Soup and a soupçon

The temperatures have dropped, my waistline has expanded and the diets and gym memberships have risen. Lots of people are channeling their inner resolutions to do Dry January and Veganuary. Personally I like the sound of Ginuary (trying a new gin combo every day of the month); certainly it might be an antidote for tomorrow's Blue Monday when we supposedly hate the weather, our post Christmas debt and the fact that we haven't stuck to our resolutions.

So, a combination of comfort yet healthy vegetarian food, minus alcohol and without too many calories on a cold January day. What to have?

The Answer? Soup of the day. Soup every day. Super soup.

   Roasted tomato soup with creme fraiche and basil

    Roasted pumpkin soup with yogurt and pumpkin seeds

There are so many recipes for soup using a myriad of ingredients; you could probably have a different one every day of the month. And if that doesn't blow your mind, you can add a different topping every day too. There are no limits.

Below are a few ideas, just compliment the flavours:-

Oil - a drizzle of your favourite (ie truffle) or just good old extra virgin olive oil

Condiments - mustard, soy sauce, hot sauce, Hendersons ...

Seeds - toasted pumpkin, sunflower ...

Cream - creme fraiche or yogurt if you're watching your waistline, or coconut milk

Herbs - fresh, lightly fried or dried

Spices - for a warm kick

Fruit and Veg - grated in to compliment the soup - carrot, beetroot, apple ...

Dried onions - for a slight crunch

Nuts - chopped and sprinkled

Cheese - dabs of goats cheese or a Parmesan equivalent (Gran Moravia)

Croutons - any size or shape with any flavouring to float on top

Puff pastry - ditto

Cheese straws - ditto

Popcorn - plain or salted

Go on - make it a souper day.

Leaping in to the New Year!

Only three days in to January and enjoyed a lovely brunch with friends at a healthy eating cafe. Topics of conversation included Dry January, detoxing and the NutriBullet! What a sign of the times; our age, our lifestyle and the world around us!

Over the festive period I received a text message from WaterAid asking me to only drink water for the month of January, presumably to be sponsored and raise money for this worthwhile cause. Whilst I can give up alcohol for a month, cups of tea might be a stretch too far! 

I picked up a leaflet in said healthy eating cafe this morning entitled Juice and Soup Cleanse information pack. Basically there are three cleanse programmes to choose from, all of which include a lot of liquid and very little solids. I take my hat off to anyone who likes that much soup, juice, hot water and herbal tea and who gets excited by a handful of nuts! Personally I'm a believer in everything in moderation so will not be partaking in this extreme diet.

However I am planning to do Dry January again. I'm not a massive drinker anyway but quite like the idea of restoring the December/January equilibrium! I'll drink more water with occasional lime or elderflower sodas and maybe even have a mocktail for a treat.

As for food, I have eaten enough individually wrapped chocolates and toffees from tubs and will not crave another for a little while.

On New Years Eve at a Murder Mystery Dinner I took the part of Mae Vest and enjoyed researching quotes by Mae West to throw into conversation. One of my favourites was:

I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.

Haha - well said Mae! 

Beating the Winter Blues!

The end of January and the end to my dry January. In all honesty it hasn't been hard to go without alcohol as the social scene has been fairly quiet and for the first couple of weeks I was under the weather (and under the duvet) with a bad cold and therefore could barely taste anything anyway.

At times of ill health most people turn to chicken broth; but not we vegetarians. What's needed is a wholesome dish with robust flavours to lift the spirits and plenty of garlic to ward off evil spirits and bugs. That's when The Vegetarian Tart turns to Pasta "Puttanesca" (or Tart's Spaghetti)! In Italy a puttanesca is known as a lady of the night/tart/slattern/slut. It could be the fiery kick that gives it its name or it could be the laziness associated with using tins and jars of ingredients.  Either way, it's well worth making.  

This dish appears on many menus and in recipe books but here is my quick and easy version. 

Serves 2

200g dried pasta - my favourite is cavatappi as the sauce clings to it

Cook for 10 mins in plenty of salted boiling water reduced to a simmer or according to packet instructions

2 tblspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped

2 tblspoons basil chopped

Heat the oil in a pan and add the other 3 ingredients until garlic is golden.

Then add the next ingredients:-

1 large tin (400g) chopped tomatoes

1 tblspoon tomato puree

1 jar (240g) pitted chopped black olives drained

3 tblspoons capers drained

salt and pepper

Turn the heat down and simmer for 20mins until sauce thickens.

Mix your drained pasta into the sauce, seasoning if necessary.  Serve in wide bowls with a sprinkle of more chopped basil and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

If dry January has passed you could always have a glass of wine with it!