The FastDay Forum

Howdy! I've just read a very organised "newbie's" message and she will be making herself a wonderful thick soup for her first fast day. This got me thinking. As some of you may know, I have ME and haven't been able to cook a proper meal for about a year and a half. For fast days I've been having ready meals. Well I'd like to be a bit more imaginative in 2014 and wondered if you could help me.

Do you have a simple recipe for a filling soup that I can build up to cooking for my fast days? I'd be most grateful.

Bean

3 red peppers, 1 tin plum tomatoes, 3 sticks celery or 3 carrots, 1 onion. I haven't made it yet but I plan to, I don't like celery so replacing it with carrots. I think it can be thick enough. I'm a slow cooker fan so I'd just chuck everything in. You could even get away with just very roughly chopping the carrots and onion then blending.

[wildmissus]

I recently bought a soup maker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-48822-Soup-Maker/dp/B00844D5FG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388312703&sr=8-1&keywords=soup+maker

My husband cringed when it arrived as it would just be another gadget in the kitchen. Well, it is the best thing since sliced bread. Excellent for when I'm feeling lazy (I probably use it 4 times a week) and would be great for anyone without the energy and strength to cook. All you do is clean but do not peel your veg throw it in and 21 mins later you have and amazing thick smooth soup (4 generous portions). I can't recommend this soup maker highly enough.

Thick soup - cauliflower & broccoli. Cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, onion, any herbs or spices to taste (often prefer it with just S & P). Don't put too much stock in. Whizz with a stick blender or get the soup maker to do it all for you.

This makes a delicious large pot of low fat simple veggie soup

- 1/2 - 1 red onion chopped
- 3 potatoes - sliced/diced
- 4-6 carrots - chopped
- 4-6 celery stalks - cut in half moons
- About 3-4 TBSPs each - chopped parsley & dill
- Chicken stock (cube/bullion etc to taste)
- Salt/pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into your largest soup pot and fill with water to cover plus about 3 - 6 cups more (less water will make it more thick). Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Blend (I don't blend too much as I like it thick and chunky)

I tend to freeze portions in ziplock bags and defrost them as I need them

Simple, wholesome, delicious

Cauliflower and peas soup with mint and lemon

http://themuffinmyth.com/2013/03/13/cauliflower-pea-soup-with-mint-and-lemon/

I am going to do that soup ASAP @manderley thank you. How is your foot?

@Wildmissus you don't have to PEEL the veg?! Wow that sounds absolutely perfect for me! It reminded me that I have a juicer/blender that I think I've used once. Hmm, I wonder if I can make soups with it...must check this out. If not, the soup maker it is!!

I recently bought a soup maker

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richards-48822-Soup-Maker/dp/B00844D5FG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388312703&sr=8-1&keywords=soup+maker

My husband cringed when it arrived as it would just be another gadget in the kitchen. Well, it is the best thing since sliced bread. Excellent for when I'm feeling lazy (I probably use it 4 times a week) and would be great for anyone without the energy and strength to cook. All you do is clean but do not peel your veg throw it in and 21 mins later you have and amazing thick smooth soup (4 generous portions). I can't recommend this soup maker highly enough.

Thick soup - cauliflower & broccoli. Cauliflower, broccoli, garlic, onion, any herbs or spices to taste (often prefer it with just S & P). Don't put too much stock in. Whizz with a stick blender or get the soup maker to do it all for you.

just had a look online, do you not even peel the potatoes?

And there's the wonderful roasted garlic and cauliflour soup from Tiaremaori

5-2-diet-recipes-f5/topic5368.html?hilit=Garlic

I do a yummy Smoked Haddock Chowder (if a veggie just swap out the haddock and fish stock with sweetcorn and veg stock)

Onion 1 large. Peeled & diced
Potatoes, 3 large peeled & diced
Butter 1 or 2 tablespoons
Fish stock 1 liter
Milk half a litre (More if you want to)
Smoked haddock (however much you can afford, but usually 500g) skinned and boned.
Parsley 1 tablespoon
Chilli (fresh or dried to taste)
Cornflour to thicken
Salt and pepper

Optional extras, garden peas, prawns, cream

Saute the onions till soft, add the diced potatoes to brown slightly. Add the liquids and parsley. Then add a bit of chilli, taste, you are wanting the chilli to add a tiny bite, not to take over, add more chilli if required. Cook until the potatoes have softened but not disintegrated. Season and thicken with cornflour. Lower the temperature and add the prepared haddock, simmer till the haddock flakes easily. Break the haddock into bite size chunks.

This will make 6 to 8 large bowl of very tasty, nutritious, moorish soup. The veggie version has a tin or two of sweetcorn instead of the fish, and veg stock. It also freezes, though the milk can separate.

Cross posting from my Friday log. Wouldn't say it's completely effortless, but using (bargain) ready prepared veggies from the co-op cuts down on most of the prep work (I'm just a bit OCD and like things small bite size). We had huge servings - I reckon this should do at least five quite hungry people as a main meal if served with bread and a wee sprinkle of cheese.


Ed. Sorry, key to the numbers:

the first line gives the ingredient and its macronutrient balance (usually grams but the last bit shows per whatever), in this case per 100g we have 90 calories, 17.8g of carb, 0.8g of fat, 1.8g of protein and 2.0g of fibre

ginger, fine chopped, 90c/C17.8/F0.8/P1.8/Fi2.0/100g

the next line is the amount used followed by macronutrients in that amount used

......... 15g 13.50 2.67 0.12 0.27 0.30

so, in this case we used 15g of ginger, which has 13.5 calories, 2.67g of carb, 0.12g of fat, 0.27g of protein, and 0.3g of fibre.

