 The incredibly flavorful Thai Hot & Sour Soup has only 143 calories per serving and takes a mere half-hour to prepare. Photo courtesy Turner Publishing Company.
January 2010 |
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Healthy Soup Recipes
Low-Calorie And Big On Flavor
CAPSULE REPORT: January is Healthy Food Month, but don’t even think about “doing without.” Instead, enjoy hearty bowls of flavorful homemade soup made with fresh, healthy ingredients. Here, we present six recipes from the cookbook Enlightened Soups, by Camilla V. Saulsbury. The recipes presented here are low-calorie and take an hour or less to prepare. With Saulsbury’s Ten Tips For Enlightened Soupmaking and a selection that includes vegetarian, meat and fish-based choices, you’ll be a stellar soup-maker in no time! This is Page 1 of a 7-page article. Click the black links below to view the other pages.
On The Menu:
Ten Tips For Enlightened Soupmaking
- Know your salt and use freshly cracked pepper. Proper seasoning with salt doesn’t make soup taste salty but instead brings the complex flavors of the brew to the fore. Fresh peppercorns have tremendous flavor, especially when compared to the pre-ground stuff. See THE NIBBLE’s Salt Glossary and Varietal Peppercorns Glossary for more flavorful ideas.
- Cut the fat in the sauté step. The soups presented here call for only one or two tablespoons of fat at most.
- Don’t go stir crazy. Don’t stir vegetables too often; once every two or three minutes or so is plenty.
- Purée soup in blenders, in small batches. Blending can build up steam, and if the lid is on tight or the blender is overfilled, it will spray hot soup all over you and your kitchen.
- Steer clear of high heat. Keep the burner dial away from high, even when bringing soup to a boil.
- Handle dairy additions with care. Keep the heat relatively low to prevent dairy from separating; boiling will create an unpleasant texture.
- Give yourself permission to use ready-prepped ingredients. Homemade soup made with a few shortcuts (such as pre-cut vegetables) is still much better than fast food.
- Cut vegetables small for faster cooking. A half-inch size chop or dice needs no more than 10 minutes of simmering before it’s soft.
- Head to the deli counter for cooked meat and poultry. You don’t need to simmer meat and poultry for hours to make a healthy and flavorful addition to most soups.
- Add instant dazzle with a drizzle, splash or sprinkle. A few shavings of Parmesan cheese, a flavorful oil or vinegar, finely grated citrus zest or ready-made condiments such as black olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato tapenade or basil pesto will elevate any enlightened soup. See our article on soup garnishes for more ideas.
Continue To Page 2: Dijon Veggie Chowder
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