Monday, September 26, 2011

Meatless Monday: Hearty Veggie Soup

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This is a quick post featuring a real-quick answer to dinner when you can't devote much thought or time to what to prepare (that was the case for me today). Still sticking with a Meatless Monday theme, though...

Do you remember the (now seems ancient) Cabbage Soup Diet? The theory was that if you spent a week eating the prescribed Cabbage Soup, you could lose up to ten pounds. I hope none of us (ahem) ever subscribed to such nonsense! However short-term the weight-loss benefits, some people found they actually liked the Cabbage Soup!

In a nutshell, you dump a lot of vegetables into a soup pot, along with cabbage, obviously, and let it simmer away. The variations on the theme can be endless, but the basic recipe served as my inspiration for today's Veggie Soup.

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My Hearty Veggie Soup
  • 2-3 cans Diced Tomatoes with juice *
  • 1/2 head of Cabbage, cut into small chunks
  • 1 bag frozen soup veggies: carrots, peas, green beans, corn, potatoes*
  • 2-3 stalks & leaves celery, chopped
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all ingredients into a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. I imagine this recipe would work great in a crock pot as well.
To bulk up the recipe, but keep it veggie, add a can of beans, or some cooked brown rice.

* I only had one can of diced tomatoes on hand, so I pureed three fresh tomatoes for the soup base, and added some vegetable broth for volume and flavor.

*If you can use fresh chopped veggies - awesome!

Nutrition Round Up
  • All of the veggies add up to a good amount of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals
  • Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene - an antioxidant

2 comments:

  1. Funny you should mention that it would be good in a crock pot. I think I'm going to finally invest in one of those bad boys, which makes me feel like a 50s housewife. But it's time, my friend. It's time. This sounds like the perfect healthy winter meal (if only it weren't 81 and sticky here today!)

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  2. I've always thought veggie soup was a perfect way to use leftovers.....1/4 cup of green beans?..just throw them in the pot.....only 1 ear of corn left?....no problem!
    I must say yours look so much better than my "leftover" soup.

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