After eating green salad daily for the last year I am looking to ditch the greens (for at least awhile) and head down the soup aisle.
I am not a fancy girl, don't care for High Falutin type of soups, just some simple chicken noodlish and minestrone type of suggestions would be wonderful. Lower sodium and lower calorie preferred. Canned soups please, for I gail marie do not cook! hee hee
Do you want to make soup from scratch? This recipe is easy and delicious and very healthy.
Spinach Chickpea Leek Soup
This is SO good and so fast and easy to make - makes plenty for several days. Great to make on a Sunday and eat all week.
1 tbs olive oil
2 leeks, sliced thinly (circles)
1 zuchini, chopped
minced garlic (I use tons)
2 14 oz cans tomatoes
small can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 3/4 cup veg broth
1 14 oz can chickpeas (gabanzo beans) drained
block of frozen spinach (thawed, drained)
1 tbs oregano
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh parm cheese for topping
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, add leeks and zucchini and cook briskly for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, vegetable broth, chickpeas and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Shred the spinach finely, add to the soup and boil for 2 minutes. Season to taste. (the longer it cooks on the stove, the better it is). Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle with parmesan cheese (if desired).
I think you should give cooking a shot! Glory's recipe involves very little actual cooking.
Is there a particular reason you don't cook? You really can have a lot more interesting meals and control fat/sodium/whatever. There is lots of cooking that doesn't involve anything complicated.
I agree. Soup is the EASIEST thing to make. Chop some veg, put in some stock and cook away! it's also easier to make in batches and freeze for occasions when you only want something quick & filling.
I'll add to the choir of soup-cookers and advocates .
Even opening a can of diced tomatoes and putting some pepper, chili, low fat sour cream and maybe oregano in it is bound to be healthier and much tastier than the ready-made variety. Chicken or vegetable broth with elbow pasta, frozen veggies and a can of nay beans = voila, Pasta e Fagioli.
And once you're curious enough to move past cans - that's where the real fun begins. This month, I've cooked spicy pumpkin coconut soup, lean Irish stew and an absolutely amazing Wasabi Split Pea soup that I just cooked up yesterday and that should see us through half the weekend.
If it must be cans - I picked up some Campbell Select Harvest varieties for emergency backup when they were on sale, and they're not too bad if you add a few spices and maybe some frozen veggies.
They're not low in sodium, but Progresso makes some "Light" soups that are very low cal and taste quite good. The big selling feature is that some of them have 0 weight watchers points I guess. Campbell's came out with a competing line recently, but I've heard mixed reviews on them.
I've heard good things about Amy's brand soups, and I know a bunch of those are low-sodium. They tend to be pricey and I've never tried them but they seem to have a good variety. Here's a list: http://www.amys.com/products/categor...od_category=14
I recently had Amy's Low Sodium Lentil Vegetable, and wasn't thrilled with it. But I think I've lost my taste for canned soups. And I haven't loved anything by Amy's yet, but many others have. I did however have a sample at Trader Joe's yesterday that was tasty - tomato soup (roasted, I think; and has cream in it), with some kind of little multigrain cracker in it (separate product). It's comes in a box (like broth) rather than a can. I may get some of that to leave in the cupboard for emergencies. Can't remember the sodium.
Urk. I can't stand most canned soups - even the "healthy" ones or the "low sodium" ones are so full of salt and preservatives. Bleah.
Soup is soooooo easy to make and makes the house smell so good when you make it. You should try it at least once. You'll be amazed at how much better a fresh soup tastes.
One of my favorite things to make in the winter is a squash soup. You can use any winter squash, but I like butternut or pumpkin (and if you make pumpkin soup, you can use the stuff from the can to make it even easier).
Just peel, seed, and dice your squash or pumpkin.
drizzle with a little olive oil and roast in a 400 oven for about 45 mins.
Put in a pot and cover with a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of chicken broth and water.
Season with a little salt and pepper.
Simmer for 30 mins or so.
Mash with a potato masher.
Voila. Soup. You can serve it just like that, or add a little plain yogurt to make it creamy. Or add curry powder or chili powder for a spicy soup. Or add a little sweetener and cinnamon for a sweet soup. I often make the plain soup in a double batch and stick it in the fridge, then add whatever else I want to each serving. That way I can have 3 or 4 different versions over the course of hte week.
i love almost everything of Amys but the soups- gak! i hated them. i must admit i usually go with a regular Progresso soup- i like the beef barley the best.
i've tried several of the "gourmet" canned soups and never really enjoyed any of them. i feel like they are trying too hard and the flavors don't mesh well or carry over into a canned version anyway. i didn't like Amys or Wolfgang Puck's.
Soup is the one thing that I can't seem to cook right- I ruin it every time! but lately I've been making one that is so simple even i can't screw it up.
I've been buying the Udon noodle packets that are sold in the produce section of the store - stir frying whatever veggies i feel like and tossing it all together- a nice little asian style soup and i didn't have to make the broth or wait all day the whole thing takes about 15 minutes.
Soup is the one thing that I can't seem to cook right- I ruin it every time! but lately I've been making one that is so simple even i can't screw it up.
I've been buying the Udon noodle packets that are sold in the produce section of the store - stir frying whatever veggies i feel like and tossing it all together- a nice little asian style soup and i didn't have to make the broth or wait all day the whole thing takes about 15 minutes.
Hey, I like the Campbells Light Crab soup that is out now. You can eat the whole can for around 120 calories and it's a big ole' can. Only downer is sodium content.
Anyone have a fantastic canned variety that is low in sodium?
"Souper" Soup Suggestions needed....
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