Swiss Brown Mushroom and Barley Soup

I was going through my recipe book collection on the weekend for soups specifically hearty vegetarian ones and came across this in the Australian Women's Weekly Low Fat Recipe Book. I have modified it slightly for my taste and can attest that it is a very simple, healthy and nutritious meal which is perfect since the weather is starting to turn just a little tat cooler.

The meal was so delicious that I had forgotten take any photographic evidence! Therefore, please excuse me this time and hope that you will try it some day.

Here's what you need:

Ingredients serves 4

200g Swiss Brown Mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 carrots, sliced into small cubes
2 celery sticks, sliced into small cubes
1 brown onion, sliced finely
100g pearl barley
4 cups (1 litre) of Chicken Stock** - temperature hot
4 cups (1 litre) of extra water - temperature hot
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

1. In a deep soup pot over medium heat - add mushrooms, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, soy sauce and a little water. Cook till mushrooms are semi-soft. Remove from pot and set it aside.

2. In the same deep soup pot over medium heat - add onion, carrots, celery and 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown the vegetables for 5 minutes and add the cooked mushrooms back in the pot.

3. Add Chicken stock, barley and extra water into the pot. Cook on high and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Serve it on its own or with crushy bread on the side.

** I use Massel for all my stocks (chicken, beef, vegetables) because it is tasty, free of MSG and all the stocks are made from vegetables. Yes, even the meat stock powders are made from vegetables. Therefore, this recipe is great for vegetarians too! If you are using Massel brand stock for this recipe, use 4 tbsps of stock powder and you won't need to add any salt to this soup / meal.

There's a change in the air

Finally, the cooler mornings have started to descend upon us here in Brisbane. I love crisp mornings like this and am thrilled that it will stay till September, at the very least. Crisp mornings are best enjoyed in bed if you are a reluctant riser like me or with a nice cuppa tea under the outdoor patio while sniffing the fresh air and watching the lorikeets feast on native plants.

The other thing I love to do on mornings like this is to check out my kitchen garden (of course!). Come along and join me won't you?

The flourishing rows of yellow and orange Marigolds have been great deterents of pests to my garden.

Check out the Okra or otherwise known as 'Ladies' Fingers' - I have never seen them this huge in the stores!

Check out the Beetroot that's peeking through the earth! It has taken quite awhile for it to greet me. I wonder how long I can keep it in there...perhaps, I should find out?!

This is a little Truss Tomato still in its infancy. As we hardly get frost here, let's all hope they continue to grow through the cooler months so that I can enjoy plucking them instead of paying a small fortune for them at the stores!

Check them out! These marigolds are so bright! Don't they just make you smile?

Yes, that's parsley grown between each marigold plant. It's flourishing very well without much t.l.c. Grow some in your garden or in a pot - they are full of vitamin C!

Here's a cucumber. Yes, I am not kidding you. This is cucumber grown naturally without any human interference. Did I tell you that my Kitchen Garden is an organic one? Yes, no pesticides or insecticides have been used, ever!

Yes this is is yet another eggplant. It's by far my most productive produce, ever!

I was at home on this particularly day and had heaps on my mind when I heard a soft knock on my door. God sent me  two little angels on this day to cheer me up!

They are my two all-time favourite little girls from next door. Absolute joy to be around - incredibly well behaved, loving and oh so cheeky. If I am ever bless to be a mum, I want to have children like them!

Oh and their parents manage a highly successful restaurant in Brisbane call "Blue Smoke". If you are a carnivore like me and crave for authentic American Smoke BBQ ribs and other delectables.

Blue Smoke BBQ

9/85 Merthyr Road, New Farm QLD 4005

Ph (07) 3358 1922

p.s.  They did not pay me to mention this at all.

LOOK at what I DISCOVERED!

I am a novice when it comes to vegetable gardening and last weekend, I was extremely excited (like a little girl in a toy shop full of Barbie Doll displays) to discover my very first cucumber amongst the climbing cucumber vines!

In addition to this wonderful discovery, I now know that how Okras (also known as Ladies' Fingers) grow too!

It's delightfully gratifying to see that with hardly any effort, all these ad hoc selection of seedlings have flourished under my negligence. Yes, that's the flower of an Okra. Isn't that just gorgeous?

I just had to harvest these gorgeous vegetables - they were literally screaming out to me to be picked! We had our cucumber last night in a salad and I dare say that it was the freshes, tastiest and crunchiest cucumber, ever.

The eggplants I will cook tonight and I do love them so! Bon Apetito!

Deluge of Rain = massive growth!

It's an understatement that it's been Raining Cats and Dogs here in the state of Queensland. In fact, the total area of flooding equates to the size of the state of Victoria. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for the rain because our State needs it and so long I am indoors it doesn't bother me (too much) until 'cabin fever' sets in! Anyhow, with rain also comes massive growth! Here are some photos I've taken this weekend during the very brief moments when rain decided to take a break!

