Red Lentil, Jalapeno and Lime Soup

I was a bit apprehensive about this soup as i don't usually like beans and pulses, i was worried it would have a really grainy texture.
I couldn't have been more wrong, it was smooth and creamy!
You have a bite from the jalapenos and a zing from the lime, that makes you just keep on eating it, i had to go back for more!!

It is syn free on extra easy, and the pot i made served 6.

Ingredients

1 large onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 green chillies deseeded
1 inch ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp red lentils
500g passata
750ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper
zest and juice of 1 lime
handful coriander leaves
6 tbsp fat free yogurt

Method

In a blender blitz the chilli and ginger.
In a large pan sprayed with frylight, fry the onions and carrots until soft. Add the ginger and chillies and fry for 1 minute, add the cumin seeds and lentils, stir together then pour in the passata and stock, season to taste, then bring to a boil and simmer over a low heat for about 45 minutes, and the lentils and carrots are soft.
Using either a stick blender or a normal blender, blend the soup until it is smooth, return to the heat and warm through, take off the heat and stir in the lime juice and zest.

Serve up with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of chopped coriander.

Potato, Mushroom and Aubergine Curry

I found this recipe on the Good Food website and as it looked so tasty decided to adapt it for Slimming World.

You don't have to use the vegetables i've used, you can add about anything. I think next time i make it i will add cauliflower, butternut squash and mangetout.

It was very tasty and spicy, but you can adjust the spice by the amount of paste you put in. I used 4 tbps, and i would say it was about as spicy as a madras from a take away.

It made a huge pot about 6 serving, depending how hungry you are. The whole pot was only 1.5 syns on extra easy, but you could make it syn free by using different yogurts.

Curry Paste Ingredients

3 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp salt

1 inch ginger 

4 garlic cloves

1 tbsp tomato puree

4 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method

Dry fry the whole spices till they are fragrant for about 2-3 minutes.

Blitz the whole spices in a coffee or spice grinder, then put everything into a blender and blend until its smooth. This makes more than you need for this recipe, so divide the mixture into tbsp spoon portions and put into an ice cube tray and freeze what you don't use for another time.

Curry Ingredients

2 onions roughly chopped

1 large potato cubed

1 aubergine cubed

1 red or yellow pepper diced

800g button mushrooms

2-4 tbsps curry paste

300 ml vegetable stock

3 tubs muller light greek style coconut yogurt, 0.5 syns each

handful coriander leaves roughly chopped 

Method

Fry the onions and potatoes in a large pot sprayed with frylight for 2 minutes, then cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, keep checking that they aren't sticking to the pot.

Add the mushrooms, pepper and aubergine and fry uncovered until golden. Stir in the curry paste and cook out for 5 minutes, season and add the stock, bring to a boil them simmer till potatoes are cooked.

Take the pot of the heat and stir in the yogurts and coriander, if needed, gentle heat the curry through, careful not to let it split.

Serve with rice.