wow - that is a meaningful soup topping!

A swirl/splash of yoghurt or crème fraîche, a pile of seriously-crispy croutons, a sprinkling of fresh herbs, a drizzle of flavoured oil or a scattering of nuts and/or seeds are great to add an extra dimension to your soups but soup-lovers seem to be going out on a limb to make their soups really come alive with all manner of toppings! Let’s investigate!

The above pic and recipe with thanks to Coles Australia is a pumpkin soup with a topping that involves smoked ham, quinoa, rolled oats, all manner of seeds, flaked almonds, chives and honey and there is absolutely no doubt that this is a meal in a bowl!! I fancy that this style of topping could marry rather well with a vast range of silky and pureed soups.

Perhaps I haven’t been sufficiently adventurous with my souperydupery soups? Must try harder! But I am rather pleased with the red pepper topping for my Squash & Sage Soup which gives it a delightful kick!

other soup toppings worth consideration

Baked Parmesan Crisps - arrange a few piles of parmesan or other hard cheeses on a baking tray and bake in a medium oven for 5 minutes - watch them closely!

Gremolata - see my recipe for Cataplana

Pesto - homemade or ready-made

Streusel - pan-fry tart berries with chopped mixed nuts, a little sugar and a fair amount of spice - apparently it is great with pureed vegetable soups

Pickles - particularly dill pickles, very finely chopped on a beautifully-smooth tomato soup

Tempura squid, prawns or vegetables - haven’t tried this as yet but I imagine the extra ‘crunch’ atop a soup would be well-delicious!

Nut butters and tahini - these could definitely work with fairly ‘punchy’ soups like Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper and Chorizo or Lamb, Rice and Spinach

Romesco Sauce/Dip - this is so perfect with roasted vegetables so I can’t see a single reason for not dolloping a spoonful over soups! - here is the recipe

There aren’t many people in their 50s, 60s and beyond that don’t worry about the health of their bones (particularly women). And it’s easy to understand why. People are often unaware that they have fragile bones until a fracture occurs and low bone density can be a difficult condition to reverse in our later years.

A genetic predisposition and/or a poor diet plus a lack of weight-baring exercise over a number of years are usually the first things to merit blame but there’s no going back so the norm is for sufferers to be advised on a calcium-enriched diet, a gradual increase in physical activity where possible and more than likely, some sort of supplement*. In more severe cases, drugs are often prescribed but these can have a range of side-effects and studies show that up to 50% of women stop treatment within a year.  

Chicken, Chorizo & Greens Soup

Our bones certainly need calcium (and magnesium) and lots of both but what is vitally important is that the calcium and magnesium we get from our diet and/or supplements actually gets into our bones and that’s where a number of other vitamins and minerals come into play. Vitamins K, C, B6 and D and the minerals zinc, copper and manganese are vital for the regrowth of the protein mesh that both calcium and magnesium latch onto before new bone can be created so we need the lot and that’s where Popeye’s favourite comes in.

Spinach provides good to excellent levels of all of the above, other than vitamin D but it is its wealth of vitamin K which has seriously raised its status as a bone-builder. It’s not only bone that thins with age, bone marrow also becomes more ‘fatty’. Vitamin K has a huge fondness for fat and recent research on the bone marrow in elderly patients receiving hip replacements indicates that much of the vitamin K required for the bone-building process gets ‘locked’ inside the bone marrow and therefore unavailable. To add insult to injury, the richest food sources of vitamin K are ‘greens‘ and for a number of different reasons, many ‘seniors‘ are eating well below the recommended amount of not only ‘greens‘ but vegetables in general.

Around 200g of spinach provides a massive 888mcg of vitamin K so when you consider that in recent studies, a supplement of 1mg** reduced calcium loss and encouraged new bone growth it is easy to understand why spinach continues to create a deal of excitement!

I use it in a great many dishes. Here are a selection that not only provide good levels of bone-building nutrients (including vitamin D) but are also quick to prepare and delicious.

Poached Egg Special

One-Pot Chicken

Spinach & Watercress Soup

Chicken, Chorizo & Greens Soup

Lamb & Rice Soup

Fish in a Parcel

Parcel-Baked Fish

*Should you wish to consider an anti-osteoporosis supplement, ensure that it includes at least 600mg calcium, 300mg magnesium, 8mg manganese, 2mg boron and 2mg copper together with vitamins K, D and B6.

**If you are on an anti-coagulant such as Warfarin do not supplement Vitamin K as it may reduce its effectiveness.

Eating fresh, whole, seasonal and locally sourced produce may be ultra-trendy these days but in Portugal, good eating is a deeply engrained part of lifestyle and culture.

