Mucho Minestrone...

What a grotty week.  I am feeling like stink, my youngest is sick again for the 3rd time in 2 months, the weather sucks, it's all so truly uninspiring.  My body is begging for healthy food but I feel so wiped out that I am finding myself over-dosing on easy access carbs and am feeling like a true fatty baloomba.  Anyway today I forced myself to make some minestrone as this really is the best you can eat in a bowl as it's loaded with veg and a bit of protein and carbs.  Just what the doctor ordered!

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
1.5 red onions diced
2 carrots diced
2 celery sticks diced
200g smoked back bacon diced with fat removed
3 cloves of garlic
2 courgettes diced
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
1 glass of wine
500g chicken stock
1/2 bag frozen free flow spinach (175g)
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
60g soup pasta (I use Ditali Lisci as it's the perfect size for this soup)

Method
Put the onions, carrots, celery, bacon and garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil and sweat over a very low heat for about 30 minutes or until soft.  The key is that the veg must be soft.  Add the courgettes, wine and tomatoes and cook for a further 30 minutes on a very low heat.  Add the stock, spinach, beans and pasta and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked.  Season to taste if necessary.  I find a good grind of black pepper and some parmesan shavings over the top equals soup perfection.

My kind of Chicken Pasta

On a recent tour of the South Island, my cousin made a beautiful chicken pasta dish one night which I loved as it contained some of my favourite ingredients. I have adapted it slightly to suit my palate better by adding spinach, as it seemed to be more naughty than good for one, but the addition of spinach allows me to think I am being virtuous.

This makes a good amount for 4...

500g of your favourite pasta
2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite size chunks
1 chopped onion
crushed garlic
chopped bacon
1/2 tub cream cheese (use the light variety if you are watching your fat intake, it works just as well)
sundried tomatoes
olives
capers
spinach(I use baby leaf or frozen parcels, defrosted)
parmesan cheese
pine nuts

Boil the pasta as per the packet instructions...

While the pasta is cooking, saute the garlic, onions and bacon in a little butter/olive oil and put aside. Fry the chicken breast in a hot pan until golden and cooked through but still moist. Put in a mixing bowl along with bacon/onion/garlic. Stir through the tomatoes, olives, capers and spinach, and the cream cheese. When the pasta is cooked stir this through too, and the season with salt and pepper (remembering not too much salt as the bacon and olives are salty). If you need to add more cream cheese do so. Grate parmesan cheese into the pasta and sprinkle over toasted pine nuts. Serve up with your favourite green salad. Bon Appetito.