Tag / Vegetable soup

by susanb181

Hearty Lentil Veggie Soup

Lentils, tomatoes, onion, on cutting board to be made into Lentil soup

Lentil Veggie Soup process

 

Lentil Veggie Soup -recipe to come

Hope you don’t mind, but before  I share this recipe I want to express something that has become even more clear to me; the difficulty it can be for folks who had totally different lifestyle and eating habits to make healthy choices–and how impactful that can be.

What prompted this are two people I met in different circumstances. Rick and I were shopping for olive oils at a World Market store, and a guy started asking us about our choices, and that he was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and was “trying to reduce sugars”– he had no idea about carbs – just that “sugar is bad.” He was buying two large cans of high carb snack foods (no sugar though), to substitute for sugary snacks. Actually I couldn’t help but suggest he try this blog (and especially read “The Journey” post).

The second incident was a woman who came to our house to pick up bottles we were giving away (we’re in process of stuff reducing)–she was thrilled as now she had containers for her own salad dressing, sauces, and such non-processed foods she was making for the first time in her life. She was so excited as this was a huge change for her!

It hit me strongly that these folks are representative of a large group of our population- who grew up with lots of processed foods and are used to eating one way, and are now faced with changing their diets- and what a major deal it is. I know this theoretically, of course, but it was reinforced!

Made me realize even more how lucky some of us are to have grown up mainly eating in a healthy way, with an emphasis on fresh foods; (although my son went through a fish stick and tater tot phase–I’m not a total purist (<*).

Makes me even more motivated to show that delicious, healthy eating and cooking is not difficult, not expensive, (cheaper that buying most processed foods, such as bottled salad dressings), and fun to do!

Stay tuned soon for the Lentil Veggie Soup recipe!

 

 

 

 

www.type2delicious.com

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by susanb181

Hearty Kale and Bean Tuscan Soup

 

Delicious Kale Tuscan Soup with veggies and sausage

Delicious Kale Tuscan Soup!

A hearty and delicious cool weather meal is this kale and white bean soup with added veggies, sausages, wine and lots of flavour.

This soup has become our “go to” soup this winter; it’s very robust, filling, and has lots of other good healthy veggies, besides the kale. We also like sausages in it, but if you’re vegetarian you can omit them, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken.

We eat it with whole grain toast dipped in good olive oil, and complete the meal with a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing. I always eat my salad last, in the European way, as my parents were from Germany. Rick now does the same- somehow it’s very satisfying and you don’t crave desserts (as much). (<*

*If you’re interested in the recipe’s nutritional content, I’ve added a list at the end of the recipe (from a site that analyzes recipes). It seems to be pretty accurate although I think the sodium count is lower than on the list; (it is not totally specific for ingredients such as the sausages).

Tuscan kale and bean soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 32 oz. containers broth (I use low sodium chicken broth, but vegetable works fine too)
  • 2-3 sausages sliced (your choice – I use various cooked chicken sausages or mild Italian)
  • 2-3 large carrots, sliced in 1/2 ” rounds
  • 1-2 zucchini chopped in 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 large bunch of kale, leaves stripped and chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped into medium pieces
  • 1 sweet potato chopped fine
  • 2 cans white beans- (cannelloni, Northern, etc.)- tip: mash about 1/3 of the beans with a large fork before adding to the soup. This thickens it without additional thickener like flour which adds unnecessary carbs.
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine (your choice, I use whatever we have leftover)
  • 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • lemon zest to taste
  • 1 or 2 large Bay leaves
  • Salt free seasoning/pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Preheat large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add olive oil.

2.  Add chopped onion, zucchini, Bay leaves and carrots. Brown and sauté on medium heat approx. 10 minutes, until somewhat tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes, making sure garlic doesn’t burn.

3. Add sausages, potatoes and beans, then kale and cook another 4-5 minutes until kale is a bit wilted. Add broth, wine and Spices except for lemon zest.

4. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down heat to a slow simmer.

5. Simmer on low for approx. 30-40 minutes

6. Test for tenderness (carrots and potatoes especially)

7. Add lemon zest and adjust spices and seasonings to taste.

8. Serve with the always delish green salad, and whole grain toast if you like.

Enjoy!

www.type2delicious.com

*

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 6 (501g)
Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories 209
Total Fat 4.8g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 322mg 13%
Potassium 475mg 14%
Total Carb 25.6g 9%
Dietary Fiber 6.1g 25%
Sugars 4.2g
Protein 12.8g
Vitamin A 96% · Vitamin C 94%
Calcium 9% · Iron 21%
*Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Recipe analyzed by 
by Maggie

Easy Winter Vegetable Soup

image image image Hot, tasty vegetable soup When the weather’s cold or rainy, (I live in California so our cold isn’t as extreme as much of the US, but we do get our chilly, rainy days), nothing satisfies like a hot, steaming bowl of soup, especially one that is full of seasonal vegetables like kohlrabi, parsnips, cabbage and onions.

