Another day, another soup to warm you through to the soul and boost those immune-fighting nutrients for this long, cold winter. This covers most food groups in one excellent bowl. Many micronutrients = happy body. It includes some great plant-based protein from the chickpeas and continues along the theme of my love affair with legumes. Really. Here is my healthy twist on a traditional favourite.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (I removed as much skin as possible), cleaned
2 carrots
celery
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1.5L water
Dried bay leaves x 3
salt, lots of black pepper
half bunch kale, leaves removed or 2 handfuls spinach
1 small bunch broccoli, cut into small florets, stalks sliced
1/2 cup barley
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
lemon zest, dill to serve

Method:

1. Cover chicken in large pot with cold water, add roughly chopped carrot, onion, garlic and celery, seasoning and bay leaves.
2. Cover with lid and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer for about an hour, until chicken cooked through.
3. Remove chicken, garlic cloves and bay leaves from pot, add rinsed barley and continue cooking stock until barley soft, roughly 30 mins. Whilst this is cooking, remove chicken bones and reserve meat.
4. When barley cooked through, add broccoli, kale (or other leafy green) and chickpeas. The heat from the soup will cook those veg.
5. Add some of the chicken back to the pot, stir through lemon zest and dill and serve.

Tips:
– Reserve some chicken for sandwiches or to add leftover chicken to brown rice with frozen mixed veg, canned corn and low salt soy sauce for quick fried rice.
– Freeze leftover chicken for other sandwiches and meals
– You can prepare this recipe up to step 3, strain the broth and put the veg and barley aside. If the broth is refrigerated overnight, any fat that comes to the surface can be skimmed off the next day. Simply add the barley and cooked veg back in, reheat the soup and go from step 4 the next day. Of course, you don’t have to wait a whole 24 hrs if you would prefer to serve immediately.
– The kids may enjoy this with some cheesy soldiers on the side.
I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we did,
Nicole.

Gluten-free

Ingredients:

300g cubed tofu or chicken
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced roughly
Rice bran oil
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 carrots
1 capsicum
8 mushrooms
Handful green beans
300g soba (buckwheat) noodles

Sauce: 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 1 tbspn apple cider vinegar, 1 tbspn soy sauce or tamari (GF), 1/2 tablespoon gluten-free corn flour. Combine ingredients with 1 clove of crushed garlic, set aside.

Method:

1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water 3 mins, drain and rinse.
2. Brown tofu or chicken in heated wok, remove.
3. Add vegetables, cook on high 1-2 mins.
4. Add sauce, tofu until mixture thickens.
5. Serve with soba noodles.

Vegetarian, Gluten free, FODMAP friendly
When the sun is shining, making dinner with vibrant, fresh ingredients feels exciting. Make my rainbow rice paper rolls this weekend, packed with plant-based protein, sustained release carbohydrates, vitamin C, beta carotene, iron and monunsaturated fats.
The combination possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:
I used: pre-marinated satay tofu (marinate your own plain tofu for gluten-free) (pan-fried 2 mins each side), grated carrot, shredded purple cabbage, sliced cucumber, capsicum, avocado and coriander leaves.🥒
Soak rice paper sheets for roughly 30-60 seconds, place ingredients inside middle third of rice paper add ingredients and roll. Work quickly as the rice paper is quite sticky. Place rolls on a plate with a clean, damp towel covering them to keep fresh.
Dipping sauce: sweet chilli sauce with a bit of fish sauce and lemon juice.
Other ideas: shredded chicken, vermicelli noodles, spinach, mint, avocado (omit for Low FODMAP option)

I promised a return to fresh, few ingredient balanced meals and this will be the best thing you eat all day.
Packed with folate, choline, Vitamin B12, iron, protein, B vitamins & monounsaturated fats and the right balance of macronutrients: carbohydrates, lean protein & vegetables.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Olive oil
4 eggs
4 mini wholemeal pita
2 cups baby spinach
40g feta cheese
4 tablespoons hummous
Chilli, salt, pepper

Method:

1. Boil 500mls of water, add a generous glug of white vinegar.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, mushrooms and brown on high heat. Remove and add spinach to the pan until wilted.
3. Crack 2 eggs into rapidly boiling water, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining eggs. Whilst eggs are cooking, toast pita and set aside.
4. Spread pita with hummous, pile each with mushrooms and a poached egg. Scatter feta, heap spinach on the side. Season with chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

Pack a plant-based punch for meat free Monday (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free). Set out all ingredients and encourage children to serve themselves.

Ingredients:

2 x 400g canned beans such as chickpeas & black beans, drained
1 tb tomato paste
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
250mls water

Cooked brown rice
Baby spinach
Corn kernels
Diced tomatoes
Diced capsicum
Avocado, sliced

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan, add onion and garlic and soften.
2. Add spices, toast for 30 seconds. Add tomato paste for another 30 seconds.
3. Add drained beans and water, cook ~10 minutes until most of the water evaporates.
4. Serve with cooked rice and assorted chopped vegetables and avocado.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1.5kg chicken drumettes or wings
1/2 tspn each: ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, five spice
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 tb honey
4 tb low salt soy sauce
300g risoni
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 cups chopped fresh or frozen vegetables (e.g. capsicum, bok choy, corn, carrot)

Method:

1. Combine spices and sauces.
2. Coat chicken and marinate in the fridge for 1 to 24 hours.
3. Roast in pre-heated 180 degrees C oven for 60 minutes until golden brown. Turn mid-way through cooking and coat with pan juices.
4. Cook risoni as per packet instructions, drain.
5. Whilst pasta is cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, brown garlic.
6. Add vegetables and cook until soft and golden (do this in 2 in batches).
7. Stir vegetables through risoni and serve with the chicken.

Vegan, vegetarian, GF

Packed with phytonutrients, fibre, slow release prebiotic carbohydrate, plant-powered protein and monounsaturated fats, this meal is a balanced way to eat vegan or vegetarian.

Ingredients (serves 2):

180g soba noodles (ensure 100% buckwheat if GF)
300g tofu or chicken
1 sweet potato
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
1 zucchini, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tb soy sauce (tamari if GF)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tb crushed nuts

Dressing:

1 tb tahini paste
1 teaspoon honey/maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari for GF

Method:

1. Boil soba noodles 3-4 minutes, drain and set aside
2. Heat rice bran oil in pan, add garlic, tofu or chicken and mushrooms. Once starting to brown, add soy sauce. Cook on high heat about 2 minutes and remove.
3. Steam sweet potato, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli in the microwave until soft.
4. Add dressing ingredients in a jar, shake.
5. Divide noodles, tofu, vegetables between 2 bowls, dress with tahini sauce, scatter with crushed nuts and serve.

This is a totally delicious 5-minute Mexican style omelette. Serves 1: Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a hot pan, soften 1/4 red onion, add 1/2 teaspoon each paprika and cumin, 1/2 cup of corn kernels, 2 chopped tomatoes. Add 2 scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeño chillies and cook until set. Serve with wholegrain toast.