Fresh vegetable soup -- Minestrone style

Who doesn't know the feeling? You are either on the local market or in any supermarket, trying to think about what to cook. Perhaps a friend said he'd come over and you are not really in the mood to cook up a storm. Perhaps you're even trying to lose some weight and don't want to compromise taste.
Well, here's quick, easy and rather delicious recipe for you. I cooked it tonight and I can highly recommend it.

You need (for two):
    
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 few slices of fresh fennel
1/2 a medium courgette
A few spring onions or 1 leek
1 red pimiento pepper
a hand full of green beans
1 teaspoon of tomato puree
1 stock cube/stock granule
Fine egg noodles if you wish.


It's dead simple: wash and chop the vegetables coarsely. In the meantime bring the water with some salt in a pan to the boil, add the vegetables. Let it cook. Add the tomato puree, salt, stock and a pinch of curry powder after about 15 minutes. If you cook for two people, add a hand full of the noodles and let it simmer for another 10 min.

Serve as it is or with bread.

Broccoli-cauliflower cream soup for the soul

It's getting cold in the UK and what could be nicer than a freshly prepared cream soup to warm the heart? It doesn't take long to make and can be eaten as a starter if you entertain guests, or on a week day when you come home from work and can't be bothered to spend ages in front of the cooker.

Here's what you need:   
A few broccoli and cauliflower florets (perfectly great from the freezer)
Vegetable stock powder/cube
A cup of milk
Salt
Pepper
Curry powder


Put the frozen vegetables into boiling water and let them simmer for a few minutes. Transfer the vegetables with some of the water it cooked in into the blender, add a stock cube or the powder, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of curry powder, add the milk and blend until smooth. You can add some sour cream or Cr�me fraiche for more silkiness.

Best with French stick.

See, it's that easy to cook a fresh soup; there's really no excuse to open a tin. Also a wonderful meal when you have a surprise visitor.