Lots O Veggies Soup
#290680 - 11/20/06 08:39 AM
|
|
|
|
I'm posting this for Jordy. I'm still experimenting with this recipe to make it perfect, but this is what I have so far. It's a very yummy way to get your veggies in! If you have a food processor it will make the chopping and pureeing much easier.
1/2 - 1 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 quart chicken broth (100% fat free, no MSG)
1 quart veggie broth
2 cups water
1 can tomatoes or 3-4 fresh med tomatoes, pureed well
3-4 potatoes, diced
3-4 carrots, diced
2 zucchini, sliced or diced
handful of cut okra (I use frozen)
1 tsp basil (approx... season to taste)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt (approx... season to taste)
1 tsp thyme (approx... season to taste)
1/2 cup elbow noodles (no egg)
For protein, choose one of the following:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
cooked chicken
tofu, drained and cut in small cubes (I haven't tried this yet)
In large pot, saute garlic and onion in oil over med heat. Add veggies and saute for a minute or two. Add broth, water, tomatoes, seasonings, and garbanzo beans (if you're using them). Simmer until veggies (and beans) are tender. Add chicken or tofu. Simmer at least 10 minutes. Add pasta and simmer 10-12 minutes until noodles are tender.
This soup is loaded with SF! The IF in this comes in the form of tomatoes, okra (IF outside, SF inside), and garbanzo beans (IF outside, SF inside). You could also try green beans or something like that if you prefer. The gummy SF in the middle of the okra cooks out and makes the soup creamy. Even if I don't eat much of the okra, I still put it in the soup. If you like a less creamy soup, you can leave the okra out and add a little more broth or water. I'm still experimenting each time to make this recipe perfect for me, but hopefully this will help you, too. Enjoy!
1/22/07 - NOTE: I have posted a revised recipe below!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
This sounds so good! Thanks for posting it.
Do you use homemade broth or do you have a brand that is safe?
Also, what kind of canned tomatoes? Diced or whole or stewed? And do you peel the potatoes and carrots?
I would add garbanzo beans to mine...so do I puree the soup when it's finished cooking?
Thanks so much. I'll have to look for minced onion and garlic in the spice section.
BTW, love your signature line!
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Broth - I use whatever safe brand is on sale as long as it's 100% fat free and no MSG. Campbells makes it if you go to a regular store, and in the HFS you can get Imagine or Pacific Foods.
Tomatoes - I either use canned whole tomatoes or fresh whole tomatoes and puree them before adding them to the soup. I prefer whole because they are the least processed of the canned tomatoes, in my opinion.
Yes, I peel the potatoes and carrots, but not the zucchini.
I suppose you could puree the soup if you want to, but as long as you cook it until the veggies are completely tender you shouldn't have a problem. Test the carrots and garbanzo beans because they take the longest to cook. Dicing the carrots into smaller pieces helps, too. I leave the zucchini and potatoes in chunkier pieces because they get so mushy anyway.
Minced onion is in the spice section, but minced garlic is usually in the produce section at my store... usually near the tofu, bean sprouts, etc. It's in a little jar, and it's actually fresh minced garlic stored in water (don't get the kind in oil). It just saves you the trouble of using a garlic press.
Hope you enjoy!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Wow, that soup sounds great! Thanks!
About the garlic, I found frozen crushed garlic cubes in my grocery store... They are called "Sabra" "Crushed Garlic" and are very cool, because they are individual cubes (much smaller than ice cubes, I think they are like 1 tsp of crushed garlic).
The jars are nice, too, though, I find them too big for my needs.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I've never seen frozen garlic before... interesting! I use garlic in almost every dinner I make, so I go through the jar pretty quickly. I buy the largest one they have.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I use those too. Each cube is one clove garlic. How much would you use for this soup?
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
1/2 tsp minced garlic = approx 1 clove. I used 2-3 tsp of minced garlic, so that would be 4-6 cloves. I would start with 4 cubes and see how you like it. You can always add more if you need it.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
When I add the canned tomatoes, do I puree those too? Or only if I use fresh? If I use canned, do I use the sauce too, or drain? Thanks again. I think that is the last question!
