a light broth here, but if you want to intensify the flavour even more, you could chop all your aromatics (lemongrass, ginger, shallot, garlic and chilli) and sauté them in a bit of oil before adding the water and the rest of the broth ingredients. You could also char ginger (sliced), shallot (cut into quarters) and garlic (unpeeled) under a grill / broiler for 15 minutes or so, until charred in places before putting the broth on.

My broth recipe is inspired by this recipe.

**If using naked tofu, press it first, then marinate (4 tbsp tamari / soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sambal oelek, 2 tsp grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove for example) for a few hours before grilling.

If you want more info on some of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, check out our glossary.

Join our mailing list

and get a sweet e-book

Source: https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/lemongrass-soup-noodles-greens/

[recipesandrelish]

Green mean soup - Chelsea winter

Mean green vegetable soup

There are 12 different types of vegetables in this delicious recipe from Scrumptious, – and it tastes absolutely sensational. So creamy and delicious that even fussy eaters won’t realise the extent of the goodness lurking within. To make this soup dairy-free, leave out the Parmesan, swap the butter with coconut oil and replace the crème fraîche and cream with 2 cups of coconut milk and/or coconut cream.

Prep time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 30 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

400g bag spinach, washed, stalks removed

50g butter (or 1/4 cup coconut oil)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 shallots, roughly chopped

1 large leek, roughly chopped

3 sticks celery, roughly chopped

5 cloves garlic

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (about 8 sprigs)

8 cups vegetable or chicken stock (check gluten-free if required)

2 cups peas

1 head broccoli, chopped

½ large cauliflower (or 1 small), chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 kumara, peeled and chopped

2 courgettes, chopped

200g crème fraîche

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup cream

1 cup chopped fresh herbs (chives, dill, parsley, basil)

3 tsp lemon juice, or more to taste

Method

First blanch the spinach to preserve the lovely green colour: Add 1cm of water to a large soup or stock pot over a high heat and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil and add 1/2 tsp salt and the spinach leaves. Cover and simmer for a minute or so until wilted. Tip the spinach into a colander in the sink and run cold water over it for few minutes to stop it cooking. When completely cool, squeeze the spinach out and set aside.

To the same stock pot, add the butter and olive oil over a medium heat. When frothy, add the chopped onion, shallots, leek, celery, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until the veges are softened and starting to caramelise. Add the stock and remaining vegetables. Cover with the lid, bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just cooked – they shouldn’t have any crunch to them, but they don’t need to be mushy.

Add the spinach back into the pot.

Now you need to blend the soup. This is best done with a hand held stick-blender in the cooking pot, and can be done carefully while the mixture is still hot. If you have a blender, cool the mixture to warm before blending the soup in batches. Blending hot liquids can cause explosions. You can also use a food processor, but again, cool first and do it in batches.

Add the crème fraîche, Parmesan, cream, fresh herbs and lemon juice to the soup and simmer for a few minutes to melt the cheese and heat through. Taste, and season with salt, black pepper and white pepper (if you have it) to your liking. Add more lemon juice if you like.

Chelsea’s tips

It’s a pretty forgiving recipe, so you can use up the veges you have lying around. If it’s too thick, thin it out with more stock or cream.

For a superfood boost, add some kale leaves in when simmering the other vegetables.

When using the leek, discard the very outer leaves and the firm dark green tops.

Copyright © 2019 ChelseaWinter.co.nz

[bestgreekfoods]

Squash filled with meat in lemon sauce and dill recipe

Ingredients 10-12 squash (smaller) 500 ml chicken soup 450 gr chopped beef (or mixed beef + pork) 1 onion 1 carrot 1 canned red (+ 3 tablespoons red canned juice) 50 gr round grain rice 1 yarn 1/4 parsley connection 3 tablespoons oil salt, black pepper Lemon sauce 2 whole eggs 2 yolks 2 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons lemon juice 4 yarns salt, black pepper

To clean the cucumber, we used 3 tools: a cutter, a vegetable cleaning knife, and a peel cleaner.

   Cut the squirrels two in width. Insert the derailleur at the center of each piece. Several times you ventured to break the core world. Remove the appliance.

Sometimes the core will go out with the appliance, sometimes it will get caught inside. To clean what remains in use, use the vegetable picking knife, it has a slightly curved blade and is very suitable for this operation. First remove the loose core with the spine, if it did not come out first. Then, using the same knife, scrape the inside of the pumpkin until the whole soft puppy comes out.

