Crafty Meals – easy recipes for healthy meals

Chicken Pho
Serves 4 to 6
Prep time : Stock 10 minutes, soup 10 minutes.
Cooking time : Stock 120 minutes, soup 15 minutes.
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.
This stock is a very fragrant stock and is very different to any shop bought stocks. The soup really does not carry itself without this specific stock.

Ingredients -Stock
2 kilograms raw chicken bones (ask your butcher for carcasses).
2 medium onions, chopped.
2 sticks celery, shopped.
2 carrots, chopped.
3 bay leaves.
1 teaspoon black peppercorns.
5 litres of water.

Ingredients – Soup
1 kilogram fresh rice noodles (500 gram dried).
60 grams fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced.
1 bunch fresh coriander (solantro).
2 tablespoons fish sauce.
2 cloves garlic.
1 star anise.
2 chicken breasts, skin removed.
10 green onions (shallots or spring onions) thinly sliced.
250 grams bean sprouts.
1/2 Vietnamese mint.
1 Large lime cut into wedges.
Sambal Oelek (chilli paste) to serve.

Method – Stock
Combine chicken carcasses, diced onions, diced carrots, diced celery, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a stock pot, cover with 5 litres of water.
Bring to boil and then allow to simmer for 2 hours.
Drain stock through a fine sieve, refrigerate. Discard solids.
Once cooled, skim fat from the top of the stock.

Method – Soup
Remove the roots from the coriander and chop roughly. Set leaf aside for serving.
Add ginger, coriander, fish sauce, garlic and star anise to a pot and cover with stock.
Bring to the boil and reduce to 3 litres of liquid.
Strain the stock and discard the solids.
Thinly slice the chicken breast, return stock to pan add chicken and simmer until chicken is cooked.
Test for seasoning and adjust to taste.
Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water.
Gently tease the noodles until they separate, then drain well.

Serving
Divide noodles, green onions and been sprouts into serving bowls and ladle the hot soup over the top.
Serve with fresh mint and coriander sprinkled on top, squeezed lime and sambal oelek can be added to taste.

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Chicken Broth with Vegetables
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
1 large onion, diced.
1/2 bunch of celery, diced.
250 grams of carrots, peeled and diced.
250 grams of potatoes, peeled and diced.
250 grams of egg noodles.
1.5 litres of chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.

Method
Cook egg noodles as per packet instructions, seperate them while cooking, drain and set aside in cold water.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add onion and fry gently for 3-4 minutes.
Add the vegetables and fry gently for 5 minutes.
Add the stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Serving
Split noodles between 4 soup bowls.
Ladle over vegetables and broth.
Allow each person to season to their own taste.

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Cauliflower, Potato and Bacon Soup
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
250 grams of bacon, trimmed of rind and excess fat, finely shredded.
3 garlic cloves, crushed.
2 leeks, white part only, well washed and finely sliced.
1/2 cauliflower, diced – stems and all.
500 grams floury potatoes (sebago, desiree) peeled and diced.
1.5 litres of chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.
1/4 cup thickened cream.

Method
Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Add the leeks and garlic, sweat the leeks until they collapse and turn opaque.
Add the potatoes, cauliflower and stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about an hour.
Blend the soup with your stab mixer or blender until there are no lumps and the soup is silky.
Reheat until nearly boiling, turn off the heat and stir in the cream.

Serving
Ladle into bowls and serve with crispy bacon sprinkled onto the soup in each bowl.

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Pork Broth with Vegetables
Serves 4 – see notes below before proceeding.
Prep time : Stock 10 minutes, soup 10 minutes.
Cooking time : Stock 120 minutes, soup 15 minutes.
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 head of garlic.
3 large onions.
1 teaspoon chilli flakes.
1/2 bunch of celery.
1/2 kilogram carrots.
1/2 kilogram potatoes.
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.
5 bay leaves.
1/2 kilo bacon bones.
1/2 kilo of smoked ham hock.

Method – Stock
Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat.
Break the garlic into cloves and smash with the flat blade of a knife.
Cut 2 of the onions into rough wedges.
Cut deep into the meaty part of the hock, and score the skin to the meat in a 1cm diamond pattern.
Add the onions and garlic to the oil, add the chilli flakes and peppercorns and fry off without burning the garlic, until all spices become aromatic.
Add the bacon bones and the hock.
Add enough water to cover the bones and hock.
Cut the leafy top stalks of the celery and add to the pot, add the bay leaves, cover and bring to the boil.
Once the pot is boiling, back the heat off to a gentle simmer and leave for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove the pot from the heat.
Take the hock and the bacon bones out of the pot and set aside to cool. Refrigerate once cool enough to handle.
Strain the contents of the stock pot into another pot, cover and set aside to cool. Discard the solids.
Once the strained stock is cool enough to handle, carefully skim the fat from the top of the stock. You should be left the 1.75 to 2 litres of stock.

Method – Soup
Reheat the skimmed stock.
Peel and dice the carrots, onion and potatoes.
Wash and dice the celery.
Add the diced vegetables to the stock, and bring to the boil before reducing the heat to a simmer.
Remove the meat from the cooled bacon bones, taking care to remove as much of the fat as possible.
Cut the meat into small pieces using a knife or break it up with 2 forks.
Add the meat to the pot and cook until vegetables are tender. When cooking has finished, season to taste if required.

Serving
Serve in deep bowls with a buttered roll.

