Slimming Soup!

Did you know that people who eat soup before a meal, tend to eat less? Why? Well, soup is generally full of water which fills you up, leaving less space for other foods! Simple concept really! Some soups however are full of cream, butter or fried additions, so obviously these types are not the best option! 😛

It’s very windy here today and soup is definitely welcome! We do often have soup – usually lentil or chickpea or beans, but this soup… this soup was made as part of a plan. Actually… two plans! The first plan was to use up all the vegetables which we keep harvesting from the allotment, the second plan was to make a soup which could be eaten over the course of a few days (for lunch and dinner) to see if this was a feasible way of  getting rid of a few pounds! 😀

The soup can of course (as with most of our recipes) be fully customised to what vegetables you have, following the basic recipe principles. You can use a small amount of oil to cook the base vegetables – but remember that a tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories!!! If you freely pour the oil into your pan, likely is you will use more than this, so I would always recommend measuring the oil or using a spray or spritzer oil if you feel the need to use it.

What vegetables are good to use in this soup? The best vegetables are ones with a high water content (read, least calories) such as courgettes, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, spinach and carrots. We do add starchier vegetables to add a bit of flavour such as sweet potato, sweetcorn and peas, but as long as these are additions, the calorie content will remain low.

The soup as it is – un-blended and full of delicious vegetables.

So, what was the outcome? It is a tasty soup! It depends what you are used to eating, but this soup can help you to monitor what you are eating over a few days. Instead of opening the fridge or the cupboards wondering what to eat, picking or grazing, there is the soup- all ready for you to heat up and eat! 😀 You can eat it as it is, or blend it – blended is creamier and more palatable and if you are strict with the other foods you are consuming (read, don’t eat a bar of chocolate for dessert or dip hunks of fresh bread in it)! then this soup can help you drop a few pounds in a few days! 😀

Who wants a bowlful? This version is part blended, part not!

I’m taking this over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday this week co-hosted by the lovely ladies Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Jen @ Apply To Face Blog. Come on over and join the party! There’s always so many great blogs to visit and loads of delicious new foods to try! See you there! 🙂

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Speak soon!

Laurena x

 

Here’s the recipe…

Slimming Soup

A creamy soup which is low calorie and can help you lose a few pounds! 

Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth
Gather
  • 3 parsnips cubed
  • 2 sweet potatoes cubed
  • 2 carrots cubed
  • 1/2 small white cabbage shredded
  • 5-6 mini corn cobs whole
  • 2 green chillies whole
  • 6-7 tomatoes whole (cores removed)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves whole
  • 4-5 litres boiling water
  • 3-4 large courgettes grated
  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (*optional)
  • handful of spinach roughly chopped
  • cup of frozen peas
  • cup of frozen sweetcorn
Prepare
  1. Heat a very large saucepan, add the parsnip, sweet potato and carrot and cook until starting to char (stir so they don't stick). You can use a very small amount of oil if you wish (1-2 teaspoons max).

  2. Add the cabbage and allow to soften before placing the corn cobs, chilli, garlic and tomatoes on top of the other vegetables.

  3. Pour water over everything and cover with a lid for a minute, then carefully remove the tomatoes (use a slotted spoon). Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly before removing the skins and returning them to the pan. Cook for half an hour.

  4. Carefully remove the corn cobs (eat them later or use for something else) and the chillies, then stir the courgette in, top up with water if needed then re-cover.

  5. Make a paste with the tomato puree, paprika, herbs, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast (if using). Spoon some of the soup liquid into the paste and mix well until the paste is runny and can be poured. Add to the soup and mix well.

  6. Allow to cook for a further half an hour, then add the spinach, peas and sweetcorn (cook for five minutes).

  7. Either eat the soup as it is, blend it in batches (allow to cool first) or do half and half so you have a creamy base with pieces of vegetables in.

  8. Enjoy! 

Tips & Storage
  • This makes a large quantity of soup to be consumed over three days by one person. Always keep refrigerated and reheat individual portions as necessary.
  • Use your own choice of vegetables and vary them each time you make this soup!
  • If you don't need this to be a slimming soup, feel free to use oil to cook the vegetables in or add some milk or cream to make this suitable for everyone.
  • Serve with a spoon of natural yogurt (we used coconut) and garnish with chopped chives.
  • The soup should be flavoursome enough without adding any additional flavouring, but if you wish to add some bouillon or stock feel free to do so (check the fat content if using as a slimming soup).
  • Eat as much of this soup as you like until you are full - add more ground pepper or chilli flakes to vary the taste.

 

20 Comments

  • Charlotte 19th September 2018 at 13:49

    Whoa that’s a lot of veggies ?

