Warm Up This Winter With Soup!

Since today is so cold and dreary, I have to share one of my favorite winter staples that is sure to warm you up on this freezing election day. You probably already know what I’m talking about: SOUP! Here’s something that both scientists and grandmothers can agree on: From helping you lose weight to warming you up from the inside out to boosting your immunity, soup is a winter staple that you shouldn’t be without!

Soups have to be one of my favorite meals. They are easy to make and digest, low on calories, relatively inexpensive to make, and can even aid in illness. They are also filled with fiber, nutrients, and vitamins and have high water content, so they’re perfect for weight loss success.

Back in the day, the benefits of soup were not only to heal the sick but to maintain health. Life today has become so fast paced that many of us don’t make the time or perhaps no one has every showed us how easy it is to make a fresh pot of soup. I would love you to take some time to bring homemade soup and broth back into your family’s every day diets because of the amazing health benefits.

Can You Really Lose Weight by Eating Homemade Soups?

Yes!!! Eating a bowl of soup as an appetizer is a great way to cut down on the calories. It leaves you feeling full before your main course so you eat less of the heavier, more calorie-filled foods.

What could make a healthy soup even healthier?

When making vegetable or legume soups, substitute homemade broth instead of adding water. Here’s why:

True broths are much more rich in vitamins and minerals. Bone broth in particular is an incredible tonic for bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis.  Soups also help your immune system. Your immune system needs a lot of minerals to function properly, and the typical diet does not always hit the mark. When you slowly simmer foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, therefore preserving the nutritional value. Keep in mind that boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook soup over a low heat.

Eating soup seems easy enough for us grownups, but many parents ask the important question, “How I can get my kids to eat soup?”

Get the kids to just try three polite bites as an appetizer, or give them some crackers to dip into the soup! Most kids love to dip!

Here are my three favorite soups for the fall and winter. Try them and let me know what you think!

Cleansing Vegetable Soup

• 2 cans of organic stewed tomatoes
• 3 plus large green onions
• 1 large can of organic low sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 package of frozen green beans ( or 2 cups fresh green beans)
• 2-4  lbs. Carrots ( I love to add in TONS of carrots)
• 2 Green Peppers

Season with salt, pepper curry, parsley (if desired) or bouillon, and hot or Worcestershire sauce. Cut veggies in small to medium pieces. Cover with water. Boil fast for 10 minutes. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are tender.

Roasted Carrot Soup

• 6 to 8 large carrots (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 6 cups vegetable stock (good quality, not too high in sodium)
• 1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled
• 1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.

1. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
2. Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil. Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, and then add the carrots.
3. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.
4. Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with chopped fresh thyme.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

(Taken from Southern My Way by Gena Knox)

• 1 (2lb) head cauliflower (cut into florets)
• 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Parmesan cheese shavings and olive oil for garnish

First Preheat oven to 450F. Toss cauliflower with garlic and oil and salt and spread on rimmed, lightly greased baking sheet. Roast cauliflower until tender and beginning to brown, about 18 minutes.

Next, remove garlic from pan, transfer cauliflower to a stockpot, and add stock. Gently peel skins from garlic and discard. Ad peeled garlic cloves to soup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree soup with a soup emulsifier or blender. Return soup to pot over low heat and season with freshly ground pepper.

Last, ladle soup into 4 bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and top with cracked pepper and cheese shavings.