Thai-spiced sweet potato soup

Winter has come and I am keener than ever on soup. Soups are (mostly) easy and quick to make, nutritious and usually low in fat. The perfect comfort food for cold days. I found the recipe for his thai-spiced sweet potato soup on mediterrasian.com. The site promotes the "mediterrasian" lifestyle for all its health benefits and it contains a number of mouth-watering recipes. I tried the sweet potato soup and really liked it, although I might add some grated ginger or some lemongrass the next time to give it a little more of a kick. If you're looking for something extra-healthy, you can leave the coconut milk out or reduce the quantity, even without it, the sweet potatoes give a wonderfully creamy and rich-tasting consistency to the soup. I put a sprig of parsley on top as a garnish. For a more authentic feel, use coriander or some chopped thai basil.

Fast food, anyone?

Sometimes I feel like having fast food. That, however, does not mean that I end up in one of the notorious fast food joints. Oh, well, ok, once in a while I do, but I invariably leave dissatisfied: the thought of eating there is always better than actually eating there. My home made version of "junk food" tastes so much better and what's more - it's even healthy.

Potato wedges with dips

• 2 large potatoes per person
• some dried rosemary
• potato wedges spice mix (available from supermarkets, leave it out if you're feeling super-virtuous)
• freshly ground black pepper

Cut the potatoes in wedges and put in a bowl. Add the dried rosemary, crumbling it between your fingers. Add the potato seasoning and pepper and mix. Put the potatoes on a lined baking tray and bake in the preheated oven (220°) until soft on the insides and crispy on the outsides.

I like to serve the potato wedges with vegetable sticks or lightly steamed veggies (such as broccoli florets) and dips made from fromage frais (preferably low fat, it's thicker, use low fat greek yoghurt if you can't get hold of fromage frais) and

• ketchup
• salt
• pepper
• a little mayonnaise
• a few drops of tabasco and
• a teaspoon of cognac
  

or

• plenty of chopped parsley and chives
• salt and pepper.

These are especially delicious and satisfying when eaten with your hands. In front of the television even, if you wish. (If you have children, make sure they don't see you).