Carrot, Lentil and Coconut Soup and Other Things

We had another bunch of carrots in our veg box this week, I was thinking of all sorts of exciting things to do with them, but they all involved going to the shop to get ingredients.  I go shopping once a week and stick to that, I know if I just pop in for a couple of things I will end up spending much more than I intended.  So it was back to soup, but with a twist.  After looking through my store cupboard I came up with this soup.  It was a lovely warming soup, which suited the weather today.  Here is how I made it :)

1 tbsp of sunflower oil
1 large onion diced
1 1/2 lbs carrots chopped
1 tbsp medium curry powder
4 oz red lentils washed
400g tin of coconut milk ( just under 3/4 pint) I used the 'light' one
1 pint of veg stock
salt and pepper

As you can see I still work in pounds and ounces!

Soften the onion in the oil in a large saucepan

Add the curry powder and cook for 1 minute

Add the carrots and lentils, salt and pepper and give them a good stir,

Add the stock and coconut milk,

Bring to the boil

Cover and simmer until the carrots are cooked 25 - 30 minutes.

I then used my hand blender once it had cooled to make it into a lovely thick soup.  Really easy to make with just a few ingredients.  I have put a couple of portions in the freezer in preparation for after my operation.  It will be easy for me to heat these up for my lunch.


I was reading Dawns blog Doing it for Ourselves where she was talking about mushrooms.  I have these growing in the veg patch.  I haven't got a clue what they are, but I will not be eating them.

Does anyone know what they are?


I also spotted this Speckled Wood butterfly in the garden, I am trying to learn the names of them so I take a photo and look it up.  They are just so beautiful.  We have woods near us so are lucky to get wood living creatures.  We see Jays in the garden as well sometimes, I can never manage to get a photo of them, they are too flipping quick for me.

Several bloggers have mentioned the books by Elizabeth West.  I went onto greenmetropolis and managed to get an old copy for £3.75.  I will look forward to reading this, it reminded me of the Minack Chronicles by Derek and Jeannie Tangye.  I read one of their books years ago, I will have to have a hunt around and see if I can find it.  They wrote about moving down to Cornwall from London and living off the land.

News on decorating the guest room, I have finished the blind (not put up yet) and have been working on making a cushion with the fabric left over today.  I would have finished it if I hadn't spent half an hour looking for my buttonhole foot for my sewing machine.  I keep all my stuff in the spare room and it is a complete tip!!  I found it eventually in the basket I brought downstairs with the sewing machine.  Yes, my 'sewing room' is such a mess I can't actually sew in there!  I can't do anything else to the guest room at the moment.  Perhaps I should be clearing the spare/sewing room in the mean time!!

I hope the weather hasn't been too blustery where you are.

Chickpea xx

Welcome to Noushka :)