   After removing all the squash , clean the bark using the special appliance.

   For stuffing, finely chop the onion and put the carrot on the chopper. Then cook in the hot oil until it softens well (about 10 minutes). Add the crushed tomato with the juice on it and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the rice and mix thoroughly, gently squeeze (about 3 minutes).

   Rice vegetables with rice are rolled over minced meat and seasoned with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of cold water and knead everything well (with your hand going the easiest).

   With this mixture, the courgettes are filled. The stuffed pumpkins are placed in a single pan / tray that goes to the oven.

   Add the soup to the tray and sprinkle salt over the squash. Boil the contents of the pot. Put the cover (or cover with aluminum foil). Bake in the oven at 180 ° C for approx. 50-55 minutes. Check for a little filling, boil rice after this time.    Remove the courgettes on a serving platter and cover to stay warm.    Measure in a 400 ml graduated cup of soup left in the pot.

   In a pot we beat the eggs and the yolks and flour and the lemon juice, using you a phone, until you have no cocoons. Gradually add the hot soup as you continue to beat the mixture with the target. After you have finished putting all the soup, put the pot on a small fire (small, small!) And heat the mixture while you do not stop mixing with the finish. You stop when the sauce has thickened, it looks like a vanilla sauce, that is, covering the back of a spoon, and if you put your finger over it on the spoon, it remains a clean strip (it takes about 5 minutes). Do not let the sauce boil for a while, it will "cut".

   Pull the pot from the fire and mix the dill, seasoning the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste.

   Pour the sauce over the pumpkins. Serve immediately.

[cazahealthcenter]

3-Day Vegan Diet Plan | new meal plan Ideas

https://cazahealthcenter.com/3-day-vegan-diet-plan-new-meal-plan-ideas/

3-Day Vegan Diet Plan | new meal plan Ideas

Are you one of those people who want to eat vegan but do not know exactly how to make your new diet healthy? In this case we recommend the vegan whole food diet plan. It consists of high quality food, is very varied and tastes excellent. So that you keep the overview especially at the beginning of your diet change, a self-made nutrition plan could be a valuable help for you. That’s why we show you what such a plan could look like and what you should look for when putting food together.

What to look for in a vegan and wholesome nutrition plan?

Before you turn your current diet upside down, you should first find out what actually is the value of vegan whole-foods nutrition.

In contrast to the most commonly used form of vegan diet, in which the animal proteins are only exchanged for highly processed soy products, seitan or similar, but everything else remains the same, the vegan whole-food diet consists of natural foods and a high vegetable share.

Of course, from time to time you can add tofu, tempeh or even lupine products or jackfruit products as an additional protein source in your diet.

The most important thing you look at the ingredients lists of these products (buy better in the bio-food store than in the conventional supermarket) and do not reduce the vegetable and salad content of your diet. Instead, you take less of the garnish (pasta, couscous, bulgur, etc.) if you include one of the mentioned finished products in your recipe.

Doughs, refined sugar or refined oils will barely be found here as well as ready meals or other highly processed foods.

As you can see, with vegan whole foods, it is not enough just to remove the animal products from the diet. Instead, this is a diet that brings some change. Therefore, a nutritional plan is extremely helpful, at least during the first period of conversion.

Take High Quality and Pure Herbal Foods

When creating the Diet plan, your imagination knows no bounds. Provided, you consider that it is composed solely and from natural and pure plant foods.

Therefore, only healthy oils and fats should be used in the preparation of your food, such as: Extra virgin organic olive oil for cold dishes and cold pressed organic coconut oil for frying and deep-frying.

And if you need a healthy sweetener to make your recipes, such as smoothies, desserts or pastries, you can use pureed dates, figs, yacon syrup or yacon powder.

Also dough such as wheat flour Type 405 and 1050 or spelled flour Type 630 and 1050 or rye flour Type 1150 do not fit into a healthy vegan and wholesome diet. Of course, a lighter spelled flour can be used from time to time for fine cakes, but you should prefer whole wheat flour for bread, rolls and salty pastries. These do not have a type designation but are simply labeled with the term “wholemeal flour”.

When buying rice, bulgur, couscous and pasta, please make sure that you always buy the whole grain varieties,because all these foods are also available in the light version, which is lacking of vital substances.

To give you an idea of ​​what your diet plan might look like in the vegan wholefood kitchen, we describe three sample days below. Of course, the recipe suggestions presented by us can be changed and adapted according to your personal taste.

