Mmm I love cold weather recipes! Here's the recipe for a soup I discovered when I lived in Turkey and now make regularly. It's very low calorie, easy to make and super cheap! The recipe makes a decent sized batch that will last you the week (I think it's about 6-7 portions).

Pidge's Turkish Lentil Soup

4 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g dried red lentils
1 small coffee cup of rice (30 to 50g)
1 vegetable stock cube
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder


1 > Heat the oil in a pan, add the celery and onion and fry on a low heat to soften. Pour over 2 litres of boiled water and bring to the boil.

2 > Add the lentils, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes. Now add 1 small coffee cup of rice. Continue to simmer over a medium heat until the lentils and rice begin to soften. Add vegetable stock cube, salt and lemon juice. Lower the heat and allow the soup to continue cooking.

3 > Towards the end of cooking when the lentils and rice have softened add cumin and chilli powder. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes and it's ready.

Great recipes guys, thanks!

Here is my favorite soup from SkinnyTaste. Its so simple, yet tastes so good!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/meatball-and-spaghetti-soup-5-ww-pts.html


Meatball and Spaghetti Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/6th (about 1 1/2 cups)
Calories: 212.9 • Fat: 3.2 g • Carb: 27.4 g • Fiber: 3.9 g • Protein: 22.1 g • Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 738.7 mg (without added salt)

Ingredients:

For the soup:
5 cups low sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 cups water
2 chopped cloves garlic, divided
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/2 onion, chopped, divided
3-4 tbsp tomato sauce (I use my quick marinara sauce)
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
kosher salt and fresh pepper
6 oz dry cut up spaghetti, I used Ronzoni Smart Taste
For the meatballs:
16 oz 99% lean ground turkey
1 small egg
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

Directions:
In a soup pot over medium heat, bring chicken broth, water, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/4 of the chopped onion, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh black pepper to a boil; simmer about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining ground turkey, parmesan cheese, egg, remaining garlic, remaining onion, remaining parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Form into little 1 inch meatballs (about 36).

Drop meatballs into the broth, cook about 3 minutes; add pasta and cook according to package directions. Add fresh basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

ETA: I always skip breadcrumbs in meatball recipes, works just fine.

Because it figures in the above recipe, here it is copied from the What are you cooking? thread

Low Sodium Secret Agent Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can no salt added tomato paste
2 cans no salt added crushed tomatoes
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use my microplane grater on fresh garlic)
1/4 cup fresh or frozen parsley, minced
Spices to taste

Secret Agents:
1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup carrots, cooked separately and pureed

Cook the onions, celery and garlic in 1/2 cup water in a LARGE saucepan until the onions are translucent. In the meantime, mix your tomato paste and diced tomatoes into the pureed Secret Agents. Once the cooking veggies are ready, add the paste/diced/Secret Agent mix and stir well. Allow to simmer, then add both cans of crushed tomatoes and stir well. Bring back up to a simmer (will look more like a burp as the air escapes, so be careful, keep the lid kind of hovering when you stir). Add the spices you prefer. If you really want some, now would be the time to also add a very little salt. Place on low heat, enough that it still bubbles a little, and allow to cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Will stick if the heat is too high so keep that in mind. The nice thing about this recipe is if you puree it, you can hide all kinds of veggies in there.

I'm from the south...Texas to be exact! This is my favorite soup recipe.
TACO SOUP

1.5 lbs ground turkey (browned and drained) -OR- ground beef, or diced chicken

In stock pot or crockpot add:

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 envelope of Taco Seasoning
1 envelope of Ranch Dressing Powder
2 medium cans of Tomato Sauce
1 can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilis
1 can of Black Beans-Low Sodium (drained)
1 can of corn-Low Sodium (drained)
1 can of dark red Kidney Beans-Low Sodium (drained)
2 boxes of Low Sodium Chicken Stock (I use Rachel Ray)
1 package of baby carrots or 2 cans of carrots-Low Sodium (drained)

Cook on low about 4 hours. Serve with toppings of your choice: Sliced avacado, shredded cheese, plain greek yogurt (or low fat sour cream), tortilla chip strips

This is a delicious southern comfort food. Omit or replace any ingredients you don't like. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

One of my favorites is fritters. Instead of just apple or potato fritters, use chopped meat & vegetables and fry in very little oil (or nonstick). Like many of the above (and on the "What are you cooking" thread), it's great for using up whatever is lying around. It always includes onions and the coating is eggs & flour.

Mix together a cup of protein (tunafish, ground meat, chopped tofu, leftover kung pau chicken, etc) with 1/2 onion diced and 1/2 cup chopped precooked vegetables.

Mix 1/2 c flour with salt & pepper to taste and toss with meat & veggies until everything is dusted. Mix two eggs together and add to bowl and stir. It will turn into a batter.

Heat frying pan, add cooking oil of choice (mine is 1 tsp lite olive oil in iron skillet) and pour in pancake-sized batter. Flatten out and cook till golden & crispy on each side. Best served hot. Traditionally served with sour cream and applesauce, but great just plain.

You can vary the amount of flour and oil for taste and calories and crunch - I prefer less for it to be diet-worthy.

Here's a recipe I can wait to try!

http://paleomg.com/spicy-breakfast-stew-with-the-perfect-poached-egg/

This is a "paleo diet" blog, and I love it. I'm not on the paleo diet, but I do like the recipes a lot.

I had this posted on my blog for another friend, but wanted to share it here as well.

This soup is a favorite in our house. My husband, who has no problem with his weight likes it so well, he asks for it about twice a month!

I also make it and freeze it in 1 cup servings so I have something I can pull out of the freezer and eat up for an easy make-ahead meal.

7 Can Soup

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 TB. Olive Oil or non-stick spray
1 can (10 oz.) Rotel
2 cans (15 oz.) stewed tomatoes (low sodium)
2 cans (15 oz.) Ranch-Style Beans
2 cans (10 oz.) Minestrone Soup, condensed (do not add water)
Optional seasonings: Chili powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and cumin (to taste)

Add celery and onion to oil in a soup pot; allow to cook until semi-tender. Add meats and seasonings and brown. Add all other ingredients and cook until heated through.

Yeild: 15 1 cup servings
Calories per serving: 155
Fat: 7 grams (2 sat. fat)
Carbs: 37 grams
Protein: 17 grams
Fiber: 5 grams


Now I'm going back to start gathering some new recipes! Thanks for sharing everyone.

Not a recipe per se, but I have discovered a super yummy thing! If you like avocado, smush up a couple tablespoons (or more depending on your calorie budget for the day!) and use that in lieu of salad dressing. I've been doing tomato, cucumber, and avocado salad and it is super satisfying!