ROASTED RED PEPPER

Roast peppers under the grill or on the BBQ, rotating until skins are blackened and wrinkled all over. Place in a large bowl, cover with a plate, and let steam for 15 minutes. Skin peppers and chop.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and fry for one minute. Add peppers and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Blend soup with a hand blender until smooth, then season to taste. Before serving, stir in soy milk.

CHILLED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND COCONUT

Using a mallet or the back of a sturdy knife, bruise the root end of the lemongrass. In a large pot over a high heat, add the lemongrass, vegetable stock and ginger, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Strain the stock and return it to the pot. Add the butternut squash to the stock and simmer until the squash is fully cooked and begins to break down, about one hour. Remove from the heat and cool. Add the coconut milk, blending the mixture in batches until smooth.

Season with lime juice and salt, and chill. To serve, garnish the soup with coriander, cashews and coconut.

2 stalks lemongrass
6 C vegetable stock
1 large piece ginger, roughly chopped
5 C butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 can coconut milk
2 limes, juiced
Salt, as needed
1/2 C coriander leaves
1/2 C cashews, toasted and chopped
1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

QUICK 'N' EASY NOODLE SOUP

Over a low heat in a fry pan fry the garlic and onion in sesame oil for a couple of minutes. Add carrot, courgette, broccoli and tofu, and cook for a few minutes. Add ginger, chilli flakes, soya sauce, miso and stock. Add noodles and bok choy and cook for two more minutes - vegetables should not be too soft.

Check for seasoning and add any additional ingredients (chilli, garlic etc) as required.

GAZPACHO

Simply combine everything except the fresh herbs in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Stir in the herbs, refrigerate until cool and serve with bread.

CREAMY POTATO DILL

Saute onions in half of the oil until soft. Add water, salt and potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Blend the tofu and remaining oil in a food processor until creamy, adding water if necessary.

Remove potatoes from the water and place in food processor with blended tofu mixture. Blend until smooth. Return the potato mixture to the boiling water and stir until smooth. Add dill and pepper. Reheat on medium heat until hot.

QUICK CHILLED CUCUMBER

In a blender or food processor, combine cucumber, pineapple, basil and mint leaves. Blend until fairly smooth.

Chill thoroughly before serving. Garnish with small mint and basil leaves. SIMPLE!

FRENCH ONION

A simple soup that is easy to prepare yet pleasantly flavourful. Serve with French bread or croutons for a heartier dish.

In a large pot, sauté onions in oil for two minutes. Add the flour and stir until well combined. Add water and soy sauce and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND KALE

In a large saucepan, heat oil, add onion and carrot, and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to brown (about five minutes). Add garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the spices, including bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat them with the spices. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir. If necessary, add water to cover the kale and cook until it is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve.

CREAMY LIMA BEAN

In large pot, add lima beans and salt to water. Bring to the boil and reduce heat. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add parsley, oregano, dill and pepper. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until lima beans are very tender. Remove two cups of beans and liquid, and puree in blender. Return puree to pot. Continue to simmer.

Sauté onions and celery in broth for three minutes. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add sautéed vegetables to beans, along with soy milk. Simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, place miso in a small bowl; add 1/3 cup of water and mix to form a smooth paste. Add this to the soup, and mix well. Heat thoroughly for 1-2 minutes, but do not boil.

SPICED PARSNIP

Sautee onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Peel the apple and parsnips and cut into small chunks and add to pan with spices. Cover with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the parsnip is cooked (about 20 minutes).

Once cooked take the mixture off the heat and allow it to come off the boil. Then stir in the soy milk. Blend until smooth and either serve immediately or reheat later.

4 parsnips
1 cooking apple
1 onion
1 garlic clove
600ml vegetable stock
300ml soy milk
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
olive oil

CHILLED SPICED TOMATO

Gently sauté the onion in the oil until soft. Add garlic and ginger, and cook a further minute. Pour in the tomato juice and add chilli powder to taste. Bring to the boil while stirring, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the coriander, recover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Puree and strain through a sieve. Leave to cool. Stir in the soya cream, cover and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

FRENCH POTATO-MINT

In a large saucepan, melt margarine over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook for five minutes, tossing occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and add stock, water and carrots. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10-15 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add peas, onions and mint and cook for a further five minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice. Sprinkle with fresh mint leaves.

PUMPKIN AND SPLIT PEA

Cut pumpkin into wedges and remove seeds and skin. Place pumpkin, split peas and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on for one hour.

Add coconut cream and mash or blend.

Add salt, pepper and chilli to taste. Serves four.

TURKISH RED LENTIL SOUP

Fry the onion, garlic, chilli, and salt and pepper in the oil until the onions go clear. Add lentils and fry for a further 5 minutes stirring often.
Add the water and the tin of tomatoes and bring to the boil. Simmer for at least an hour or ideally for 2-3 hours as the flavour develops a fantastic complexity, the longer it cooks. Add tomato paste at the end if the colour of the soup is too pale. Add more salt if required
When serving add a good dollop of olive oil and lemon juice.