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Sunday, January 1, 2023

Two Soups For A Healthy Start of 2023


2 bowls of tomato soup

Think homemade healthy soups and healthier habits for 2023!

After indulging in all the rich holiday food and drink, lighter food is just what's needed to help restore balance for the new year.

If your New Year's resolution includes committing to healthier eating habits, then these two soup ideas will start you on the right track. I think everyone agrees that eating more fruits and vegetables is the way to go.

large bunches of carrots


I'm sharing two low fat roasted vegetable soups that are light in calories yet rich tasting. I call them quick soups because they are very dependent on the pre-made vegetable broth for flavor.

Both soups are extremely easy to make and both are warming, healthy, and comforting.

strainer with cherry tomatoes


Key To Making A Tasty Quick Soup
The key to any quick (plant-based) soup is a good tasting vegetable broth. Personally, my favorite store bought vegetable broth is Tabatchnicks vegetable broth, but you may have found other brands that taste really good too or you may make your own. 

I would love if you shared your favorite vegetable broths brand  in the comments at the end of this post. Or if you make your own vegetable broth, share a link to your recipe.

One more note- roasting brings out the sweetness of any vegetable especially carrots and cherry tomatoes! You will find that both carrots and tomatoes become very flavorful.

Easy Roasted Carrot Soup
This is a mild, rich tasting, light soup that is a perfect starter for a brunch or a soup and salad meal. Serves 4. 

Ingredients:
4 cups of sliced carrots, roasted
1 cup of thickly sliced yellow onion, sautéed 
4 cups of Tabatchnick (or any brand) vegetable broth
Salt, black cracked pepper, garlic powder
optional: cumin to taste 

Directions: 
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. 
Cover two separate cookie sheets with parchment paper. Lay the sliced carrots on one cookie sheet and the onions on another. (I changed it- sauté the onions for a better flavor)
I toss my vegetables in aquafaba (the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas) to eliminate using oil. If you prefer to use oil, lightly spray the vegetables with oil. Season with the salt, cracked pepper, and garlic powder. 
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, checking frequently to make sure the onions don't burn.

When vegetables are roasted, allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet, add to a blender, add the vegetable broth and blend until smooth. Add cumin if desired.

Easy Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
Serves 4

Cherry tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes. There are grape tomatoes, multi colored cherry type tomatoes from Canada, yellow cherry tomatoes etc. For this soup, I used 2 pints of the multi- colored tomatoes from Canada with orange colors, reds, and greens.

I have childhood memories warming up to a bowl of delicious tomato soup in the winter. And how can we forget the Campbell's soup commercials for tomato soup! ( Campbells tomato soup is :  M'm M'm Good!)

Do you remember this commercial ? 



Don't get me wrong, my homemade tomato soup is not a copy of the Campbells soup recipe. 

Ingredients: 
2 pints of cherry tomatoes, washed, halved, and roasted
Salt, black cracked pepper, garlic powder
4 cups of Tabatchnicks or any vegetable broth

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
Lay the halved cherry tomatoes on the cookie sheet. ( I toss them in aquafaba- the liquid from cooked or canned chickpeas) or you can spray them with oil. Season with the seasonings.
Roast for 20 minutes or until cherry tomatoes are roasted. Check to prevent burning. 

When roasted, remove from the oven, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Add to a saucepan with the vegetable broth. Using an immersion blender, blend until completely blended. 
Using a large fine mesh hand colander, strain to remove bits of skin and seeds. When I strain it, I use a large spoon to keep stirring the thick liquid around in the colander.

When strained return to the saucepan and heat slightly and serve. Garnish with watercress or broccoli sprouts.

Happy New Year to all of my readers and I hope all of your wishes are fulfilled this year- so think big!
 







30 comments:

  1. Soups are on our menu this time of year too. These look yummy!

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    1. I am with you Marie- bring on the soup

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  2. I love the happy orange color of the soup and how it is to make. Happy New year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too Balvinder

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  3. Both sound like delicious soups. Getting in more veg is on my list for this year. Happy New Year!!

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    1. Soup is a great way to get more veggies!

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  4. So many carrots! I love it! And the retro vintage Campbell's soup clip is so cute! It's interesting that it's cold in Florida now. I always wondered how that worked. It's nice that you're getting some use out of your scarves. And PJs and Netflix all day is living the dream. Enjoy and Happy New Year! 🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕🎉

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    1. The Campbells soup clip brought back memories

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  5. Two yummy soups that would make a warm, comforting lunch!!

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    1. I eat soup for lunch quite often

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  6. I have been reading about all of the amazing health benefits of carrots, so your Carrot Soup is really catching my eye. The onion and cumin add so much amazing flavor.

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    1. lots of health benefits in a tasty easy to make soup

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  7. Looks yummy. I use homemade broth I make from the cooking water in steamed veggies, and even chop up ends, stalks, and pieces of kale, broccoli, collard greens. Soup is then loaded with nutrients and extra fiber.

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    1. Nancy, it's such a good idea to make your own broth. Less salt and healthier

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  8. Soups during the cooler winter months are always welcome and warming.
    Many thanks for sharing these recipes.

    Happy New Year Wishes.

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  9. With you all the way! More vegetables more health! Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. I think people are starting to believe that we all need more vegetables

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  10. They look hearty, yummy and healthy!

    Happy 2023, Judee!

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    1. that is the criteria for all my soup recipes!

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  11. Both soups look and sound so good! Thanks Judee!

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    Replies
    1. They look the same color but taste very different

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  12. hahahaha -- we both have soup on the menu! Both of these sound really good.

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  13. I make homemade tomato soup too but usually use the beefstake tomatoes. It's so much better than canned! I have found Swanson's vegetable broth to be fairly good when I'm not stewing veggies in the slow cooker for broth. That one is gluten free unlike College Inn brand.

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  14. Sounds as if your New Year is off to a good start! Have a great one.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  15. Great post! I love the idea of using aquafaba as oil, I just started saving it as egg replacements.
    My mother made the best spicy tomato soup and I never found out her secret. I have, however also managed to duplicate it using Heinz tomato juice.
    I like to make my own vegetable stock, but the recipe is just a freezer baggie of the odds and ends from vegetables when I am cooking. I try not to throw anything out so the ends of onions get saved along with peelings and stems of others. I am careful not to mix over powering vegetables together. So broccoli would not go in with the tomatoes.carrots. Broccoli I would keep separate for a broccoli type soup. Ham bones and peas have a separate bag as well for pea soup. Potatoes get added to whichever bag needs bulking.

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  16. Love the carrot soup! Carrots are often overlooked, sadly.

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  17. We love, love, love soup. Yum. So great and filling and just perfect. Happy Soup Making to you Judee!

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  18. These soups looks wonderful. Both are among my favorites. In fact, I made carrot soup just a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it. Now you have me wanting tomato soup. I plan on trying both of these. Thanks.

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Your comments are appreciated. I love knowing who is stopping by to read my posts! Have a great day.