There are many conflicting stories as to why goat meat is popular in Portugal but one in particular makes good sense to me. During the French invasion of Portugal, soldiers regularly commandeered the livestock from peasant farms but they seemed to feel that ‘old goats’ were way too tough for their liking so chanfana (very slow-cooked goat) was born.

I recently came across The Scottish Goat Meat Company in Banffshire, Scotland and ordered a number of goat shanks in order to have a go at chanfana - I did not have the correct black pottery vessel (called a caçoilas ) or the wood-fired oven but I cooked it for over 5 hours and it was quite delicious!

Head to Victoria and Adam’s website and learn a lot more about their passion and about this ‘healthy’ meat.

Watermelon & Tomato Gazpacho

I was in Manhattan last week for a mind-blowingly-fabulous wedding in Brooklyn! The weather was blisteringly hot and The Liberty Warehouse on Pier 41 in the historic shipping yards of Red Hook, Brooklyn where the wedding, the feasting and the dancing took place was something else with the Statue of Liberty looking on and Manhattan in the background - very, very special indeed!

Of course, there was a fair amount of eating and drinking throughout the week with great friends - plus lots of new friends!

Two that I should mention: ABC Kitchen - everything our server, George suggested was superb (there was a lot of oohing and aahing going on). And yes, the salted caramel ice cream, chocolate sauce and popcorn was everything that past reviewers of the restaurant have raved about!

The Empire Diner at 210 10th Ave (corner of 22nd Street) where ‘he and me’ had a late brunch (pastrami on rye for himself, avocado toast and a really-spicy Bloody Mary for me). But it’s really more about the place which apparently has closed and opened over the years but locals keep coming back! It is a beautiful and fabulously-art deco space where you just kind of want to sit around and enjoy for hours!

However… you might be wondering where the soup in the intro pic came from? Well, as I mentioned, it was blisteringly hot and somehow or other the conversation moved onto chilled soups one lunchtime and I was reliably-informed by a number of NYC residents that there are a number of restaurants and diners that do a brilliant Watermelon & Tomato Gazpacho when the weather is unbearably hot and it is said that there is nothing like it to cool you down. I didn’t get a chance to partake but blow-me-down, when we arrived back in Glasgow, the weather was magnificent so I gave it a try and it was a bit of a triumph! Thanks to Mark Bittman, the widely respected food writer for the bones of this recipe in one of his very many New York Times columns. Here’s it is…

You know how when you are in a rush and happen upon ‘certain coffee establishments’ (that are not your usual haunts) and your coffee is simply way too damned hot and you have to take the lid off and dear alone know what happens next when you don’t have some sort of ‘cover’ to contain the possibly-ensuing drama?

Same goes for take-away soups in my experience! Not all (but too many in my book!) Surely we don’t want to have to ‘blow’ on every spoonful? Lunch hour could easily be over before we’re done!

I imagine it all comes down to the setting on the microwave and the fear of ingredients not being properly heated through (and someone getting sick or worse!) I often microwave my own homemade soups and each soup is so very different - clear, noodle-y types are reheated in a jiffy, vegetable-y, bean-y, lentil-y ones take a little longer and the meat-y, vegetabl-y broths can take an age (generally, you are better to just put them in a pan on a medium heat until the soup comes (just) to the boil and then simmer gently until you are ready to dive in!

Or perhaps, those ‘soup cups’ don’t lend themselves to ‘cooling down quickly’! My advice is to look for a mobile caravan which still has ‘the soup of the day’ in big soup kettles where the staff are way more in control of the temperature of the soup - just saying!.

One I am particularly fond of and follow is Union Genius of Edinburgh. They are quite a bunch - offering you a truly great lunch (soup is the main player) and maintaining their ethical approach to cooking and providing - have a look at their website - it’s inspiring….

Looking great, staying focused and having loads of energy when every day is full-on is a big ask and when you are often up at the crack of dawn, work long hours and regularly have to attend social events in the evening, getting your diet right to keep you firing on all cylinders can be stressful to say the least. And if you are trying to lose weight, can be even harder. But, a few little secrets up your sleeve can give you the edge over your bleary-eyed, stress-ridden contemporaries!

