pumpkin soup

At Poppy Loves Pear, we are not only about tasty and healthy food, but also easy food. We live in an age where everyone is time poor, so we need to work smart as much as working hard.

I love pumpkin soup, and stumbled across this La Zuppa Roasted Pumpkin soup which has no nasties in it and tastes beautiful. I could make pumpkin soup myself, but this product saves me the time and mess. Simply pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil on the stovetop and it is done!

As the label says, it has no artificial additives, is gluten free and dairy free. The ingredients list is simply: water, 38% pumpkin, potato, onion and salt. It is fast food, but it is healthy and tasty fast food. It is a great pantry staple to draw upon for those stressful days when cooking is the last thing you have the head-space to do.

I find this to be a great lunch time meal when I have no time to cook. It serves 2, and I usually accompany it with 2 slices of toasted gluten-free bread (I will give you my top tips for gluten-free bread in another blog post) and with cracked black pepper and pepitas sprinkled on top.

I buy La Zuppa from Farmer Jacks in Claremont or Subiaco. Here is the La Zuppa website for more information: http://lazuppa.com.au

vegetable + bean soup

Serves 4

Poppy cooks...

1. In a large soup pot, heat
   1 tablespoon coconut oil.
   
   
2. Add
   1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn,
   onion, diced,
   3 garlic cloves, crushed,
   carrot, diced,
   zucchini, diced,
   red capsicum, diced,
   1/4 cup coriander, chopped,
   1/4 cup parsley, chopped,
   1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds,
   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and
   1/4 teaspoon ground paprika. Saute uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.
   
   
3. Add
   2.5 cups filtered water and
   2 teaspoons celtic sea salt, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
   
4. Stir in
   2 400g tins of red kidney beans, drained and mashed and
   2 400g tins of black beans, rinsed. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occassionally for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
5. Serve with desired garnish such as cracked black pepper, pepitas, coriander and flax seed oil.

Notes

You can also serve with gluten-free bread or coconut yoghurt. The use of cumin is a great source of iron and was used traditionally to help relieve allergy symptoms, reduce heartburn and improve digestion.

moroccan lamb soup

Serves 4

An excellent winter warmer that is hearty and filling. Feel free to accompany with gluten-free bread or make your own toasted gluten-free herb bread.

Poppy cooks…

1. Boil
   1/2 cup quinoa in
   1 cup of hot filtered water until all the water is absorbed and then set aside.
   
   
2. In a large pot over medium heat, place
   2 tablespoons coconut oil,
   2 cloves garlic, minced,
   1/2 teaspoon ground coriander,
   1.5 teaspoons ground cumin and
   3/4 teaspoon turmeric. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
   
   
3. Add 2 lamb shanks and toss to coat with spices until lightly browned on all sides.
   
   
4. Add
   2 purple carrots, sliced,
   2 orange carrots, sliced, 
   1/2 red capsicum, diced,
   1 cup pumpkin, diced,
   400g tin diced tomatoes,
   500ml gluten-free vegetable stock,
   celtic sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste and bring to the boil.
   
   
5. Add
   1 cup hot filtered water, reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 2.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Add more water if required.
   
   
6. Remove shanks, shred meat and add back to the pot.
   
   
7. Add quinoa into the pot and stir through.