Mexican soup and Toegate

Unsurprisingly, the 9 – 5 vegan thing just isn’t working out. I have zero resolve when there is something good for lunch at work and the alternative is salad leaves with tofu (no thanks). Also, I don’t know why but whenever there is a new person in the kitchen the standard of staff food goes up massively. Even more bizarrely in this case when the new staff member brings her own lunch in. I can only think that it is because deep down we’re all show offs. Still, any excuse for home made fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and pad thai works for me. I’m sorry to say that the weekends haven’t seen me eating much better either. Not least because we’ve had a few people to stay which has meant that on occasion far too much wine was consumed and I’ve put in some truly shocking displays at work. I’m embarrassed to say that on Friday night I drank so much wine, that on Monday morning I had no real recollection of what I had prepared on Saturday for Monday’s buffets. Thankfully, I had done a fairly reasonable job, even if my work list did look like it had been written out by a dyslexic ten year old in a dark room. This has meant that I’ve been indulging in some terrible habits such as pizza for breakfast, Lucozade (original, obviously) to get me through the day, and chips with everything. So, at the start of this week my body felt like not so much a temple, more an abandoned warehouse after a rave. Uncared for, empty inside and stinking of fags and lager. In an effort to aid my recovery, and to in some way make it up to my poor broken little body I have been hitting the salads HARD. And the vegetable soups. And the fruit. And the mint tea. And the large bottles of water. And the museli. And at last, I’m actually feeling pretty good again.

One of the soups I made which started as a ‘use up what I’ve got in the fridge’ soup, and turned into a ‘Mexican style use up what I’ve got in the fridge' soup was so delicious and restorative that I want to share it with you. But before I do, I would just like to let you all in on the perils of dozing off in the Jacuzzi. Obviously as part of my current regime, I’ve been hauling myself, sweating and frowning round the gym, and as a treat I have followed it all off with a twenty minute session in the Jacuzzi. Normally I’m with Diesel, and more often than not we’re on our own as luckily it’s not that busy. However today I was alone, and found myself after a few minutes nodding off a bit. This wouldn’t have been a problem had someone else not got in whilst I was dozing. However, I slowly woke up with the realisation that my toe was edging its way up someone’s shorts. ‘But Diesel is at work?’ I thought hazily. I opened my eyes wide at this point to see a middle aged guy looking at me quizzically.

‘Ohmygodi’msosorryimusthavedozedoffHAHAHAhowembarrasingohisthatthetimeimustdash’

I hope you can learn from my mistakes, almost as much as I hope never to bump into him again.

Enjoy the soup.

Mexican (style) chicken soup

Cooked chicken (about one breast between two is enough, or whatever you have left after a roast chicken)

Half a jar of passata/a tin of chopped tomatoes + an equal amount of water

1 cup of sweetcorn

1 vegetable stock cube (the Knor stock pots are the best thing after homemade)

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped

Chipotle sauce

Fry the onion and chilli until soft and translucent (use a low heat so you get no colour). Add the passata/tin of tomatoes and the water, the stock cube and reduce to a simmer. Leave for about 15 minutes, then tear the chicken into the soup and add the sweetcorn. Cook for a further 15 minutes, and add chiopotle and salt and pepper to taste. You could add some small pasta shapes or some tinned haricot beans to beef it out, not that it really needs it. Great with a mashed advocado and a toasted pitta on the side.