{"id":595,"date":"2014-01-28T10:23:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T15:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/?p=595"},"modified":"2023-05-18T18:16:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T22:16:04","slug":"my-top-5-soup-ingredients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/?p=595","title":{"rendered":"My Top-5 Soup Ingredients"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Web<\/a>It doesn\u2019t look like Old Man Winter is giving us a break any time soon. What better way, then, to bring up the internal mercury than with a bowl of homemade goodness to warm up the tummy and the soul.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like me, you can\u2019t get enough of soup. But before you dash away, don\u2019t resort to a store-bought soup that dives in nutrition and spikes in sodium. With these favourite ingredients, you can create easy and quick soups that the whole family will love and that soar on the taste metre.<\/p>\n

CAULIFLOWER<\/strong><\/span>
\nFood trend watchers are calling cauliflower the vegetable of choice in 2014, and for good reason. While you might have considered cauli only as a side dish, mix it into a soup and, presto, it elevates it with even more flavour, especially when paired with garlic, leeks, tomatoes or a bouquet of herbs and spices. Pur\u00e9e it with some of these ingredients, sprinkle it with a bold cheese and it becomes a creamy dreamy soup.<\/p>\n

Of course, you can\u2019t beat if for its nutritional contribution either. As a cruciferous vegetable, along with other members of the cabbage family, it offers an excellent source of vitamin C, supports digestive health and fights against certain cancers.
\nFrom The Healthy Italian<\/span>, check out Creamy Cauliflower Soup, pg. 119<\/p>\n

RED LENTILS<\/span><\/strong>
\nWhat\u2019s best about this pantry essential is that it requires no soaking before going straight into your soup pot. In fact, if you\u2019re worried about the picky eaters at the table, red lentils almost completely dissolve yet they leave behind a fantastic flavour and fill a soup with more fibre. For more bulk, try dry brown lentils that cook as quickly but leave behind a soft shell.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t discount other great legumes, too, such as chickpeas, cannellini (navy) or Romano beans, for their creamy addition and protein punch.
\nFrom The Healthy Italian<\/span>, check out Brown & Red Lentil Soup, pg. 104<\/p>\n

HERBS, FRESH AND DRIED<\/strong><\/span>
\nThere isn\u2019t a broth that I make that doesn\u2019t get an infusion of herbs \u2013 basil, parsley, bay leaf, sage, thyme. Herbs make soups more aromatic, savoury and therapeutic. Grow your own or buy them fresh all year-round, there really is no reason to exclude them. If you\u2019re battling a case of the sniffles, Mom\u2019s good old-fashioned soup made with real chicken stock, bay leaf and sage really is the best remedy.
\nFrom The Healthy Italian<\/span>, check out Classic Italian Chicken Soup, pg. 116<\/p>\n

SUPER FOODS<\/strong><\/span>
\nFoods like quinoa and barley offer a powerhouse of nutrients \u2013 quinoa for the quality of protein it offers and barley for having one of the lowest glycemic loads on the Glycemic Index among grains (which means it won\u2019t spike your blood sugar levels so you can stave off hunger for longer).<\/p>\n

Besides nutrition, I love the texture they give to soups, making them hearty pot-in-one meals for the busy family.
\nFrom The Healthy Italian<\/span>, check out Vegetable-Beef Barley Soup (pg. 94) or Italian Wedding Soup (pg. 111)<\/p>\n

LOW-SODIUM BROTHS<\/span><\/strong>
\nLike anything you build, it starts off with a good foundation. It\u2019s no different when simmering a sumptuous soup, which begins its existence with a superior stock or broth. Whether it\u2019s a chicken, beef or vegetable broth, look for no-salt-added or low-sodium broths (remember \u201creduced-sodium\u201d doesn\u2019t always mean little salt; it just means there is less salt that the original product). Of course, it\u2019s easy enough to make your own batch. Add 8 cups of water to a stock pot and add carrots, potatoes, leeks, celery, parsley, bay leaf, basil (and any other veggies you like), simmer for 1 hour. Strain vegetables and refrigerate for about 2 weeks or freeze portions individually.
\nFrom The Healthy Italian<\/span>, check out Rice & Pea Soup, pg. 102<\/p>\n

OTHER GREAT SOUP BUILDERS:<\/span><\/strong>
\nSorry, I couldn\u2019t stop at just five ingredients, so here are three bonus categories that are equally flavourful, nutritious and easy to use:
\n* Greens<\/strong> like baby kale, collards, spinach, Swiss chard, \u201clettuce\u201d-type leavings (don\u2019t be afraid to experiment with escarole);
\n* Lean meats<\/strong> like chicken thighs, lean sausage meat (lightly seasoned), low-fat turkey bacon;
\n* Squash<\/strong> like butternut, Italian squash (vegetable marrow), zucchini.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It doesn\u2019t look like Old Man Winter is giving us a break any time soon. What better way, then, to bring up the internal mercury than with a bowl of homemade goodness to warm up the tummy and the soul. If you\u2019re like me,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[11,8,13,10,14,9,7,15,12],"class_list":["post-595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-broths","tag-cauliflower","tag-greens","tag-herbs","tag-lean-meats","tag-lentils","tag-soup","tag-squash","tag-stock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=595"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1186,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595\/revisions\/1186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehealthyitalian.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}