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
When I use canned tomatoes, I just dump the whole can into the food processor and puree it.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
What size do you mean by diced potato....and diced carrots? Would diced carrots be the same size as diced potato? Can you use coin cut carrots instead?
Thanks
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Here is a great link to show you how to dice a potato... web page
I'm sure the coin shape carrot would be fine...(but not too think, you want them to cook about the same amount of time and carrots take longer to soffen) if you want to dice it... check out this link web page
-------------------- www.facebook.com/shell.marr
www.myspace.com/shellmarr
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I can't decide what to make first!
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Your welcome!
-------------------- www.facebook.com/shell.marr
www.myspace.com/shellmarr
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I don't use any particular size... just whatever I feel like doing. If I don't want to wait too long for it to cook, I'll cut the veggies smaller so they cook faster. If I have more time, I'll cut them in larger chunks (saves chopping time) and let them cook longer. It really makes no difference as long as they are tender when you eat them.
I've made several modifications to my recipe since I originally posted it. I'll post a revised version below.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I have experimented around with this a lot, and here is my favorite version. It ends up almost like a chicken stew. It's really the ultimate comfort food, and it's loaded with SF! I also like dipping fresh French bread in it. YUM! If you have a food processor it will make the chopping and pureeing much easier.
1/2 - 1 Tbsp olive oil
approx 2-3 tsp minced garlic (can use a little garlic powder instead if you're sensitive to garlic)
approx 1 Tbsp minced onion (can use a little onion powder instead if you're sensitive to onion)
1 quart chicken broth (100% fat free, no MSG)
1 quart veggie broth (100% fat free, no MSG)
1-2 cups water
1 can tomatoes or 3-4 fresh med tomatoes, pureed well
4 med carrots, diced
2-3 med zucchini, sliced or diced
1-2 tsp basil (approx... season to taste)
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp salt (approx... season to taste)
1/2 - 3/4 cup elbow noodles (no egg)
cooked chicken, cut in bite-size pieces (use as much as you want, but I use about 3-4 med breasts)
If you don't want to use chicken, you could try:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
tofu, drained and cut into 1/4 - 1/2" cubes (I haven't tried this yet)
In large pot, saute garlic and onion in oil over med heat. Add veggies and saute for a minute or two. Add broth, water, tomatoes, and seasonings (add garbanzo beans now if you're using them). Simmer until veggies (and beans) are tender. Add chicken (or tofu, if you're using it) and pasta. Simmer at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so noodles don't stick, until noodles are tender.
This soup is loaded with SF! The IF in this comes in the form of tomatoes and garbanzo beans (IF outside, SF inside). You can also add okra (IF outside, SF inside) or green beans if you want a little more IF. The gummy SF in the middle of the okra cooks out and makes the soup creamy.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
You took out the potatoes? And the okra? Anything else?
You like the chicken better than the garbanzo beans, Julie?
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Isn't there only one setting for dicing in the food processor? Since the carrots have to be smaller than the taters, that wouldn't work.
I really need a food processor!
-------------------- IBS-C with pain and bloat
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
I took out the potatoes because it seemed slightly too starchy with that and the pasta. You can do a little of both or just one of either. Okra, too, is optional, and I just got tired of it. It will still be good if you use it, though! Soup is a VERY flexible meal... you can throw in lots of stuff or take out the things you don't care for. Don't be scared to experiment!
I have never been a big bean lover. My husband prefers the soup with the garbanzo beans, and I prefer it with the chicken. Just go with what is best for your tastes.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
You're overthinking this... just chop the veggies up in the size chunks you want to eat and throw them in the pot. You can use big chunks or tiny pellets. It really makes no difference to the taste of the recipe... just decide based on your personal preference and how much time you have to let it cook.
My food processor has 2 slicer/shredder discs. I just cut the veggies lengthwise and then put them in the food processor to be sliced. I end up with small-med pieces that way. When I first started using the food processor, I just put the whole zucchini in there (without the ends, of course) and had big circle slices in my soup. It was kinda pretty...
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|