Dec 12, 2012

Heartwarming Soup: Benefits and Recipe

By Ruby S.

Bismillah


Boots, coats, beanies, and scarves. What do they have in common? They are winter-wear! Winter has come all too soon, and this calls for some heart-warming, comforting soul food. When I say soul food, I mean that type of food that just touches your heart, and gives you a sense of contentment not found elsewhere.

Yes, I believe food has this magical quality that allows you to experience such comfort. In particular, soup has this ability; it is warming, filling, and soothing, especially on those chilly, cloudy days or freezing, below-zero temperature nights.

Soup can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or even in between. It has more benefits than one normally thinks of when eating soup. Sure, they tend to fill you up so you eat less, helping to cut back on calories.

But, soups generally have less fat, especially saturated fat. Stock-based soups, like the one I will provide the recipe for, have far less fat than a cream-based soup (those that use heavy cream or milk, for example).

Soups are digested easily, since all ingredients are softened and the flavors blend well together. As a bonus, you can add as many vegetables as you want, which is great for kids! You can easily sneak in those veggies and cook them in a broth to disguise them.

No matter what you want to include in your soup, remember that vegetables, legumes (garbanzo, kidney beans, etc.), stocks, and spices all add nutritional value that would otherwise be left out in other types of dishes. So now that the weather is cooling down, get out your pots to make some hearty, nutritional, well-seasoned soup!

Simple Vegetable Soup

Makes enough for 2-4 people

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
½ cup green peas, frozen or fresh
½ cup chopped carrots, frozen or fresh
1 cup diced zucchini, frozen or fresh
½ tsp dried parsley
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

How to Make:

1) In a soup or stockpot, bring the stock and water to a boil on medium high heat.
2) Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and boil until soft, about 15 minutes.
3) Add the rest of the vegetables and spices, simmering at low heat for 30 minutes.
4) If you feel that the liquid has evaporated, feel free to add more water or stock. If you prefer a thicker soup, leave as is.
5) Once all the ingredients have become soft (your preference), heat up some garlic bread to enjoy with your bowl of soup!

Do not be surprised that this recipe is so simple to make! You have free choice to use any vegetables you want, whether fresh or frozen. Other substitutes include: lima beans, green beans, corn and so on…I hope you enjoy this recipe! Feel fee to review, request other recipes, or ask questions!

You may refer to 'Heath Benefits of Soup' article from HubPages to read further on the benefits of soup.


I'd love to hear your views on this topic. Please post in the comments section below! 

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