(from top to bottom: healthy & happy looking Oregano, lush Raddiccio and various other vegetables)

(from top to bottom: what a grogeous bright flower of Squash, more of those flowers coming through)

(from top to bottom: Big & spreading leaves of the Cucumber plant, rows of pests detering Marigolds)

(from top to bottom: Baby Eggplants, flowers of Eggplants)

Caprese Salad + side of fresh Figs topped with Maple Syrup

My philosophy with food is simplicity using affordable seasonable produce. This is one of my Summer favourites and hope you will try it sometime.

Caprese Salad serves 2

3 Truss Tomatoes, sliced thickly (9 slices)
1 big ball of Mozarella, sliced thinly (9 slices)
9 freshly plucked Basil leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mixed Olives in Italian dressing, bought from the Deli (optional)

1. On a wide platter, assemble all the ingredients and serve immediately. Serve with side of rice crackers!

Fresh Figs topped with Maple Syrup serves 2

3 fresh figs (12 slices)
4 tbsps Maple Syrup

1. On a small platter, arrange all the ingredients. Served immediately.

My Kitchen Garden continues to flourish!

This Kitchen Garden was established in October 2009 under the initiative of my husband who measured out the space, ordered the basal blocks required, constructed it over a few weeknights after work, etc. It has been one of the best additions to our home as we continue to derive much satisfaction watching its continual flourish!

These photos were taken on the second last day of Summer and hope that they inspire you as much as it has nourished us!

(from left to right:  The last crop of cherry tomatoes, Passionfruit vine growing along the fence)

(from left to right: A passionfruit flower waiting to be pollenated, Lemongrass)

(from left to right: Okra also known as 'Ladies' Fingers', one of four cucumber seedlings)

(from left to right: 4 bushes of Lebanese eggplants, check out their healthy sizes)

(from left to right: 1 of 4 Basil bushes, delicious & peppery rocket leaves)

(from left to right: 1 of 4 Zucchinis, 1 of 4 Squashes - they've been establishing their roots very quickly!)

(from left to right:

Bok Choys have been very generous - I harvest a huge handful of leaves every 3 days to keep up with its vigiorous growth and have never bought another bunch of Chinese Vegetables from the supermarket since last October, 1 of 6 Beetroots - the leaves are delicious)

(from left to right: 1 Capsicum seedling, my Kitche Garden in 2 basal block garden beds)

Why raised garden beds?

We have clay soil which makes it incredibly hard to dig and clay soil does not drain well. Hence raised garden beds are perfect in this case. No digging involve and the water drains from the plant so that it does not suffer from root rot.

Is it high maintainence?

Not at all. I water our garden beds every other day using the rainwater harvested from our watertank and apply liquid fertiliser to them once a week during the growing season.

Any pests?

Definitely. However if you check your garden out at least once a day or every other day, you are able to combat them with your fingers! It's important to note also that Magnolias (the orange and yellow flowers bordering the garden beds) are great deterant of bugs!

What about Campanion Planting?

Oh! I definitely practice that. With the help of Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Campanion, I have certainly learnt never to plant tomatoes next to Asian Greens and to plant tomatoes next to basil!

Chilli Con Carne

With the arrival of our new 4 door stainless steel fridge, we decided to to go to Super Butcher to buy our meat in bulk since we now have a huge freezer! One of the many items we bought was lean beef mince. A very versatile meat for meatballs, bolognaise, stir-fries, etc.

I decided to make Chilli Con Carne with mine and it's yummy - fast to cook - with heaps of left overs for lunch the following day + another dinner for next week as it freezes very well.

Easy Peasy Chilli Con Carne serves 6

1kg lean beef mince
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 fresh tomatoes, cut roughly
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
6 tsps ground cumin
4 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps ground chilli powder
4 tbsps beef stock powder
1 tin of red kidney beans
1 tin of whole tomatoes
Salt & Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh coriander, optional

1. 
   
   In a deep stainless steel pan, add oil and fry spices (cumin, coriander and chilli powder) until fragrant. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Combine well with spices
2. 
   
   Add beef mince and combine well. Making sure to break up the clumps of meat. When it is brown, add the rest of the ingredients. Cook it on high and simmer for 20 minutes
3. 
   
   Serve hot on its own, with tortilla or rice. Add salt and pepper to taste

Tips to enable successful multi-tasking

While the meal is simmering over the stove for 20 minutes, jump into the shower to wash the day off or partake in some menial household chores so that you don't have to do it 'later' e.g. folding and putting away laundry, tidying the couch of the various remote controls, feed the cat (in my case), etc

This meal freezes very well and that's why I cook this in bulk. I have enough to feed the husband & I for dinner, lunch for next day and another meal for the following week. That means, that's one less meal to cook the following week!