Notes
A stock pot of 5 to 10 litres is necessary for this dish.
Do not season the pot while making the stock. Bacon bones and hocks can be extremely salty.
The soup often cools to a jelly, this is a good indication you have simmered the stock long enough.

Options
I often make this soup using 2 hocks instead of the bacon bones as they yield more meat.

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Pea and Ham Soup
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 80 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of oil.
500 grams of dried split peas.
750 grams of bacon bones.
2 litres of water.
2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled.
2 onions, unpeeled.
2 bay leaves.
1 tablespoon peppercorns.
1 carrot, finely diced.
2 stalks of celery, finely diced.

Method – Stock
Heat the oil over low heat in a stock pot.
Smash the garlic with the flat blade of your knife.
Cut the onions into quarters.
Fry the garlic and onions until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the bacon bones to the pot, turn the heat to high and add the water, bay leaves and peppercorns.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
Remove from heat, remove bacon bones and set aside.
Strain remaining stock into another pot and allow to cool for at least an hour.
When cool, carefully skim fat from the top of the stock.

Method – Stock
Soak the split peas overnight in cold water. Change the water at least once.
Strip any meat from the bacon bones and shred finely.
Bring the stock to the boil, add the drained split peas, carrot, and celery.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes.
Allow the soup to cool before blending it with your stab mixer or blender until lump free and silky.
Reheat the soup to a simmer, add the meat and allow the meat to warm, about 5 minutes.

Serving
Ladle to bowls and serve immediately.

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Healthy Potato and Leek Soup
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
45 grams of butter.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3 large leeks, white part only, well washed and finely sliced.
500 grams of potatoes, peeled and diced.
1.25 litres of chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.
1/4 teaspoon of salt.
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper.
15 millilitres of worcestershire sauce.
Pinch of nutmeg.
150 millilitres of milk.
Bunch of chopped chives.

Method
Heat the oil in a deep sided pan, melt the butter into the oil.
Halve the leeks and then finely slice them.
Add leeks to pan and sweat them down until soft and translucent.
Add the potatoes and stir while frying for 5 minutes.
Add the stock, bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.
Add the worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, pepper and check for seasoning before adding the salt.
Cook for a further 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for an hour.
Blend with your stab mixer or blender until soup is free of lumps and silky.

Serving
To serve, reheat until nearly boiling, stir in the milk and remove from heat.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve immediately.

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Cannellini Bean and Vegetable Soup
Serves 6 to 8
Prep time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2 medium brown onions, rough chopped.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 celery sticks, trimmed and diced.
2 carrots, peeled and diced.
2 sebago (or other waxy potato) peeled and diced.
2 zuchinni, unpeeled and diced.
800 grams tinned diced tomato.
1.5 litres of salt reduced beef stock.
half a savoy cabbage, finely shredded.
1 cup of frozen peas.
800 grams canned cannellini beans, well drained and very well rinsed.
half a cup of chopped italian parsley.

Method
Dice all the vegetables except the cabbage into (roughyl) equal sized pieces.
Heat the oil in large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the onions, cook occasionally stirring until softened.
Add the crushed garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the diced vegetables to the saucepan, and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add the tinned tomatoes and their juice and the stock to the pan.
Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Skim the scum that forms from the top of the saucepan occasionally.
Shred the cabbage finely.
Once carrots are soft, add the cabbage, beans, peas and half the parsley.
Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until peas are cooked.
Season to taste.

Serving
Serve immediately in generous bowls, sprinkling remaining parsley over the soup and serve with a side of crusty bread.

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Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 4-6
Prep time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 large brown onion, chopped roughly.
4 cloves of garlic, crushed.
1/4 teaspoon of chilli powder.
2 teaspoons ground cumin.
1 teaspoon ground coriander.
600 grams of sweet potato, peeled and diced.
600 grams carrots, peeled and diced.
1.5 litres of chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.
300 gram can of chickpeas, well rinsed and drained.
Juice of half a lemon.

Method
Heat oil in deep pan over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until opaque.
Add the garlic, chilli, cumin and coriander and stir until fragrant.
Add the sweet potato and carrots, stir while frying for 5 minutes.
Add stock, bring to the boil then turn the heat down to a steady simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Add chickpeas, cook for a further 10 minutes, or until chickpeas are tender.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about an hour.
Blend with your stab mixer or blender until the soup is lump free and silky.
Return to heat, and stir in the lemon juice. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.

Serving
Serve in bowls with a dash of pepper on top, and with toasted bread slices.

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Healthy Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4 to 6
Prep time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
For conversions, click here to use our handy guide.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
1 kilogram of butternut pumpkin, diced.
250 grams of potato, diced.
2 large brown onions, diced.
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.
1 teaspoon of dried marjoram or thyme.
1 clove of garlic.
1 litre of chicken stock. Shop bought is OK, or use our easy to make chicken stock recipe.
1/4 of finely sliced chives.
Nutmeg to serve.

Method
Heat oil in a deep sided pan or stock pot over medium heat.
Add diced onions and garlic and fry until opaque.
Add the pepper, dried herbs, potato and pumpkin and fry for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add stock, bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, pumpkin and potato will be soft, if not cook for a further 5 minutes, check and repeat if necessary.
Remove pot from the heat and allow to cool for an hour.
Using a stab mixer or blender, puree the soup until lump free and silky in appearance.

Serving
Serve into bowls, dust with some nutmeg and sprinkle with fresh chives.

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