Ingredients

• 500g Bunch of Uncooked Beetroot ( Not pickled in vinegar)
• 1 stalk of Lemon grass finely chopped
• ½ Pack of Creamed Coconut or  a 400ml can of coconut milk
• 500 ml water (or stock if you have it)
• Zest and Juice of 1 Lime
• salt and pepper

1. Give the beetroot a wash and chop it up any way you like, you are going to blend it so it doesn’t really matter how it is chopped. Obviously the smaller the better but if your knife skills aren’t up to much then don’t worry. I also use the leaves that are often attached to the beetroot and clean and chop them up as well.
2. Slice the lemon grass finely and put in the saucepan with the creamed coconut and water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the beetroot is tender (depends on the size you cut your beetroot.  Season with salt and pepper.
3. Blend the soup with a hand blender or other liquidizer and add the lime juice and zest. You may want to add more water as the soup cooks to get the consistency of soup that you prefer.

Serving suggestions to make this a complete meal you could add some cooked chicken breast, you could also experiment and add other vegetables like onions or carrots to the soup. You can garnish with a dollop of natural yoghurt and some lime zest.
 

. 1. Grind up some coriander and cumin seeds a couple of teaspoons of each. I used to use a pestel and mortar but now use my coffee grinder more often . 2. Roughly chop a few cloves of garlic . 3.Grind with some slat and olive oil and it turns into a paste . 4.Then mix the cumin coriander and garlic paste over the broccoli and cauliflower and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. This is excellent as a side dish with any meal. ]]> http://www.fatlosschef.com/roasted-cauliflower-and-broccoli/feed/ 0 http://www.fatlosschef.com/califlower-soup/ http://www.fatlosschef.com/califlower-soup/#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:00:37 +0000 Fat Loss Chef http://fatlosschef.com/?p=33

.

This is adapted from a Delia Smith recipe, I’ve ditched the butter replaced with some coconut oil and just eliminated the potatoes you won’t really miss them. If you’re tight on ingredients you could even make this without either of the celery, leek or onion.

What you need

1. medium, good-sized cauliflower (about 1lb 4 oz/570 g)
2. 2 bay leaves
3. 1 teaspoon VirginOrganic Coconut Oil
4. 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5. 2 sticks celery, chopped
6. 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
7. 2 tablespoons half-fat crème fraîche, plus a little extra to serve (optional)
8. salt and freshly milled black pepper
9. To serve: 1 level tablespoon snipped fresh chives

Options this soup is very versatile you can add
pretty much anything you want to liven it up. One option is to add
2 oz (50 g) Roquefort, crumbled into small pieces
or
You can add a similar amount of coconut milk ( 1/2 a can or so or grate in some creamed Coconut)

Method

The stock for this is very simply made with all the cauliflower trimmings.

1. All you do is trim the cauliflower into small florets keep some of the stalk attached to the floret.
2. Then take whats left including the green stems, and place these trimmings in a medium-sized saucepan I chop them up so they release more flavour.. Then add 2½ pints (1.5 litres) of water, the bay leaves and some salt, bring it up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid. This is likely to smell a bit so do it when you can open the kitchen doors.
3. Meanwhile, take another large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, melt the coconut oil in it over a gentle heat, then add the onion, celery, leek and cover and let the vegetables gently sweat for 15 minutes. Keep the heat very low, then, when the stock is ready, strain it into the pan to join the vegetables, adding the bay leaves as well but throwing out the rest.
4. Now add the cauliflower florets, bring it all back up to simmering point and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is completely tender, this time without a lid.
   After that, remove the bay leaves, then place the contents of the saucepan in a food processor or liquidiser and process until the soup is smooth and creamy
5. Next return it to the saucepan, stir in the crème fraîche and cheese or creamed coconut and keep stirring until the cheese has melted and the soup is hot but not boiling. Check the seasoning, then serve in hot bowls, garnished with a little more crème fraîche, if you like, and the chives.

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp olive oil
2. 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
3. 250ml/8¾fl oz chicken or vegetable stock (more if necessary)
4. 200g/7oz broccoli (chop it up stalks as well)
   salt and freshly ground black pepper ( optional blue cheese and toasted walnuts)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for 1-2 minutes.
2. Pour the chicken or vegetable stock into the pan and add the broccoli florets.
3. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes, until the broccoli is tender.
4. Season to taste, then use your hand blender or liquidizer. Blend until smooth.
5. If you wnat your soup to be thinner you can add more stock or water
6. As an optional extra add some Blue cheese like stilton and maybe a few toasted walnuts as well