Chicken noodle soup

I improvised a quick soup for dinner, that turned out to be delicious. The whole family loved it!

Chicken noodle soup
1 onion

2 chicken breasts
1 garlic clove

Butter

1 liter water 

1 veg stock cube 

200 ml cream

1/2 red bell pepper, in thin strips

100 g sugar snap peas, sliced

1 tbsp ketjap manis

Fresh ginger, thumb-sized piece

100 g dried egg noodles, thin 

Fresh coriander

Toasted cashews

Serves two adults, two kids

Finely chop the onion and cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Mince the garlic. Cook the chicken in a little butter, until slightly browned. Add onions and garlic and fry for a few more minutes. Add the water, a vegetable stock cube, and the cream. Cook on medium-low heat for about ten minutes. Add the bell pepper, sugar snap peas, ketjap manis and ginger. Cook for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain. Divide between bowls, and pour the soup on top. Top with coriander and cashews. 

Maple-honey granola

I think I mentioned a few months ago that I placed an order with the Ottolenghi webshop, in the UK? Well, I did. And I ordered their granola. And I loved it. I usually don't like granola all that much, it's either not crunchy enough, or filled with somewhat icky stuff, or with lots of fruit in it, or.. just something. I end up eating it a few times, throwing out the rest. Not so with the Ottolenghi stuff. It was divine. However, it had brazil nuts which I don't particularly cared for... and it was pretty expensive. Especially to ship over from the UK. Not an option in the long run, obviously.

So I made my own - I drew some inspiration from the ottolenghi cookbook, and some from online sources, but finally ended up with this. It's not the healthiest of granolas, I know. It is, however, one that I will finish. And that's pretty good.

Maple-honey granola
300 g oats

200 g mixed nuts (almond, cashew, hazelnuts)

25 g sunflower seeds

75 g honey

75 g maple syrup 

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 tbsp water

Pinch of salt

Place the oats, nuts and seeds in a big bowl. Combine honey, maple syrup, oil, water and salt and then mix this into the rest of the ingredients. Use your hands to make sure everything is well covered. Spread on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 140°C for about 35-40 minutes. Check it every ten minutes or so, you might need to stir it a little, and while you do want it to turn golden, you don't want it to burn even a little. 

Carrot Soup with Cashews & Feta

Soup, especially puréed, is one of few dishes I can pretty much rely on my toddler to eat. He loves it - almost regardless of what goes in it, as long as it's not too spicy. And as long as he can't see it, I guess. We, his parents, are however not huge soup fans. His dad often complains that it's not filling, and I often find it plain and boring. But since Titus loves soup, I keep an eye out for interesting recipes and this one caught my eye at Ann-Louise's Swedish blog: Lilla Matderivén. Carrots are always good, and with the textural addition of cooked cashews and the zippiness of feta cheese... yeah. Good. Very.

I added a handful of lentils to pack some extra protein in there, and omitted fresh thyme since I didn't have any. I also added some toasted cashews to serve on top, for more crunch. Next time, I'll add some fresh cilantro on top, too. (Titus won't touch any toppings, by the way.)

Carrot Soup with Cashews & Feta
serves 4

3 shalotts (or 1 small onion), diced
1 tbsp neutral oil
700 g carrots, sliced
75 ml cashew nuts, raw (a large handful)
75 ml red lentils
1 litre vegetable stock
150 g feta cheese, divided
Handful of cashew nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Fry the shalotts (or onion) in the oil, on medium heat. When it looks transclucent, add carrots, cashews and lentils. After a few minutes, add the vegetable stock.

Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then, cover with a lid, lower the heat and let it simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. Check to make sure the carrots are soft. Crumble in half of the feta (reserve the other half for serving) and then use an immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth.

Serve with the reserved feta, and some toasted cashews.