My slight variation on the broccoli soup (thanks Mr Ramsay):
1. Blend the broccoli boiled in salt water
2. Fry 2 cloves of chopped garlic
3. Add salt / pepper plus the garlic till you're happy with the seasoning
4. Goats cheese
5. Add walnuts, flaked almonds (lightly toasted)
6. Drizzle with olive oil and grind more black pepper on top.
Another great soup recipe is Pea and mint soup with Parma ham
1. Fry parma ham with olive oil and season with black pepper
2. Boil salt water and add mint and peas (about 500g). Blanch for about 3 minutes or when they are just tender and bright green.
3. Drain but keep the liquid.
4. Add mint and peas into blender and add about 500ml of the liquid that you've preserved earlier.
5. Blend it till a smooth puree, then add generous drizzle of olive oil and about 4-5 tbsp of creme fraiche.
6. Add salt / pepper to taste and blend again for about 30 seconds.
7. Serve with another spoon of creme fraiche on top and scatter the crispy parma ham over.
A good smoothie which can substituted for a meal:
Banana and passion fruit smoothie
1. Put 4 bananas with their skins on into the freezer for 1 hour. The skins will blacken but dont freak.
2. Scoop out the passion fruit pulp and press through a sieve into the blender.
3. Peel bananas and add into blender with 500 ml of chilled natural yoghurt, 100 ml milk and about 2 tsp of honey.
4. Whizz the blender.
Yum.
No other tips except never to put any parts of the blender into the dishwasher. Wash everything by hand after.