Yep I'm here with yet another soup, once upon a time I dreamt of running a soup kitchen, you can maybe see why. But at this time of year you can't beat a good filling soup. I like to make soups which are super free, giving your weight loss a boost. I will sometimes have some crab sticks or ham on the side my healthy extra b, I particularly like the swedish Krisprolls that you can have 3 of. If Im being really good I up the super free again and use crudities, celery, carrots, little gem lettuce leaves.

In this recipe you roast the cauliflower first and produces a really rich, deeply flavoured soup. I like to add some quark at the end too (partly because I cant get enough of  the stuff) as it makes it lovely and creamy but also adds a slightly sharp edge which I think works really well.

Ingredients

• 1 head of Cauliflower
• 1 Onion roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of Garlic, unpeeled
• Chicken Stock Pot
• Bay Leaf
• 1tsp Black Pepper Corns
• Quark/Greek Yogurt (optional)

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 6. Break the cauliflower into florets place on a roasting tray with the onion and garlic, spray with fry light and roast for 20-30 mins. Until nicely roasted but not too dark.
2. Transfer the contents of the tray to a pan, squeeze the garlic out of its skin
3. Add hot water to an inch or so over the veg and add the stock pot, bay leaf and black pepper corns. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the bay leaf and some of the pepper corns (or leave them all in if you like a good pepper kick like me!) and blend, adding hot water if you want, till you reach your desired consistency.
5. Dish out into bowls and dollop on a big spoonful of quark or greek yogurt on top and stir through.

So it would appear I get a little obsessive with my food and when I find something new I like, I eat it a lot! This summer's new obsession may sound a little odd but trust me its amazing, char grilled lettuce, in fact char grilled anything. This method of cooking brings out all the natural sweetness in the vegetable, and the lettuce is both soft and crunchy at the same time. It seems to work for pretty much most vegetables too, purple sprouting broccoli being another favourite.

It is a very versatile dish and I have eaten this in on its own, with grilled meats such as in the picture, with poached eggs or some broad beans thrown in for a protein punch. I have also tossed through some chopped chives, parsley and fresh mint which is particularly tasty.

Being as the summer still seems to be clinging on and we've still got our short sleeves out I'm going to make the most of this delicious sun filled dinner.

Ingredients

• Baby Gem Lettuce, washed and quartered
• Courgette, sliced lengthwise
• Red onion, sliced into wedges
• Red/yellow pepper, sliced thickly
• Salt and Pepper
• Lemon juice

Method

1. Get your griddle pan sizzling hot.
2. Spray the veg with fry light and sprinkle over the salt and pepper. Put the peppers and courgettes in the pan in a single layer. Turn them once they are nicely charred.
3. Remove to a large wide salad bowl or plate and add the onion to the griddle. Char nicely on both sides and set aside. If the pan seems to be a bit dry spray some more fry light.
4. Add the lettuce quarters straight to the griddle and char on each side for a few minutes. It doesn't take too long.
5. Mix all the veg together and squeeze over the lemon juice and any seasoning or fresh herbs to taste.

This weeks challenge at group was to have at least 5 super speed foods a day. To be honest we probably do this anyway but always good to make an extra effort.

I think the key to keeping salads interesting is to always have a couple of ingredients that you really like or that are a bit unusual. I love water chestnuts and bamboo shoots and they work just as well raw so adding them to this salad makes me a happy bunny.

This is the super lazy version, obviously you can chop what ever veg you like.

Ingredients

1 pack ready chopped stir fry including bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts

Ready to eat prawns

Dressing

1 tblsp soy sauce

1tblsp dark rice vinegar

1 clove of garlic finely grated

Small piece of ginger grated.

Fresh coriander coursely chopped.

Syn Free on Red or EE.

Mix the all the ingredients for the dressing together. Give it a good shake and leave for as long as you have.

Plate up the stir fry and scatter over prawns, then drizzle dressing over the top.

That's it, really that simple and soooo tasty. Obviously you can play with it however you like. I often use cooked chicken with it or even crab sticks as you find them quite a lot in Asian food. You could add some soya beans instead of prawns if you wanted to go veggie. I also sometimes add a squeeze of line over it too.

This salad is great for work too as the dressing improves with a bit of a rest just keep it separate to the veg. Maybe not before any big meetings though as the garlic and ginger pack a punch!

I've not had the best week, various reasons for celebration have led to lets say a 'flexi syn' week. In an effort to not derail my efforts completely I've been trying to do a bit of Success Express, or at least make my meals fit in to the 2/3 superfree foods. At group people were talking about the super speed tomato soup with a special surprise ingredient so I thought I'd give it a whirl. 

It really couldn't be more simple and is genuinely is in the bowl ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. The ingredients sound a little bit surprising but it does make a really tasty filling soup. Make sure you give it a good long blend though otherwise the texture an be a bit grainy.

It makes quite a large amount, enough for 3/4 servings. I like to heat it up in individual portions and then I can add different finishing flavours depending on what you fancy. Some of my favourites are a swirl of balsamic vinegar, chipolte tabasco sauce, smoked paprika and yogurt.

Serve 3/4
Free EE/Green

1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 carton passatta (You can just use another tin of tomatoes if you haven't got passatta)
1 tin cooked carrots
1 tin baked beans
1 large pickled onion or a couple of smaller ones.

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or into a large pan
2. Blend until very smooth. You might want to add a little water to get it really smooth.
3. Either heat just a portion or the whole thing.
4. If you want add your chosen topping.

Another miserable day, another tasty soup! This is one of my favourite store cupboard staples, its really healthy and delicious. The packs of cooked beetroot keep for ages in the fridge and are really cheap. I used to hate beetroot (a result of eating too much raw beetroot on that crazy 'heart foundation diet' remember that one?) until I tried Borsct at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant and I was hooked so this is my slimming world friendly version. I love dill too as I adds a really buttery taste to dishes without the butter!

I just don't seem to be able to get away from Asian flavours at the moment, or soup for that matter, it must be an escape from this dreadful weather. Close my eyes and I'm in a distant exotic land all sunkist and happy.

I came up with this soup the last time I did slimming world and I still love it. Broccoli is so good for us and Im not that keen on it as a boiled soggy side but I love broccoli and stilton soup. I was trying to think of something else other than cheese that I could add so I thought where else to you get broccoli and thought of all the broccoli in Asian stir frys and Japanese cooking. This recipe uses soy sauce, wasabi, and zesty lime to bring the broccoli to life.

I served it today with a homemade nori roll inspired by the SW Asian cook book. An Asian take on the classic soup and a sandwich! I'll post the recipe for the roll soon. 

Serves 2 
1/2 syn per serving

Ingredients 

1 onion roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1" piece of ginger finely chopped
1 good head of broccoli inc stalk roughly chopped
handful of peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Vegetable stock
1 teaspoon wasabi (more to taste but it is 1 syn per teaspoon)
Juice of 1 lime

1. Soften the onions in frylight and then add the garlic and then ginger.
2. Add broccoli and fry for a moment.
3. Add the stock to just cover the vegetables, add the peppercorns and bayleaves.
4. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the vegetables are tender.
5. Remove the bayleaves and blend to your preferred texture
6. Add the wasabi and return to a simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Take off the heat, stir through the lime juice and serve.