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 19th September 2018 at 13:52

      Charlotte 🙂 Hello! Lovely to see you over here! 🙂 That’s a whole load of soup too! So good (eating a bowl right now)! x

      Reply
  • Eva Gallon 19th September 2018 at 22:03

    I love un-blended soups like this… Still waiting for cooler weather though, 30′ again tomorrow? Going to the Scottish Highlands soon though, it’ll be perfect there! Hope you’re well and the knee’s not giving you too much discomfort☺

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 20th September 2018 at 13:16

      There you are!?Thanks Eva??How’s things? OMGosh… still 30 degrees? Wow, it’s very windy here and almost heating-on weather!? Scottish Highlands- that’ll be a different temperature!!! Holiday? My knee is okay- hobbling along! ? Not been out anywhere yet though- still resting it!?

      Reply
  • Eva Gallon 20th September 2018 at 13:04

    I’ve done it again, not sure if my previous comment went through lol…. I love a chunky veggie soup, it’s still cold gazpacho soup weather over here though ?

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 20th September 2018 at 13:18

      Yes, both messages here! ? Do you or have you ever have fruit soup? When I lived in Hungary we used to have black cherry soup all the time- perfect in your hot weather!

      Reply
  • Eva Gallon 20th September 2018 at 16:47

    Duh, sorry for the double posts again! Also sorry to hear your knee is still giving you pain? Hopefully it will ease up. We booked to go to Scotland back in January before we knew we’d have to be uprooted again lol. We’re fine thanks but still busy sorting stuff out…and they said Germany wasn’t as bad as other surrounding countries regarding red tape! Still going through our boxes that were delivered last week. Again, first world problems.
    I’ve never heard of cold cherry soup?Will need to mention that to my Hungarian friend. You learn something new every day. It’s raining tomorrow?

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 21st September 2018 at 09:54

      Oh my! That took ages for your stuff to arrive! I guess you’re busy unpacking and finding homes for everything! Oh yes, you should try cherry soup, it’s so good! 🙂 Hope you get some cooler weather with the rain and it doesn’t just make everywhere hotter again for you!

      Reply
      • Eva Gallon 21st September 2018 at 15:52

        Lol, my husband tells people the sun tends to follow me around, maybe it will give me a break soon? Will you be baking something now that it’s autum(ish)? Your caramel slices were sublime- I think it was probably the first post I saw of yours. Have a nice weekend?

        Reply
        • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 21st September 2018 at 16:04

          Awww, that’s so sweet!? Ooo caramel slices, thanks!? I could just munch through those right now!? Ooo, I can bake… anything in particular you’d like to see?

          Reply
          • Eva Gallon 21st September 2018 at 18:13

            Ooh, I feel honoured again lol?Mmm, choices, choices… You most probably have done this lots of times before but maybe brownies (or blondies)? I never tire of those or anything citrus-drizzled?Thank you x

          • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 21st September 2018 at 20:41

            Now I’m hungry! Leg being silly today so plenty of time for planning new recipes! I’ve never made (or eaten)! Blondies… let me have a think!

          • Eva Gallon 21st September 2018 at 19:11

            I forgot to add: hubbie isn’t really being sweet, he means more that it should be a black cloud following me around as I’m not a fan of hot weather anymore?

          • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 21st September 2018 at 20:42

            Lol… Sunshine chasing you!?

  • Loretta 20th September 2018 at 21:14

    Loving the sound of this soup and all those yummy veggies. I was just talking to my mum in England and she was talking about the high winds there, so I’m sure your soup was welcome on a day like today.

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 21st September 2018 at 09:58

      Thanks Loretta! It’s still windy here today – I’m a bit worried about my Jerusalem artichoke plants! They’re a bit tall and wobbly already! Bright blue skies here but chilly and definitely soup weather! 🙂

      Reply
  • Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook 22nd September 2018 at 07:21

    Lots of veggies!! No wonder this soup will instantly fill me up so I wouldn’t eat bowls of rice after.? The soup sounds so tasty! Thank you for sharing at this week’s amazing Fiesta Friday party!

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 22nd September 2018 at 14:14

      Thanks Jhuls. Yes, definitely filling and so tasty! Thanks for co-hosting (again?)!

      Reply
  • frugal hausfrau 24th September 2018 at 13:26

    i love love love soup and love keeping it in the fridge just like you say to fill in for lunches or whatever! This would be a great one to portion and freeze, too!

    Mollie

    Reply
    • Laurena@LifeDietHealth 24th September 2018 at 13:36

      Thanks Mollie! This is so good with your crispy onions on top too (for those not slimming)!!! 😛

      Reply

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