Soup Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, peeled, cut and seeded
2 ½ cups fresh tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion,chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups tomato juice
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:
Shred cucumber with a grater. Combine tomatoes, pepper, onion, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.

Add shredded cucumber to mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill for at least two hours before serving.

Salsa Dip

Ingredients:
450 gm processed cheese spread
250 gm jar salsa

Method:
Microwave cheese spread and salsa in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for five minutes on high. Stir after three minutes. Serve with baked tortilla chips, pepper wedges or potato skins.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
4 halves of boneless chicken breast
2 lemons
1 tsp dried tarragon (available at Hypercity, Malad)
Fresh pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in foil-lined baking pan. Fold sides of the foil up. Halve lemons and squeeze juice of ½ lemon over each chicken piece. Sprinkle each piece with 14 tsp tarragon and pepper to taste. Fold foil together and seal to secure chicken. Bake for about 45 minutes and serve.

Garden Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
2 tsps olive oil, 1 cup chopped onions, 2 tsps chopped fresh oregano, 4 cloves garlic, 3 cups chopped zucchini, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup fresh corn, 4 cups chopped tomato, 3 cans of chicken broth, 1/2 cup uncooked Ditalini pasta (very short tube-shaped macaroni), 1 cup beans, rinsed and drained, 1 pack fresh spinach, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup grated cheese, coarsely ground black pepper (optional).

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions to the pan and saute for three minutes or until the onions get soft. Add oregano and garlic and saute for one minute.

Stir in zucchini, carrots and corn. Saute for five minutes or until vegetables are tender and remove from the flame. Place three cups tomato and one can broth in a blender; process until smooth. Add the tomato mixture to the pan and return it to the flame. Stir in the remaining one cup tomato and remaining two cans broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

Add pasta and beans to the pan; cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the flame. Stir in spinach, salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Top with cheese and garnish with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.

Spicy Chicken Soup

Ingredient:
1/4 kg boneless chicken cut into 1-inch cubes, 2 small potatoes, cubed, 1 small carrot, diced, 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 2 tbsps mustard, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 2 1/2 cups vegetable juice, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, salt to taste.

Preparation:
Combine the chicken, vegetables, mustard, black pepper, and garlic powder in a cooker. Add the vegetable juice and chicken broth to it. Cover and cook on a low flame for 7 to 9 hours. Taste and add salt, if needed.

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients:
Tofu, 1 pound chicken,
Marinade: (1 tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp sesame oil and ½ tsp corn starch). 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, 3 to 4 fresh mushrooms, 6 cups water (or 6 cups water and 1 cup chicken broth), salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsps soy sauce, 2 tbsps vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water, 1 beaten egg, 1 green onion, finely chopped, white pepper to taste, hot chilli oil to taste.

Preparation:
Shred the chicken. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.

Cut the tofu into small squares. Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices. Wash and cut mushrooms into thin pieces.
Bring the water to a boil. Add the bamboo shoots and mushrooms while the water is boiling. Then, add the tofu. Bring the mixture back to a boil, and add the marinated chicken.

Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil, and stir.

Mix the cornstarch with water. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup. Make sure you stir the broth while this mixture is being added. Take the broth off the stove as soon as it starts boiling. Slowly add the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time. Add the green onion and the white pepper to taste. Drizzle with chilli oil if desired. Serve piping hot.
Vegetarians can make the soup without the chicken.

Onion and Garlic Soup

Ingredients:
5 cups thinly sliced onions, 3 sliced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, 10 slices bread (sliced about 1/4 inch thick), olive oil for brushing, grated cheese.

Preparation:
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan, and add the sliced onions and garlic to it. Reduce the flame to medium-low heat, and cook for about one hour, stirring from time to time until the onions are limp and nicely browned. Add the stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to low, cover the pan, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush each bread slice with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and bake them on a baking sheet for about six to eight minutes until both sides are brown. Remove, sprinkle each slice with cheese, and put back into the oven until the cheese melts. Serve hot, and top each bowl of soup with two of the bread croutons you’ve just made.