The Big Secret

Get this one right and you will be well-ahead of the game! You can’t afford energy dips if you want to keep all the balls in the air from morning to night, get a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed every day. The diagram below illustrates very simply why eating small, often and well provides sustained energy all day (the red line) and why forgetting to eat, eating on the run, grabbing a sugary/salty snack or following a very low calorie diet results in you roller coasting from huge bursts of energy which see you achieving mammoth tasks in record time only to be quickly followed by monumental energy dips where you just want to put your head on the desk and close your eyes (the black line). Keep your hungry brain satisfied and blood sugar highs and lows won’t invade your day (or night). 

TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOU IN THE RED ZONE

GRAZE ON FABULOUS FATS: Foods rich in essential fatty acids (particularly Omega 3s) keep you feeling fuller for longer, keep your brain sharp, plump up your skin cells delaying wrinkles, keep hair shiny and nails strong, accelerate fat loss and provide sustained energy.

Top Foods: Fresh nuts and seeds, nut and seed oils and butters, oily fish (fresh, frozen or tinned), Omega 3-rich eggs and avocado.

MAKE PROTEIN A PRIORITY: Adding a little quality protein to every meal and snack throughout the day ensures that the sugars derived from the carbohydrates you eat are delivered more slowly into the bloodstream thus avoiding energy dips and cravings.

Top Foods: Lean meats and poultry, game, eggs, beans, lentils, chickpeas and hard cheeses.     

BUY A BIGGER HANDBAG/BRIEFCASE: The power of a portable snack can’t be overstressed! With just a little pre-planning you can ensure that you keep the hunger monster at bay by grazing on a small healthy snack.

Top Foods: A bag of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit, a couple of mini oatcakes with cottage cheese, a few vegetable sticks with hummus, a small pack of fishy sushi or a pot of natural yoghurt with fresh fruit are easy to find, easy to transport and light on the pocket.

WATCH OUT FOR WHITE FOODS: White foods are mostly refined foods. The nutritious outer coating of the grain has been removed leaving little more than sugar and starch which are broken down and released into the blood stream at record speed, don’t satisfy you for long and prompt a need for another snack all too soon.

Top Culprits: White bread, white pasta, crisps, biscuits, cakes, pastries, fries, buns and sugary, fizzy drinks are the worst culprits. Keep them to a minimum wherever possible and if they are unavoidable have some protein alongside (see above). 

HIKE UP THE HAPPY FOODS: Some foods encourage the production of the reward chemical, dopamine which makes us feel happy and when we feel happy we are less likely to want or need a generous helping of our favourite comfort foods which more often than not don’t tick the healthy, nutritious foods box!

Top Foods: Fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, venison, eggs, oats, bananas and peanuts.

BECOME A BEAN-AHOLIC: Beans, lentils and some of their legume cousins are a rich source of non-digestible carbohydrates which help to slow down the pace at which other carbohydrates get broken down, keep you feeling fuller for longer, increase the absorption of calcium which is linked to reducing fat storage and promote a phenomenon where we regularly eat less at our next meal or snack.

Top Foods: All beans and lentils, corn, split peas, barley, brown rice, millet, oats

EXERCISE OUTDOORS: A deficiency of vitamin D can interfere with our appetite-suppressing hormone, leptin causing us to eat more. Vitamin D is primarily synthesised after exposure to sunlight. Exercising outdoors for half an hour a day, preferably with bare arms and legs ups the synthesis and helps to ensure we don’t become deficient.

Top Foods: Mackerel, herring, tinned salmon, tinned sardines and eggs provide reasonable levels of vitamin D so get them into your diet wherever possible.   

HAVE A BEDTIME SNACK: Sleep deprivation not only makes it nigh on impossible to fire on all cylinders all day but also, upsets the balance of the hunger and fullness hormones, ghrelin and leptin which prompt disordered eating patterns. One of the major reasons we find it difficult to get to sleep or wake up at five in the morning and can’t get back to sleep is because our blood sugar levels are all over the place. A small bedtime snack taken around half an hour before bed involving foods rich in the amino acid, tryptophan which prompts the production of the sleepy chemical, serotonin can be an extremely useful tactic.

Top Choices: A mug of hot chocolate made with 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate granules and soya milk, one egg lightly scrambled on an oatcake, a small plate of porridge with a drizzle of Manuka honey or a small bowl of turkey and spinach broth.

Just back from Portugal - again! And I can’t tell you how ridiculously-good their corn-fed chicken is… plus the vegetables from the Saturday market in Lagos, courtesy of the local farmers who bring their produce every single week - so fresh, so delicious, so colourful and so ‘straight from the earth and onto your plate’. So I had to make my my One Pot Chicken but with everything that the farmers had to offer - cabbage, peppers, aubergines, parsley and a few delicious nuts thrown in - that was a meal let me tell you!