Indian Carrot Soup

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well, life (or in this case, my mother-in-law) didn't hand me lemons, but three bags of carrots last week. What's a girl to do? 

I could make carrot & pineapple juice, but sadly I'm sorely lacking a juicer. Any juicer manufacturer out there wanting to take pity on a destitute blogger?

Carrot salad was also an option (and a firm favourite of TheHusband), but a) it seemed so ... meh and b) I'd then have to make something else to round out the meal. Did I feel like making multiple dishes on Sunday evening? No. And it probably goes without saying that I wasn't in a "meh" mood.

Soup seemed to be my only option, and luckily for me it turned out spendidly. Don't you just love it when recipes on the fly turn out to be keepers? *grin* This one's for you Mom. And if I emit an orange glow after this, I'll know where to turn...

Indian Carrot Soup

Serves 4

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds, finely ground
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, finely ground
1 tsp garam masala (or more to taste)
6 large carrots, scrubbed, peeled and sliced
2 3/4 cups water
1/2 cup low fat coconut milk (or sub regular milk)
1 tsp salt
pinch of sugar
cream, to serve (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and briefly fry the onion and spices until onion starts to look translucent.
2. Add carrots, cook briefly, then water and bring to the boil. Turn heat down, cover with lid and allow to simmer until carrots are tender. (approx 20 - 30 minutes).
3. Using a stick blender, puree soup till smooth, then add the milk, salt and sugar. Stir and re-heat, then serve, drizzled with cream.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 120.7, Total fat 7.6 g, Saturated fat 3.6 g, Polyunsaturated fat 2.5 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.2 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 668.8 mg, Potassium 391.5 mg, Total carbohydrate 13.2 g, Dietary fiber 3.7 g, Sugars 5.5 g, Protein 1.5 g


Good source of: Vitamin A 260.2 %

Spa Salad with Chicken & Coconut

Does the end ever justify the means? Here's a (not entirely hypothetical) example: 

A (not very likeable, semi-useless) colleague applies for a new job. Said colleague really likes the new job, but would need more money to cover their running expenses. Colleague then asks for your advice regarding salary negotiations. Do you: 

a) Say, yes of course, ask for more - you deserve it!

b) Point out that the salary on offer is actually quite reasonable for the work expected and he/she can't really ask for much more.

Rock & a hard place, right? Option b is technically the correct answer, but option a will get the irritating colleague out of your hair (and soon!)- a case of good bye and good riddance!

Any guesses as to which option I chose? Cue guilty look...

Unlike my lovely colleague, chicken salad is something that I definitely do not want to banish from my life. In fact, I don't think you can ever really get enough of a good chicken salad.

This particular incarnation is one I've been making for a few years now. First gleaned from the pages of an old Marie Claire magazine, I've chopped and changed a little bit since then. The flavours are clean and fresh and reminds me of the type of food that you would eat at a spa (or at least what I imagine spa food would be like!), hence the name.

Spa Salad with Chicken & Coconut 

Adapted from Marie Claire magazine

Serves 3

2 chicken breasts 

1 tsp sunflower oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup low fat coconut milk

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (optional)

200g green beans, trimmed & halved

1/3 large cucumber, pips scooped out & sliced 

100g mangetout (snowpeas), halved lengthways

1/4 cup fresh mint, torn

1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

1 tbsp dried coconut flakes

2 tbsp sesame seeds 

salt, to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix sunflower oil with 1 tbsp lemon juice. Pour over chicken breasts and toss to coat. Place chicken in a small baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from oven and allow chicken to cool off completely. 

2. Meanwhile, make a dressing by combining the remaining lemon juice with coconut milk, sugar and lemongrass (if using). Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to allow the sugar to dissolve. Remove pan from heat and allow dressing to cool.

3. Steam/blanch the beans until just starting to soften (it should still retain some crispness). Refresh under cold water to stop the cooking process.

4. Roughly shred the chicken and combine with the dressing in a salad bowl. Add the beans, cucumber, mangetout, mint, chili flakes, coconut and sesame seeds and toss well. Season to taste and serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 254.8, Total fat 12.2 g, Saturated fat 6.7 g, Polyunsaturated fat 2.3 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 38.0 mg, Sodium 193.1 mg, Potassium 254.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 15.6 g, Dietary fiber 3.5 g, Sugars 6.3 g, Protein 18.6 g

Good source of: Vitamin C 64.3 %, Iron 21.0 %, Calcium 15.6 %

Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

I've been on a cupcake kick this past week (what with my upcoming birthday on the 21st). These are based on the cupcake recipe found here but with the glaze found here instead of the buttercream frosting. I'm not a big fan of butter-based icings (yes I'm weird like that)... The lemon glaze really makes the coconut taste pop. 

Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg-white
1 cup flour
1 tsp bakingpowder
a pinch salt
2/3 cup milk
4 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp almond essence

For the glaze:

1 cup icing-sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly coat a muffin tray with oil.
2. Mix together the butter & sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the egg, beat while, then add the egg-white, again beating well.
3. In a seperate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
4. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the sugar-egg mixture. Mix well.
5. Lastly add the shredded coconut and almond essence and stir to combine.
6. Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 holes in the muffin tray.
7. Bake 20 - 23 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
8. Remove cupcakes from tin, and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.
9. Mix together the lemon juice & icing-sugar until it reaches a thickly spreadable consistency. Add more lemon juice if necessary.
10. Thickly spread the top of each cupcake with the lemon glaze and leave for a few minutes to harden. Store in an airtight container.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 153.9 Total Fat 3.6 g Saturated Fat 2.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g Cholesterol 29.2 mg Sodium 94.3 mg Potassium 45.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.1 g Dietary Fiber 0.2 g Sugars 11.2 g Protein 2.4 g