Winter Soup; Healthy & Satisfying

Soup helps you include lots of vegetables in your family's diet. It is nourishing, filling and economical. Try using lentils and beans for extra fiber,  herbs for flavor and vegetables for antioxidants. Homemade soup is healthy food.

On the right are some quick and easy soup recipes that can be prepared in under 10 minutes and cooked in less than an hour.

There is nothing like a nourishing bowl of piping hot soup on a cold winter's night.

If you are really pressed for time, try one the crock pot soup recipes. Put the ingredients in the crock pot before work and come home to the wonderful aroma of  a fresh pot of hot homemade soup.

Eat soup with salad and bread for a complete meal.

Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup  ( serves 8)

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 med onions sliced thin
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups red lentils, rinsed well
1/2 tsp. turmeric
Salt &  pepper to taste; hot pepper seeds  optional
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Instructions ; sauté onions very slowly in olive oil on low flame in a Dutch oven until the onions are caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, lentils and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add turmeric. lime, cilantro and 1/2 cup water if needed.  Simmer, covered, until the carrots and lentils are tender about 20 minutes. Garnish with additional cilantro, scallions and chopped egg if desired.

Variation: Puree soup in blender in batches and serve pureed then add garnishes.

** Red lentils can be found in the health food store, Indian groceries, middle eastern groceries or some supermarkets in the health food isle. ***

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Chinese Hot and Sour Soup ( vegetarian) serves 4

1/2 pound tofu (firm); press and slice into matchsticks

8 cups vegetable stock ( or water)

6 pieces of  fresh ginger ( sliced into match sticks)

1 oz. dried Chinese black mushrooms

4 scallions chopped

3 Tablespoons dry sherry

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons tamari sauce

2 TSP of corn starch or potato starch 

2 beaten eggs

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 TSP chili oil ( optional)

Pour 2 cups boiling water over mushrooms and allow to sit covered for 1/2 hour. Remove mushrooms and squeeze out all liquid. Use caps in soup.

Toss tofu with  the following: 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons tamari sauce. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Bring 7 cups of  vegetable stock to a boil and add the sherry, cider vinegar, tamari sauce, mushrooms, and marinated tofu and ginger. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Mix corn starch or potato starch with 1 cup of vegetable stock and add it to the soup pot.

Slowly add beaten eggs into the soup and stir well. Add scallions, pepper to taste, and sesame oil.

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For additional healthy soup recipes try these links:

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/eastasia/

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/soup/ 

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  Quick & Easy Lentil Soup

1 16 oz  bag brown lentils 

1/2 small bag baby carrots

2 stalks of celery, sliced

10 cups of water.

2 Tbsp cumin ( optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse lentils: Place all ingredients  in a 3 quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil then simmer covered until the lentils and vegetables are soft.  About 3/4 hour. Add 1 cup of water if needed as it cooks and evaporates.

     The Quickest Tomato Soup

This is a low fat, soup that can be made in an instant.

4 cups low sodium tomato juice.

Place in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Ladle into bowls. Add chopped hard boiled egg, chopped scallion, cooked rice, fresh cilantro, cumin, low fat milk or yogurt.

Click for some great soup recipes.

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/eastasia/

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/soup/