I wasn't going to post the soup recipe as it's hardly haute cuisine - it was good mind, and on a feed day would have been irresistible with coconut milk - but I think it an excellent example of how not to make a low-carb veggie soup for 5:2. In brief, carrots are *not* your friends on a low-carb repair day (nor peas, swede, tatties, leeks and onions for that matter). Admittedly, I still have my reservations about the carb figures for dried lentils, but them's what I've been working with so will stick with for now.

Christmas eve's veggie bargains soup
carrot, swede, leek, potato & onion mix, co-op, 40c/C7.5/F0.3/P1.2/Fi2.1/100g
......... 1200g 480.00 90.00 3.60 14.40 25.20
carrots, butternut squash, peas & beans, co-op, 50c/C7.6/F0.5/P2.0/Fi3.2/100g
......... 250g 125.00 19.00 1.25 5.00 8.00
sprout, broccoli & carrot mix, co-op, 40c/C5.5/F0.7/P1.8/Fi3.0/100g
......... 700g 280.00 38.50 4.90 12.60 21.00
lentils, brown, 332c/C44.9/F1.0/P28.4/Fi14.2/100g
......... 100g dry weight 332.00 44.90 1.00 28.40 14.20
garlic, fine chopped, 149c/C33.06/F0.5/P6.36/Fi2.1/100g
......... 8g 11.92 2.64 0.04 0.50 0.17
ginger, fine chopped, 90c/C17.8/F0.8/P1.8/Fi2.0/100g
......... 15g 13.50 2.67 0.12 0.27 0.30
olive oil, 824c/C0.0/F91.6/P0.0/Fi0.0/100ml
......... 15ml 123.60 0.00 13.74 0.00 0.00
soy sauce, low salt, amoy, 52c/C9.2/F0/P3.9/Fi0/100ml
......... 10ml 5.20 0.92 0.00 0.39 0.00
chilli flakes
......... two good pinches 0.00
asafoetida
......... 2ml 0.00
fennel seed, whole
......... 2ml 0.00
cumin seed, whole
......... 10ml 0.00
turmeric, dried ground
......... 10ml 0.00
coriander seed, fresh ground
......... 10ml 0.00
paprika, dried ground
......... 2ml 0.00
s&p 0.00
water, boiling
......... to near cover 0.00
total for Christmas eve's veggie bargains soup 1371.22 198.63 24.65 61.56 68.87
FatDog's 4/17 portion of Christmas eve's veggie bargains soup 322.64 46.74 5.80 14.49 16.20

Method: 1. chop the veggies into delicate bite size chunks as needed (e.g. halve the sprouts), set the broccoli to one side (peas too, if you've the energy); 2. split out the leeks and onions - heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and then gently fry these until softening; 3. add the garlic (why do I *always* try to spell that with a 'k'?), ginger and, a few moments later, the spices and stir-about until nicely fragrant; 4. now bung in the rest of the veggies and hot water to cover (you could use stock, but why with this quantity of veggies?); 5. bring to the boil and simmer covered for an age, until all the root veggies are softened and the lentils are done (I left it on at low peep for well over an hour, with an odd stir to make sure it wasn't sticking); 6. take just under half the soup and blitz it, then add it back in - this is the time to add the broccoli, and peas, and bring back to heat: salt, as desired, but you will need salt.

I meant to add tamarind but forgot... Personally I'd double all the spices and the garlic, and add cardamom, but the OH would have had apoplexy, and thems were his veggies... A tiny quantity of finely chopped dried fruit (e.g. apricot or date) and cashew nuts would have made this very rich and delicious indeed, but commensurately more unsuitable for repair days.

Thanks for the question nursy, some great ideas from everyone must try some because my fast days are a little to cold for the salads each day.
I do make soups in small quantities but use the idol method of using steam bags in the microwave to cook the veg then blitz with a hand blender in a suitable container before reheating

Hi Bean

Here is my soup recipe, mentioned yesterday. It is quite simple, but then I have simple tastes:

A pint and a half of boiling water with three Green Oxo cubes stirred in. Throw in a large onion, a large leek, two medium carrots, three sticks of celery, a third of a punnet of mushrooms (say 150g), all chopped. I boil two medium potatos in a pan separately, and add them to the big pan of soup for the last few minutes. Season with black pepper, paprika, mixed herbs, and garlic if you like.

Like I said, I tend to eat half for lunch and then reheat the rest for dinner later. The second lot tastes even better. When I start my fast days I might make it the day before so it is all ready, and just needs to be heated up. Tasty, filling and fairly straightforward.

A very easy spiced carrot and lentil soup....

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089 ... entil-soup

I make it without the oil and once it has cooked I zap it with the hand-held blender to puree everything and it goes lovely and thick. The cumin gives it a really warming, wintery taste. I actually use half split red lentils and half green so it has to be simmered for longer, but I prefer the taste. It's totally yummy and has been a staple lunch for me throughout my downward journey this last half of the year....and I'm still not sick of it!!!

I'd go down the lentil route too, as there's very little preparation.
Enough for 4 portions:

120g uncooked red lentils,
1 peeled onion
Stock pot or cube
4 - 6 rashers of lean smoked bacon
Herbs of your choice
1 - 2 tsp mild curry powder
Garlic paste to your choice
Salt and pepper
Water to cover.
Simmer until done and puree if you like a smooth consistency.
Approx cals per serving, depending on amount and variety of bacon: 200 cals.
lovely and warming for you, bean xx