Curried Apple Soup

For the fun of it, we’ve decided to do themed weeks for January. This week we are eating Vegetarian. This soup is something I came across a few years ago and fell in love with.

I haven’t done it in a while but it’s on my list for “vegetarian week”. We eat it as an appetizer, so it lasts us for a few days. It is a little labor intensive, but it’s Delicious!

Curried Apple Soup
4 servings 4 P+/serving (counting the apples)

2 tablespoons Canola oil
2 cups onion -- chopped
3 large garlic clove -- minced
2 tablespoons ginger -- minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cayenne
5 cups tart apple -- peeled and chopped
4 cups water
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar (optional not included in P+)

Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begin to soften.

Add the spices, and sauté another 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add apples, water, cinnamon sticks, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, mostly cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are very tender. Remove from heat.

Take out the cinnamon sticks, and puree in a blender or food processor-bit by bit, so as not to splash yourself. Return the puree to the pot.

Add optional sweetening, and taste to adjust salt. Serve hot or cold, with or without some or all of the toppings. (Even though the toppings are fun and delicious, this soup is also wonderful just plan.)

Optional toppings (not included in P+): Lightly toasted shredded coconut; lightly toasted slivered almonds; a drizzle of yogurt; a few dried currants.

From: "Mollie Katzen's Recipes, Soups" Ten Speed Press.

Spiced Winter Fruit Salad

I like to roam the international sites, it’s fun to get ideas and inspiration from what other people are doing.

This I stole from the UK website and changed a little to make it lighter, and more to my taste.

Spiced Winter Fruit Salad
2 servings, 1 P+/serving*

Ingredients

6 medium Plums, halved and pitted
2 medium Orange
1 teaspoons Cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick
4 individual Cloves, Whole or Ground,
1 star anise (optional)
1 tablespoons Artificial Sweetener, powdered
1 medium Banana
1 teaspoons crystallized Ginger, minced very finely
6 tablespoons, Nonfat Greek yogurt

Put plums into a saucepan with 150ml (1/4 pint) water. Pare the zest from 1 orange with a potato peeler and add to the pan with the cinnamon (stick), cloves and star anise, if using. Cook gently for about 8 minutes, or until the plums are tender. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a sharp serrated knife to remove all the peel and pith from the oranges. Slice the flesh into segments, removing all the membrane. Add to the plums. Taste, adding powdered sweetener, if needed.

Slice the banana into the mixture, then ladle into two serving dishes.

Stir the ginger (if using) into the yogurt and spoon an equal amount on top of each fruit salad. Serve at once.

Note: The fruit salad is best when served barely warm.

Adapted from (and image from): www.weightwatchers.co.uk
*PointsPlus Value counted by hand, does not include fruits.