Super-veggie soup with Italian-style Quesedillas

Doing a PhD means that I don't have a lot of spare time on my hands, and if I do have spare time I feel guilty to use it for anything other than my ever increasing list of mandatory reading.  Being stressed and working hard makes it difficult to eat healthy and sometimes there just is not enough time to cook elaborate meals with lots of vegetables.  But I have found the solution!!

Once a week I make a humongous pot of soup filled with veggie goodness.  Every week I get a box of organic fruit and veggies ( don't I sound posh now? .. well. at least I am healthy ;) ) and whatever is left in the fridge and in need of immediate eating gets turned into soup.  This massive pot of soup then serves as lunch for me and the boyfriend throughout the week, as well as the occasional dinner cutting back on meal-prep time when we are really busy with work and study.  No matter what veggies you will put in it, it will have lots of vitamins and plant-based proteins, very little fat and calories while it is truly satisfying.   

I don't like to have a meal with only fluids, so I need to have something more chunky with my soup. often this can just be a bit of bread or  toast, but sometimes something warm and cheesy is truly satisfying. it is even better when it is loaded with ... MORE VEGGIES. my Italian style quesedillas have tons of nutrition and are  magnificent with their warm melted cheese goodness. 

 Although the 'Sunday souping'  sounds like a experiment rather than a recipe, there are some soups we really like and tend to come back to. An example of a soup we really like is one with multiple root vegetables and lots of green bits.

For this soup you will need: 

1 table spoon of vegetable oil 

1 onion - chopped

2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped 

500 gr. of carrots

500 gr. of  parsnips 

a bunch of kale 

a head of cabbage

a can of chickpeas 

1 tsp of salt

pepper

chili-flakes or chili-powder

1 tsp of nutmeg 

some fresh spinach to garnish 

What you will need to do

Have all your vegetables cut and ready before you start, this makes soup-cooking way easier.  

In a big pot,  heat up the oil and add the garlic and onion, and crumble the two stock cubes into the pot. When they start to go a bit brown add the vegetables that have the longest cooking time. in this case carrots and parsnips. cover them in plenty of water and let them cook for a little bit.   When the roots are starting to get soft, add in the kale and the cabbage, whilst making sure everything does stay under water.  Let this cook on a low fire for another 10 to 20 minutes.  

Take your soup off the fire and blend everything until smooth.  I typically use a stick-blender but any way you want is fine. This soup should turn a light green because of the kale. 

When the soup is liquid and smooth, heat it for a while longer and add in the chickpeas. put in the salt, pepper, chili and nutmeg to taste.   if  the soup is a bit thick for your liking just add some more boiling water. 

Adding in the chickpeas after the blending process makes that the soup has some bite, which makes it even more satisfying! I like to serve a bowl of soup with some added greens such as spinach, this makes it look nice and it is super healthy. 

This recipe should give you about 10 servings, but it might be more or less depending on how much water you used.  just store it in the fridge in an air-tight container or if you really have more than you can handle eating in a week freeze it. It might come in handy later. 

For my Italian-style Quesedillas you will need: 

1 tortilla wrap ( I prefer whole meal) 

1 tbsp green Basil pesto  

tomatoes 

spinach

75 grams Mozzarella cheese 

What you will need to do: 

Put the pesto on the tortilla wrap.  On one half of the tortilla, put the spinach and the tomatoes, and put on the mozzarella cheese.  Fold the tortilla in half so that the ingredients are covered. Press it down, especially at the sides, to ensure that the fillings will stay in during the cooking. 

Heat up a stick-free pan,  and put in the tortilla.  cook on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is nice and gooey. 

Easy (lazy) Pizza

Finally a sunny day! After days of rain, and frost, and snow, the temperatures today were quite nice and pleasant. We decided to exploit this and go for a long leisurely walk to gather up some vitamin D and just be a little active in general.  The last few weeks it has been very tempting to sit at home, drink tea and watch the snow and rain fall down through the window. All while being cozy and warmly covered in blankets....   As a treat for all the healthy activity I decided to cook up some simple  semi-home-made pizza's, very good for a leisurely Saturday night dinner or lunch.   I say semi- because I feel like I cheated a little by not making my own dough ...   A few weeks ago I found pita-breads with garlic and coriander, and figured they could be a brilliant pizza base ... and they so are!  and so easy!  definitely recommend trying this one out some time ..  especially when you are too lazy to make your own dough but frozen pizzas just won't do ;) 

You will need: 

- Pitta breads, or Naan-breads ... any kind you fancy. 

- Tomato sauce - we used a spicy kind with tomato, peppers and chili peppers 

- Mozzarella ( or other cheese if you prefer) 

- veggies - I used peppers, mushrooms, and sweet corn 

How to: 

Preheat the oven on gas-mark 6 ( or 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or 200 degrees Celsius ). 

Simply put the Pitta breads ( or naan-breads) on a baking tray  or a baking sheet, and cover them with tomato sauce, Put some veggies on, and some cheese, and anything else you might possibly desire... 

Stick them in the oven 

repeat the process - because this is so easy and delicious!!   

#Veggie # easy #lazy #pizza

About me

Hay, my name is Frensis and I decided to complement my busy life by starting a blog. Not quite sure why....maybe to boast about my cooking skills,  maybe to just give myself a creative outlet, but perhaps and most likely it is a good strategy for eternal procrastination.  I was born and raised to the Netherlands  ( clogs, windmills, tulips.. that place ) but moved to the U.K. about two years ago and now live in busy industrial Manchester. I like to escape for walks and weekends away to the countryside, although I must admit I secretly enjoy the hustle and bustle, and the local curry mile is one of my favorite places to go out for food, and serves as a great inspiration for many of my meals.

I am currently working towards a PhD in social statistics, but when I need to escape the stress and the hassle and the complication I like to bake cakes, create interesting soups or just have leisurely pancake breakfasts. I read loads of cooking-blogs, spend a lot of time on Pinterest and browse through many cookbooks, all to get inspiration for new things to do and cook.  Although I want things to taste nice, I prefer it if my food is healthy and free from processed foods ( yes, I am a hippy).  I am a vegetarian, and have been for many years and prefer to work without animal products, but cheese is my weakness. So I hope that on my blog you will find many ways to substitute your meat, fish, eggs and dairy for good plant-based substitutes ... with a bit of cheeky cheese here and there.