It does not matter if you exchange individual foods, use other spices or if you completely change the recipe. The main thing is that you comply with the criteria of vegan whole foods and choose foods that are as natural as possible and, of course, free of animal products.

The diet plan for the vegan whole food nutrition

The following recipe suggestions are for 2 portions. They are made from whole-food ingredients, quick to prepare, easy to handle and taste very fine. We wish you a good appetite already at this point!

The first Day

At your first day of vegan diet, the plan could look like this:

Spelled wholemeal bread with avocado and paprika cashew Spread

millet with chickpeas and vegetables

Buckwheat soup with vegetables

Breakfast: Spelled wholegrain bread with avocado and paprika cashew Spread

2 slices of spelled wholegrain bread

1 ripe avocado – the pulp minced

1 red pepper – cut into small pieces

80g cashews – pounded

1 – 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp thyme dried

Crystal salt and black pepper from the mill

Preparation:

Put all ingredients, except the pieces of pepper, in a tall container and puree finely. Then add the pepper pieces, puree again and season to taste.

Lunch: millet with chickpeas and vegetables

50g millet – wash well in a fine sieve

1 small zucchini – wash and cut into small cubes

Each ½ red and yellow pepper – wash and cut into small cubes

1 meat tomato – cut crosswise at the stalk, brew with boiling water and peel

250 g boiled chickpeas (eg from the glass (organic))

100 ml yeast-free vegetable stock

1 shallot – chop finely

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Tamari (soy sauce)

A little nutmeg

some cayenne pepper / chilli powder

Crystal Salt and black pepper from the Mill

½ bunch of parsley – chop

Preparation:

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil briefly, add the millet and cook covered on low heat for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a pan and fry the shallots in a glassy sauce. Then add the vegetables, season with salt, pepper, chili and nutmeg, add Tamari and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Finally, add the chickpeas.

Once the millet is cooked, add to the vegetables in the pan, season everything once more and serve with plenty of parsley sprinkled.

Dinner: Buckwheat soup with vegetables

100g buckwheat – rinse hot and drain well

1 carrot – finely diced

1 small parsnip – finely diced

1 piece of celery – cut into fine rings

1 small leek – cut into fine rings

2 shallots – finely diced

600 ml yeast-free vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

Crystal Salt and black pepper from the mill

1 teaspoon lovage dried

1 – 2 tablespoons tamari

½ bunch parsley – chop

Preparation:

Roast the buckwheat in a pot without fat. Then add the oil, the onion cubes and roast too. Deglaze with the vegetable stock. Add the vegetables, except the leek, and simmer gently. After 10 minutes add the leek together with salt, pepper and lovage to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, season with Tamari and fold in the parsley.

The second day

On the second vegan whole-food day, your diet plan might look like this:

Apple and nut yoghurt with whole-grain oatmeal.

Paprika and herb risotto

Whole grain bulgur and vegetable pan

Breakfast: Apple and nut yoghurt with whole-grain oatmeal

8 tbsp oatmeal

2 apples – with grated roughly

2 bananas – finely sliced

1 – 2 tablespoons nutmeg (hazelnut sauce, almond paste, etc.)

250g nature soy yoghurt

Preparation:

Mix the oatmeal and nutmeg with the yoghurt and fold in the fruit.

Lunch: Pepper and herb

risotto 150g wholegrain risotto rice

2 shallots – chop finely

1 garlic clove – finely chop

2 red peppers – roughly dice

500 ml yeast-free vegetable stock

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sprig of rosemary-wash, pluck the needles and finely chop

1 ½ tsp aniseed

½ tsp coriander milled

some cayenne pepper / chilli powder salt

Crystal salt and black pepper from the mill

½ bunch parsley – wash and chop finely

Preparation:

Cook the pepper cubes with 7 teaspoons vegetable broth in a closed pot for about 20 minutes. In between, stir again and again. Puree after cooking and set aside until ready for use.

Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the shallots, garlic, aniseed and the rice in a light sauce. Deglaze and let it boil down. Then add gradually the vegetable stock while stirring constantly. So stir until rice is cooked al dente.

Turn off the stove and season everything with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper until spicy. Fold in and serve the paprika, rosemary and parsley.

Dinner: Whole-grain Bulgur

bulgur 150g

Vegetable Pan 125g courgettes – coarsely grate

2 carrots – coarsely grate 150g

peas (organic – frozen)

1 onion – finely chopped

1 clove of garlic – finely chopped

½ chili pepper – cut in half, corer and cut into thin strips

1 tbsp olive oil

300ml yeast-free vegetable stock

50g homemade soy or oat cream

Crystal salt and pepper from the mill

1 handful of fresh herbs – finely chopped

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion with the garlic. Then add the bulgur and stir-fry until all ingredients are evenly covered with oil.

