Mum of 4, Clare Keylock, has done it again. Delicious soups to warm you and your little ones up. It may have officially been the first day of Spring this week but it’s still super cold! I’ve already made the Chicken Tortilla soup. It was yum. I just went easy on the chilli…

With the chilly weather we’ve been having and all the cold rugby/football pitches we so often frequent we have been in dire need of something to warm us up. Nothing beats a nice warm bowl of soup. Great to make ahead of time, freeze or have ready for when the children come home hungry. It’s a good tea option on a busy school night as well.

Here’s a little round up of our favourites that we have been trying out this month:

Butternut squash and Apple

Ingredients:

1 squash
2 white onions
3 apples
1 tsp. grated horseradish (available in jars)
1 litre vegetable stock
Olive oil/coconut oil/avocado oil

Lovely served with cheesy toast.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Peel, deseed and cut the squash into cubes. Lay a sheet of parchment on to a baking tray and scatter over the squash. Toss with a few glugs of olive oil/coconut oil (or your preferred oil to cook with), season and place in the oven for ten minutes.

Meanwhile core and cut the apples and onions into wedges. Once the butternut squash has been in the oven for the ten minutes take out and mix the apple and onions in. Roast in the oven for around 40 minutes – until the squash is nice and squishy.

When the squash, onions and apple are ready place in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add in the vegetable stock and a teaspoon of horseradish; season well. Bring to simmer and then blend until smooth.

Serve immediately or cool and freeze.

Roasted tomato and chickpea soup

Ingredients:

1kg tomatoes
2 red peppers
1 red onion
1 celery stick
4 cloves of garlic
½ red chilli (I added a small amount for the children, add more if making for adults)
1 tsp. harissa paste
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g chickpeas
200g lentils
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
500 ml good vegetable stock
60 ml olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190c.

Wash and cut the tomatoes into halves. Deseed the red pepper and cut into wedges. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the tomatoes and the red pepper on the tray. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of the oil and roast in the oven until the tomatoes are nicely roasted and the pepper is tender. Around 45 minutes.

Place the lentils in a sieve and run under the water, washing thoroughly. Place the drained lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.

In the meantime cut the onion, garlic, chilli and celery finely. Heat the rest of the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan (my creuset has been working over time!) add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Add in the celery and chilli. Mix well for 5 minutes. Stir in the harissa paste and then add the tinned tomatoes, paprika and cumin for around 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.

When the tomatoes and red peppers are nicely roasted remove from the oven. Peel the skin from the red peppers.

Add the roasted tomatoes and peeled peppers to the onion and garlic mixture and blend until smooth. Return to the heat and add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Finally add the lentils and chickpeas and heat through, season well and serve. A dollop of natural yoghurt goes well with it and some nice crusty bread.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

My children are very fond of a good Mexican meal so this one really hits the spot for them and it’s really easy to make. I poach the chicken which I serve on top of the soup, or leave it out if you are veggie, equally delicious.

Ingredients:

2/3 chicken breasts
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 courgette, finely chopped
½ red chilli
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 tbsp. tomato puree
1 litre vegetable stock
1 avocado – cubed
3-4 flour tortilla
Fresh coriander leaves
1 lime
Olive oil/coconut oil for frying and a tbsp. for the tortillas.

Method:

Heat a little oil in a large saucepan or a heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Next add the red pepper, tomato puree, courgette and chilli and cook until soft.

Stir in the spices and leave to infuse for a few minutes. Once they are nicely infused add the tinned tomatoes. Simmer gently. With the back of a spoon break up the plum tomatoes. Add the stock and the kidney beans. Simmer for around 20 minutes. Stir well.

If you are adding chicken now is the time to get poaching. Add 1 litre of stock to a saucepan and the chicken and then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked remove the chicken. Let it cool slightly and then shred the chicken ready to place on top of the soup.

Meanwhile heat the oven to 190c. Cut the tortilla into small strips, lay on a baking tray and brush lightly with the olive oil. Bake in the oven for around 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can quickly burn.

Cut the avocado into cubes.

Once everything is ready pour the soup into bowls and serve with the tortilla and shredded chicken and avocado on top. Add a squeeze of lime and some fresh coriander (if the children like it).

They also like some grated cheese on top.

I hope you get to try out these soups and they warm you up. Next month we will be making some yummy Easter treats so keep a look out for that. Enjoy!

Evie’s dress is our mustard Gray Label dress. View it here.

www.clarekeylock.com

As mentioned above, I have already tried the Chicken Tortilla soup recipe. Here’s the evidence…not quite as pretty a picture as Clare’s