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    Tuesday, June 14, 2011

    Red Lentil and Carrot Soup- Lets have Onion Bread and Carrot Cake

    Lunch day at Juice TV
    I have posted this soup before, but it's winter and we all need more tasty soups people. to keep us warm. This is great, cheap and makes heaps. Just lightly spiced I thought it was great.
    To accompany it, I made my Basic white bread and added some spicy caramelised onions.
    AND a delicious  Carrot Cake. The cake I got from the Everyday Baking Programme on Food TV.
    It was easy and quick.

    Spiced Carrot Cake ( In My Net Diary Everyday Baking Carrot Cake)

    1/4 cup vegetable oil,  plus more for pan
    1 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour,
    plus more for pan
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 large eggs
    1/2 cup granulated sugar
    1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
    1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
    1 cup finely shredded packed (about 2 medium) carrots

    Quick Glaze
    1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
    2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Preheat oven to 170C
    Brush an 8-inch round cake pan with oil.
    Place a round of waxed or parchment paper in the bottom;
    brush with oil, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.

    In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt; 
    set aside. 
    In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil until smooth.
    Gently mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until moistened; mix in carrots. 
    Transfer batter to prepared pan.
    Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes
    (if browning too quickly, tent cake with aluminum foil).
    Cool in pan, 15 minutes.
    Turn out of pan, remove paper, and cool completely on a rack, right side up.
    Apply glaze, or dust with confectioners' sugar.

    Quick Glaze
    In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    until a smooth but thick glaze forms (too thin a glaze will be absorbed by the cake).
    Place a piece of waxed paper under cooling rack for easy cleanup.
    Spoon glaze back and forth over cake, forming a pattern.
    Keep cake on cooling rack until glaze is set, 15 to 20 minutes.

    Onion Bread
    2 cups white flour  
    1 tsp salt                
    1 tsp sugar              
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 packet yeast (8gms)  
    230 mls hand hot water

    Put yeast and sugar in 200 mls of hand hot water
    Stir
    Leave about 5 minutes to activate the yeast
    put the other ingredients into the food processor
    Let it whiz not too fast
    If it is not forming into a ball slowly add more water until it does

    Turn out onto bench and start kneading by pulling edges into the middle
    like a little parcel
    Place in a greased bowl for about 1 hour to rise

    Meanwhile
    Finely slice a peeled red onion
    Saute in 1 tablespoon olive oil
    Add 1 tsp ground cumin
    1tsp ground coriander

    Sea salt
    Freshly brown black pepper
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1 tablespoon finely cut fresh coriander roots and stalks
    Cook till soft and turning brown
    Set aside and Cool
    Take out the bread lay on the lightly floured bench and cover with the onion mixture
    Push all the edges in and knead with till it forms a smooth ball
    Back into greased bowl and cover for another 30 minutes
     When it has doubled
    Take this lovely doungh and press down to a rectangle on a greased and floured tray

    Bake at 205C about 20 minutes
    Remove. it should sound hollow when you tap it
    If not back in the oven about 5 more minutes


    Looking good.
    Now onto the main event
    Red Lentil and Carrot Soup  (In My Net Diary look under Gillis Carrot and Lentil Soup)

    I used the food processor to chop the vegetables and it was brilliant
    You may notice Vegeta. WE discovered this in Croatia they put it in everything. You can buy it here. It is a Vegetable Stock powder. Gluten free Great flavour. A must for the pantry


    55 gm unsalted butter      
    1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger 
    1/2 tsp ground allspice     
    1/2 tsp ground cumin     
    1/2 tsp ground ginger     
    and 1/2 tsp ground chili powder  
    1tsp curry powder 
    1 tsp ground coriander 
    300 gms onions finely chopped   
    143 gm parsnip      
    100 gms chopped celery
    1 k g sliced carrots    
    200 gms swede peeled and chopped  

    85 gms split red lentils     
    25 gms long rain rice     
    1 . 75 litres water
    Vegeta 3 tablespoon    
    400 ml can lite coconut cream  
    2  tablespoons fresh lime juice 

    MethodMelt the butter in a heavy based pan and
    Add ginger, allspice, cumin, chilli powder
    and Curry powder and coriander

    Cook over a low heat for about 3 minutes stirring constantly
    Add the vegetables and Vegeta
    Stir to combine and cook about 8 minutes
    Stir in lentils and rice
    Then the water
     Bring to boil and simmer around 30 minutes till the vege are tender and the lentils break up

    Into the blender
    Bring back to boil
    Add coconut milk and lime juice
    Taste and adjust if necessary

    Dont boil again just reheat
    Just add Fresh coriander and serve

    1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    mmmmm
    yumo!!
    Looks amazing Gilli? Katie and i make a fab black bean red kidney soup from the soup bible. Its called "spicy bean soup" funnily enough. Its delish. Has red wine and stock and a bit of balsamic, carrots celery in it too. Shall pass it on to you.
    Love Justine x