holiday soup

5:30 pm. Despite my tiredness from a long week and a bout of illness, I was happy. Why? Well, my holiday had officially begun. Technically, I suppose it doesn't begin until Monday, until I leave for the States, but in my mind I was already on the flight.

But first - packing, cleaning, organising, those oft-forgotten aspects of the holiday. And step 1 for me was cleaning out the refrigerator. My easy solution: make a soup. (I do realise that making a soup is my answer to everything, but I can't help it - soups are great.)

Soups are easy - it takes a lot to mess one up. Even the most simple soup tastes good provided it is seasoned well. But this summer vegetable soup is just perfect.

Summer vegetable soup
(serves 2)

In my refrigerator:
a bag of chantenay carrots (I couldn't resist these luxury carrots last time I was at the shops)
a very oversized courgettes (from my parents-in-laws' garden)
a handful of runner beans (same)
a bulb of fennel (the secret ingredient)
leeks
watercress

Matched with what's in my pantry:
50 g lentils
1.5 litres of stock (either homemade or use Marigold boullion powder)
bay leaves
bouquet garni

Another great thing about these soups is that the quantities are purely optional and depend on the contents of the fridge.

To conjure:

Let the carrots, leeks and chopped fennel stalks and leaves sweat in a large pot with a couple sprays of olive oil for about 10 minutes.

Add the stock (about 1 litre and a half). Add the chopped courgettes, beans and the rest of the fennel. Add in the cupboard spices too, as well as some salt and pepper.

In a separate pot, boil the lentils for 1o minutes, then drain and add to the soup.

Allow the entire soup to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir in the watercress just before serving.

Garnish with reduced fat sour cream and shredded basil leaves and pepper.

Calories: for 1/3 of the soup, topped with sour cream and basil, served with one piece of toast and 25 g goats cheese: 400 calories

I served this with toast smeared with lovely French goats cheese and sprinkled with pepper. My husband came home later and gobbled up the rest. His compliment? "It's great, you can't even taste the lentils." I'll take it, I suppose.

The one thing I would say about this soup - it's not meant to sit for a long time. The watercress will wilt and the other vegetables will go mushy. But this is what makes it so great - you're cleaning out the fridge and filling yourself at the same time. Plus, it's a one-dish meal, so there isn't much to clean up (Though that's not my job anyway - hey, I did the cooking!)

Avocados are one of my favourite treats. They are high in fat, but as everyone quickly mentions, it’s the good fat. Creamy, nutty, light, but also filling, avocados are perfect for summer.

Guacamole is one of the most amazing dips ever. I make mine quite light (out of preference), as I don’t think oil or sour cream is necessary. Let the avocado come through.

This recipe can be easily multiplied.

2 avocados
2 cloves garlic, minced
Small handful coriander leaves
Juice of one lime
Salt to taste
Pinch of cumin

Combine all ingredients. Be sure to mash the avocadoes with a fork.

Avocado salsa is also fantastic.

Mix chopped avocado, onion, black olives, sweetcorn, lime juice, onions, and vinegar. If you want to do it the night before to let the flavours soak in, add all the ingredients except the avocado, then add that right before serving.

It's absolutely delicious, I promise you.

But I get to my point – dinner last night. Pasta with an avocado pesto with fresh herbs. Now, originally I was doubtful, because the avocado is mixed into warm pasta. But the trick is to make the pesto literally just before serving and then mix it through the warm pasta.

It’s delightful – the pesto is made from basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice (though I used lime – I have trouble getting guacamole out of my mind), salt, pepper, chilli, and parmesan.

I should say here it’s a Waitrose recipe http://www.waitrose.com/recipe/Avocado_Pesto_Linguine_with_Fresh_Herbs.aspx, and I think they have got it nearly right. It is fantastic as it’s ready inside 20 minutes. However, the garlic comes on really strong, and I didn’t use very much. I think it’s because it’s raw, minced and mashed, and it coats EVERYTHING. I’m not quite sure how to take care of this, pesto is naturally raw. Perhaps use prepared garlic? Or roasted garlic?

But the avocado pesto as a sauce was decadent. I added a bit more greenery with some watercress leaves, which gave a good crunch with the soft pasta and and slithery sauce.

a supper-sized salad

I picked up fresh peaches from Lower Marsh market today. They were too ripe, too good not to put in a fresh, tangy salad with creamy avocado, fresh mozzarella, crispy bacon, and clean leafy spinach. The trick is to find ingredients that are delicious but not over the top with fat. After the rich flavours of the dinner party the night before, a light dinner could not be a more ideal choice.

(serves 2)
200 g spinach leaves
2 peaches, quartered
1 peach, mashed
1 lemon, juice of
1 large ball of reduced-fat mozzarella (like Tesco's Healthy Living)
1 pack danish-style trimmed bacon (again, Tesco's Healthy Living makes good ones)
1 avocado, chopped
basil leaves
salt and pepper

combine all the ingredients into individual bowls. Place the 8 rashers under the grill - I like them crispy, but grill them to your liking. For the dressing, combine the peach mash, lemon juice and basil leaves with salt and pepper - use a hand blender to make the dressing. Drizzle over the top of the salad and top with the bacon rashers.

My favourite thing about this salad is the peach oil-less vinaigrette. The flavours are amazing - so alive. If anything, oil would drag it down in my opinion.

If you prefer, toss the salad leaves with the dressing first, then add the avocado, mozzarella, peaches and bacon.

Serve in large bowls.

Calories per serving: 390. Great for a light dinner - or a Saturday afternoon lunch.