Mix in the vegetables with chili strips and add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes.

Then add the peas and fold in the cream. Season with salt and pepper, add the herbs and serve.

The third day

On the third day with the vegan whole-food diet your diet plan could look like this:

Warm millet porridge with fruits

Vegetable coconut curry

Whole-grain couscous with peppers and dried tomatoes

Breakfast: Warm whole-grain millet porridge with fruits

50g millet

1 apple peeled and cut into slices

1 pear – peeled and cut into slices

½ stick cinnamon

some vanilla powder or a piece of vanilla pod

1 handful of dried dates or figs – cut into small pieces

1 handful of nuts (walnuts, almonds or grated coconut) – finely chop

Preparation:

Boil the millet with about twice the amount of water, simmer the ½ cinnamon stick and the vanilla for 15 minutes on a low heat.

Cover the bottom with water in another pot, add the fruit slices and simmer until the fruit is easy to pierce with a fork.

When the water of the millet is overcooked, remove the cinnamon stick or vanilla pod, add a little water, add the dried fruit to the millet and sprinkle with the nuts. Turn off the stove and let it rest a little with the lid closed.

Then pour the fruit, including the cooking water, over the millet. Stir briefly and serve.

Lunch: vegetable and coconut curry

150g whole grain rice – according to the instructions cook

200g green beans – cook for 20 minutes in salted water

2 carrots – cut into very thin slices

100g bamboo- rinse and drain.

100g mung bean sprouts

250 ml coconut milk

4 tbsp Tamari  (Soy sauce)

1 half a piece of ginger – finely diced

1 ½ teaspoon curry powder,

some cayenne pepper / chilli powder

½ bunch of cilantro – wash and pluck the leaves. Leave a few leaves for decoration.

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the carrot slices for 4 minutes. Then add remaining vegetables and fry for another 4 minutes.

In the meantime, puree the coconut milk, tamari, ginger, curry, chili and cilantro in the blender. After the cooking time, add to vegetables and boil briefly. Season again, garnish with the coriander leaves and serve with the rice.

Dinner: Whole-grain couscous with peppers and dried tomatoes

150 g whole-grain couscous – put in a very fine sieve and rinse

1 yellow bell pepper – finely dice

250 ml yeast-free vegetable broth

2 teaspoons tomato paste

50g dried, pickled tomatoes (glass) – cut into small pieces

½ chillies – halved, cored and cut into thin strips

1 onion – chop finely

1 clove of garlic – finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers

3 tablespoons olive oil

½ bunch basil – finely chop

Crystal salt and black pepper from the mill

Preparation:

Put the couscous in a saucepan and bring to a boil with the vegetable stock. Remove from heat, cover and leave it to soak for about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté onions, chilli and diced peppers for about 3 minutes before garlic is added. Then add the dried tomato pieces, the tomato puree and heat with constant stirring. Possibly add a little water.

Then add the couscous and the capers, stir well and season with salt, pepper and possibly a little cayenne. Finally, fold in the basil.

3 Tips to supplement your diet

In addition to the 3 main meals we suggest, you can also add a fruit meal every day in the form of fresh fruit, fruit salads, fruit juices or fruit smoothies to your diet. You can also start the day with the fruit and skip breakfast or take it to work.

Eat plentiful dark green leafy vegetables, because it is considered a true vital substance bomb that provides your body with all the vitamins and minerals in high quality, detoxifies it and supports it in its regeneration.

Occasionally nibble on a few nuts, almonds or hemp seed, because this is particularly valuable food. They are an excellent source of protein, provide excellent, high-quality fatty acids, and help the body to build good health in many areas.

[nuttieelves]

Great article from Jamie Oliver's Nutritionist worth repeating

(We would make it all organic but otherwise....)

Food to keep you fighting fit By LAURA MATTHEWS

January 4, 2016 In Healthier Happier You Healthy Nutrition

A poor diet does our bodies no favours in keeping healthy. That’s not to promise that a super-healthy diet will prevent you from ever catching a cold, but it will certainly do you no harm in helping you to keep fighting fit and feeling fine.

You often see people reaching for the orange juice or vitamin C supplements as soon as they start to feel a little under the weather, however, there are many different vitamins and minerals that have been proven to help our immune system to function properly. As well as the famous vitamin C, this also includes copper, folate, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin D and zinc.

