Cold Weather Ahead...the all soups thread

I make a very spicy Korean stew with kimchi (I use homemade but you can use store bought), tofu, vegetables and sometimes pork. It's super easy to make, really delicious, and quite healthy! Can be high in sodium depending on the kimchi you use. Here's the recipe. Makes a huuuge pot, around 10-12 servings.

1lb pork shoulder, thinly sliced
1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
5 cups kimchi, with liquid
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 medium zucchini, julienned
1 pkg enoki mushrooms

Layer this in a heavy-bottomed pot (in this order) and cover with tap water.

In a separate dish, mix together:
2 Tbsp gochujang (hot pepper paste)
2 Tbsp soy sauce (less sodium)
1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean hot pepper powder)
3 cloves garlic, minced

Add this mixture to your soup. Bring to a boil and let simmer on medium heat for 20 mins. In the last few mins, add in 2 green onions slices and 2 green chili peppers. And voila!

This recipe is QUITE spicy - not for the faint of heart. It's great for your sinuses though If you want to make it less spicy, omit the green chilis, and cut the seasoning mixture in half. Also, you can usually purchase hot or mild kimchi, so make sure you buy "mild" when first testing this out!

For 1/10 of the recipe:
cal 193
carb 13
fat 8
protein 17
fibre 1 (this should be higher I think, due to the cabbage, but not according to MFP)
sodium 941

Cheers!

One of the greatest flavor combos for cauliflower is truffle. If you add just a couple drops of truffle oil to your bowl of cauliflower soup as a garnish, you'll add very few calories and an incredible burst of flavor. Truffle is also amazing with potato as well. Don't use it to cook with as the flavor will cook out with the heat, just add a couple drops right before you dig in to add flavor. Enjoy!

Thank you for the tip. I didn't know that, and I make cauliflower soup a couple times a month. Can't wait to try it!

I love Hot & Sour Soup and got this from A Year of Crockpotting. I sometimes add baby corn or other veggies. Very easy and very yummy.


Crockpot Hot and Sour Soup

--1 cup cubed firm tofu
--2 cups chicken broth
--2 cups water
--1 package of sliced mushrooms
--1 can bamboo shoots
--1 can sliced water chestnuts
--2 tablespoon soy sauce
--1 teaspoon sesame oil
--2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (and some more later)
--1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (and some more later)
--green onion for garnish



The Directions:

Combine everything in your slow cooker. Use a 3 or 4 quart. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high 4-5.

Taste. If you need more of the sour flavor, add more rice wine vinegar. If you need more of the hot flavor, add more red pepper flakes. . Garnish with sliced green onion.

***

I am addicted to her website and this soup is a huge hit in my house! It's a great replacement for chinese take-out.

You can have my weather. We are suppose to get snow before next week. YUCK!

This recipe for Curried Red Lentil Soup looks awesome! I'll be trying it later in the week

Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion,chopped
3 cloves garlic,minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons mango chutney
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Heat oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes longer.
Stir in lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.
Discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro (or parsley), lemon juice and chutney. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with yogurt.

Per serving: 268 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 7 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 19 g protein; 16 g fiber; 332 mg sodium; 549 mg potassium.

I would leave out the mango chutney and increase to 2-3 jalapenos for my personal taste. Lots of curry and you've got a delicious, hearty soup

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/curried_red_lentil_soup.html

Thanks for the soup recipes, I just discovered orzo haven't tried it yet but a friend gave me a recipe for orzo with spinach sounds good bought ingredients this weekend. Will let you know when I try it. I like soup in cold weather but all the store bought soups have so much soduim. Can't wait to try this. Turning colder in Virginia, so it will be a good dish to try for dinner. Have a great day.

A cup is 8 fluid oz.. also, 16 tablespoons equal a cup.

I am going to make this tonight. sounds yummy

I found a great soup in one of my fitness magazines that I tried over the weekend and was a total hit:

Butternut Squash Soup:

2 Cups chopped Onions
1 Teas Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Put in soup pot and saute the onions for about 3 mins until onions soft

Add:
6 cups Butternut Squash chopped into pieces (note it took about a 4 LB squash with the skin to get the 6 cups)
2 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored cut into bite size pieces
2 15oz cans of white beans rinsed and drained
4 cups of low sodium fat free vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 Teas salt
1 Teas Thyme

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 min until squash is soft

Using either a blender or food processor, in batches puree until smooth (I used my blender and it was really easy)

Serve...

Changes I plan to make, I am going to add a little more curry powder next time and probably will add some pepper. The soup was very subtle and I like a little bit of kick. Someone else also suggested a little bit of cinnamom so may try that as well on a different time.

This made a good size pot of soup. It served all four of us and I got 3 containers of leftovers for lunches this week.

Soup is about 170 cals for a cup.

Enjoy
Dawn

This is one of my favorite soup recipes!

Italian Sausage Soup

(this recipe is close to the Zuppa Toscana that is served at the Olive Garden, but a healthier version)

*I would try it w/o the italian seasoning 1st before adding it, it isn't called for in the Zuppa Toscana recipe I have and you can use turkey bacon and/or turkey sausage, if you like. Spinach can be substituted for the kale or chard. If you use spinach, stir it in just before serving. The Zuppa Toscana doesn't have beans, but I think it makes it more like a meal.

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon
1/2 lb lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups water
3 1/2 cups Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
4 cups chopped fresh kale or Swiss chard leaves
1 can (15 or 19 oz) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup fat-free half-and-half or regular half-and-half

Directions:
1. In 4-quart nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon; set aside. Remove and discard drippings from saucepan.

2. In same saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain well on paper towels; set aside.

3. In same saucepan, mix potatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, water and broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in bacon, sausage, kale and beans. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and kale are tender. Stir in half-and-half; cook just until heated

10 servings (1 ¼ c per serving)

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 190 (Calories from Fat 30); Total Fat 3 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 530mg; Total Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 3g); Protein 12g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 80%; Vitamin C 35%; Calcium 10%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 Very Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.