This soup is delicious, natch; plus very easy to make and chock full of ingredients that are very good for you. It can also be made ahead of serving. As you know, soup is always better the next day!

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2-3 carrots cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 kohlrabi, chopped into 1/2 ” pieces
  • 2-3 parsnips chopped into (yes- you guessed it) 1/2″ pieces- a chef told me that it really doesn’t matter if you have elegant chopping technique but that the point is to chop similar density food so that it is similar in size so it cooks approximately at the same time.
  • 1 small regular cabbage or savoy-type cabbage chopped; (savoy is a  cabbage with more curly leaves and a rectangular shape- I use this when I can get it for this soup)
  • 1-2 zucchini or winter yellow squash, chopped into 1/2″ rounds.
  • 1 med. onion chopped (can be finer chopped)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • 1-2 scallions, chopped fine
  • 1/2-3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, including juice
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Herbs; your choice
  • No-salt seasoning (Trader Joe’s has a good one; 21 Seasoning Salute)

TO DO

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add the kohlrabi, carrots, parsnips and saute for 6-7 min., stirring occasionally.

2. Add the chopped cabbage and saute 4-5 min. more. It will seem like a lot of cabbage but it cooks down.

3. Add the onions, garlic and shallots and saute a few minutes until they start to become translucent. Then add the zucchini and/or squash.

4. Add the tomatoes with juice, wine, stock, bay leaf and spices to taste.

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 40-45 min. until the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

6. Optional: add chopped cooked sausage.

Serve with crusty whole grain toast, if allowed on your diet, and a tangy vinaigrette-dressed green salad. ( I also like a dollop of plain yogurt on top.)

Enjoy!

www.type2delicious.com

by susanb181

Veggie Lentil Soup

veggie-lentil-soup-ingredients

Fresh, dried and canned ingredients

diabetes-friendly-veggie-lentil-soup-ingredients

Fresh, canned, (we were lucky to be given home-canned tomatoes), and dried ingredients

healthy-veggie-lentil-soup-broth

So good in the pot (added bay leaf)

 

diabetes-friendly-veggie-lentil-soup

Goodness is in the bowl!

A hearty and delicious cool weather meal is this lentil soup, with added veggies, wine and lots of flavour.

Lentils do have higher carbs but they are also are high in protein and fiber. Of course, you can moderate your amounts, depending on your own health situation. For more lentil nutrition info, go to the link marked * at the end of this post.

Some lentil soups are too watery, and some are too thick. This one has the right balance of broth and substance. You can also add other vegetables, and even bacon, but this is how I make it.

I recently made this Soup with red lentils from a brand called “Pereg”— and was disappointed that these lentils never got totally tender, even after a lot of cooking- first one hour, then two subsequent cookings, (I made a large batch so we had leftovers), for 1/2 hr. To 45 minutes each time. Also I added cumin and all spice, so the flavor was interesting. All in all, still good, but next time I’ll stick with green or brown lentils. Have any of you, dear readers, had the same experience?

Veggie Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 3/4-1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed.
  • 2-3 cups broth (I use low sodium chicken broth, but vegetable works fine too)
  • 32 oz. can of crushed or chopped plum tomatoes (I use unsalted) or if you have home-canned lucky you
  • 4-5 carrots, in 1/2 ” rounds
  • 2-3 sticks of celery, chopped in 1/2″ pieces, with 2-3 tbsp. chopped green tops
  • 1 large onion, chopped into medium pieces
  • 3-4 Tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine (your choice, I use whatever we have leftover)
  • 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
  • lemon zest to taste
  • 1 large Bay leaf
  • Optional: 1-2 hot dogs or cooked chicken sausages, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
  • Salt free seasoning/pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Preheat large saute pan.

2. Add olive oil, chopped onion, celery and carrots. Brown and sauté on medium high heat approx. 10 minutes, until somewhat tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes, making sure garlic doesn’t burn.

3. Add veggies to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add lentils, and rest of ingredients, except for lemon zest.

4. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down heat to a slow simmer.

5. Simmer on low for approx. 30-40 minutes

6. Test for tenderness (carrots and lentils especially)

7. Add lemon zest and adjust spices and seasonings to taste.

8. You can also use a hand blender if you like a smoother texture (or remove some of the soup to a blender and add back into the pot)

9. Serve with the always delish green salad, https://type2delicious.com/2014/11/18/salad-with-goat-cheese-pears-and-mustardgarlic-vinaigrette/

And whole grain toast if you like. I also like a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to top off my bowl!

*http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/CarbsInGrains/a/Carbs-In-lentils.htm

Enjoy!

www.type2delicious.com