Our immune systems need all of these key vitamins and minerals to function properly, and there are many foods out there that are good sources of them. The key, as ever, is to make sure you’re getting a variety of different foods into your diet. That way, you decrease the risk of being deficient in any of these nutrients, and as a consequence, reduce the risk of becoming ill. To help you on your way I’ve given you examples of where these nutrients can be found – often in some of Jamie’s favourite ingredients.

VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is found in so many foods, you would actually have to try quite hard to be deficient! Chillies contain more vitamin C than any other fruit – just one large chilli can provide you with almost half your daily requirement for vitamin C. Many other fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin C, including brassica vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, citrus fruits, white potatoes and sweet potatoes, green leafy veg (think kale, spinach and their relations), tropical fruits such as kiwis and mangoes, and many others, too. This whole roasted cauliflower will top up your vitamin C levels.

Make a big batch of Jools’ granola and seal it in an airtight container for a tasty topping for yoghurt that can be enjoyed all year round

COPPER

Copper can be found in a wide variety of foods, but particularly high amounts are present in certain nuts and seeds, such as cashew nuts and pumpkins seeds. It’s also present in some grains, including the naturally gluten-free buckwheat and quinoa. Jools’ gorgeous granola is a perfect choice for getting more copper in your diet.

IRON

Iron, a micronutrient that women are particularly susceptible to becoming deficient in, comes in two forms: haem iron, which is found in both white red meat; and non-haem iron, which is found in plant sources and is more difficult for our bodies to absorb. You can, however, increase absorption by eating iron-rich foods alongside foods containing vitamin C: a nutrient that increases iron absorption. Non-meat sources of iron include dried fruits such as dates and apricots, dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, and beans and legumes (black beans and red lentils are particularly good sources). Some herbs, spices and quinoa also contain iron. This delicious squash dahl is a great meat-free option for upping your iron intake.

VITAMIN A

Vitamin A is famous for being present in root (or orange/yellow) vegetables – think squash, sweet potato, swede and carrots – in the form of beta carotene. Vitamin A is also found in eggs and a few green leafy vegetables, such as spinach. Not only is Jamie’s roast carrot and fennel soup is a real winter warmer, it’ll  your vitamin A too.

A little butter, a grating of nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon juice – simply perfect greens!

FOLIC ACID

Folic acid is found in similar foods to vitamin C: lots of different fruits and vegetables. Beans and legumes are also a great source – think peas, broad beans, chickpeas, black beans… Green veggies also tend to be a good source of folic acid, particularly spinach, kale, asparagus, broccoli and courgettes. This perfect braised spinach is packed with folic acid.

VITAMIN B12

Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in meat and fish products: chicken, lamb, prawns, white and oily fish, and also eggs. Just two eggs will provide you with your daily amount of vitamin B12, making them a brilliant source! Vegans can get their vitamin B12 from fortified cereals and soya or nut milks as well as from yeast extracts such as Marmite.

Super tasty, mega nutritious and ready in just 15 minutes – this mighty mackerel is a brilliant all-rounder

VITAMIN D

Vitamin D is similar to vitamin B12 in that it is found almost exclusively in animal products. Fish is a major source, particularly oily fish like salmon and mackerel. Just one fillet of salmon will provide you with your daily amount of vitamin D. Vegans can get their vitamin D from fortified breakfast cereals and some dairy-free milks, for example, soya milk. The sun is actually one of the best ways to up your vitamin D status, however, depending on where you live, this can be hard to come by, so cook up this mighty mackerel with mixed tomato quinoa salad instead!

ZINC

Finally zinc. As well as for a healthy immune system, we also require zinc for metabolic function and also for our bodies to be able to synthesise (make) DNA. Zinc can be found in meat, shellfish (prawns and mussels are good sources) and dairy products, but also in some cereals and grains, for example wholemeal wheat flour and also gluten-free buckwheat. To pack in loads of zinc, try this incredible wood-fired shellfish recipe. As you can see by the huge number of foods listed above, the more you vary your diet, and indeed, the more fruit and veg you pack in, them more likely you are to keep your immune system strong and healthy

A good start is to work out which foods you aren’t eating enough of, and so which nutrients you may be missing out on as a result. That way, you can find out which foods you need to start incorporating into your diet.

Laura is head of nutrition at Jamie Oliver. Her passion for food comes from having cooking lessons at a local college from the age of 10, and the nutrition side from a fascination for how the right foods can fuel the body.