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 Crème 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.