Tag Archives: soup

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Soups are great for healthy eating! When I’m trying to eat better, I love making them because as soon as the soup is prepared, I portion out the sizes into individual containers to make it easy to grab for lunch (and to not overeat!). This Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale is rich in fiber but low in calories and fat. Not to mention it’s vegetarian! Creamy, sweet Great Northern Beans are simmered with onion, garlic, rosemary and thyme in vegetable broth (any kind of broth will work here) and then carrots and kale are added until soft. Red pepper flakes and white wine vinegar are tossed in at the end where both lend a real flavor boost. The original recipe calls for escarole but since I started eating kale a few months ago, I always try to use it wherever I can. Any leafy green – spinach, collard greens, or swiss chard – will work, so use whatever you like. The only thing I left out is the addition of the parmesan rind and although I’m sure it adds a ton of flavor, I didn’t see the need for the extra calories so I just used a little parmesan cheese on top before serving. I loved this soup more than I ever expected to and cannot rave about it enough. I will make this again, no question!

The ingredients:

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook until soft and then add in the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.

Add in the vegetable broth, water, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for 10 minutes.

Add in chopped carrots and kale and cover for 15 minutes.

Stir in red pepper, salt, black pepper, and vinegar. Remove the parmesan rind (if using). Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Parmesan rind

Substitutions:

Kale for escarole

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spinach and Lentil Soup with Cheese and Basil

I filled my refrigerator with fruits and vegetables yesterday and am trying, really trying, to eat better. After all, summer will be here before I know it and I’m nowhere near ready for shorts and tank tops, let alone a swim suit. Soups are such a great way to eat lots of vegetables, fill up without feeling deprived, and also easy to make so you can control the salt and calories. Soups are also great to make over the weekend and reheat later. Portion out servings ahead of time and you’ll have something quick to grab for lunch on your way to work.

This Spinach and Lentil Soup with Cheese and Basil is loaded with veggies like celery, carrot, onion, and spinach, layered with flavors such as thyme, bay, and basil, and satisfying due to the hearty lentils. I don’t particularly like canned lentil soup but everytime I make my own soup with lentils, I’m completely happy. The lentils here are earthy, rustic, warm and homey and they don’t leave me feeling unsatisfied. This soup can also easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the pancetta and using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. I left out the pancetta but I’m sure leaving it in only adds another layer of flavor and depth to this soup so leave it in if you choose.

The ingredients:

Cook onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil with fresh thyme and a bay leaf for 8 minutes until tender.

Add in the lentils, broth, and water.

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 40 minutes.

Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Scoop two cups of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour pureed soup back into the pan and stir.

Add baby spinach, basil, cheese, and lemon juice.

Serve warm.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Pancetta

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Orange Pepper Soup with Cilantro Purée

December 27, 2011
Shannon
2 comments
apple, food, ginger, peas, peppers, potato, soup

The last time I was at the produce market, I picked up a big bag of orange peppers for no reason other than to have something colorful and different in my refrigerator. I cut some up for stir-fry, threw in some with chicken in curry sauce, and chopped some up for salad. But since produce markets give you more than you need, I was still left with several that I didn’t know what to do with. That’s when I came across this recipe for Orange Pepper Soup with Cilantro Purée. The recipe calls for yellow peppers but the orange peppers are just as sweet and worked just as perfectly in this chilled soup. Although this is loaded with other flavors like garlic, onion, potato, apple, ginger, and fennel, the orange peppers are the star and are beautifully complemented by the other ingredients. The other highlight to this soup is the addition of curry powder which lays low in the background and provides a subtle warmth. The cilantro purée adds another layer of fresh flavor that works deliciously with the peppers. To easily make this soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. This soup would be perfect for a warm summer evening but it was still just as a good on a cold December day.

The soup ingredients:

Chop all of the produce (all of it will go into the blender so a coarse chop is fine).

Heat a skillet with butter and sauté the onion and fennel until soft.

Add in the curry powder, ginger, and garlic and sauté 1 minute.

Stir in the white wine and cook until evaporated before adding in the chopped peppers, apple, potato, chicken broth, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes.