It looks like we are not done with the winter blues just
yet! As I sit here looking out the window at the snow covered streets I think,
what better way to warm up than with a Nutritiously Gourmet bowl of soup?!?
When I speak with friends or family members about what they
order at restaurants to keep up their healthy lifestyle, they almost always
answer with soup or salad, to which I answer; “I could see how you would think
that”. The truth is, most restaurant soups and salads create an illusion of healthiness
but sometimes these dishes can have over a day’s worth of calories in one
serving. This week I am going to show you how to cut the calories by creating
these healthy, delicious and Nutritiously Gourmet soups.
The first recipe featured is the Red Curry Sweet Potato &
Kale Chowder. Typically chowders are made from a heavy cream base but my
healthy twist uses unsweetened almond milk to replace the cream. It is
important to choose an unsweetened or unflavored brand because using sweetened almond
milk will change the flavor of this soup, I prefer Unsweetened Almond Breeze. Using almond
milk in place of cream removes 345 calories and 35g of fat per serving without affecting
the flavor. This recipe is also packed with a ton of healthy vegetables.
Both of these recipes feature a very healthy and delicious vegetable, the sweet
potato! These bright orange vegetables contain Vitamin A and beta-carotene.
Both are essential to cancer prevention as well as enhancing your overall immune
system. The best part about this vegetable is it needs
fat in order for you to get its full benefit; about 1 tablespoon of olive oil
will give you the extra boost to your sweet potatoes. Finally a healthy excuse
to eat fat!
The Four Bean Vegetable Soup not only has sweet potato but
is filled with a ton of other vegetables and three different types of heart
healthy legumes. These beans are not only good for you heart,
they are also a great source of protein, about 9 grams per ½ cup serving.
Legumes are considered a complete protein and have about 20 grams of fiber per
serving. Swapping out meat for legumes or
any other plant base protein can help promote a healthy cholesterol level. Enough
about the healthy! Let’s Eat!!
Red Curry Sweet Potato& Kale Chowder
Yields 4-6 Servings
2 Tbs. olive
oil
1 onion,
chopped
1 large
leek, chopped
½ rutabaga,
chopped
2 cloves of
garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground
ginger
1 Tbs. Red
Curry seasoning
3 large
sweet potatoes, chopped
2 cups
vegetable stock
4 cups kale,
chopped
½ cup almond
milk (I used unsweetened Almond Breeze)
Salt and pepper,
to taste
Garnish with
a toasted slice of Multi-Grain or Gluten-Free bread
Instructions
1.
In a
large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, leeks and rutabaga. Cook
until vegetables are soft and caramelized. Add garlic and spices; continue to
cook for about 2 minutes.
Culinary Note: To CARAMELIZE
means to cook something (in this case vegetable) on a low heat until naturally
becoming brown and sweet.
2.
Add sweet
potatoes and stock, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a
simmer. Cover and let cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3.
In a
blender, puree 4 cups of the soup mixture then return to the rest of the soup.
4.
Add kale and almond milk. Cook uncovered until,
over low heat until kale is tender yet still bright. About 10 minutes.
5.
Serve
with toasted multi-grain bread or gluten bread
Four Bean Vegetable Soup
Yields 6 Servings
2 Tbs. olive
oil
1 onion,
chopped
3 garlic
cloves, chopped
1 tsp. fennel
seed
1 cup of
sweet corn, canned or frozen
1 cup of
green beans, sliced lengthwise
1 can kidney
beans, rinsed
1 can cannellini
beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo
beans, rinsed
4 cups
vegetable stock
1 small
bunch thyme
Salt and
pepper, to taste
Instructions
1.
In a large soup pot heat oil on a medium high
heat. Add onions and garlic. Let cook until golden brown. Add fennel seeds. Let
cook for 2 minutes.
2.
Add corn, green beans, kidney beans, cannellini
beans, and garbanzo beans, vegetable
stock, and thyme. Let cook for 20 minutes on medium- low heat.
3. Remove thyme bunch and serve! Healthy Eating!
WHAT’S NEXT?!?
What's in your lunchbox? My next post will take a look at some of the common unhealthy lunch options and how to replace them with my Nutritiously Gourmet recommendations!
