I spent time yesterday making a few different soups and freezing them in portions ready for those cold winter days ahead!
I grew up on soup - literally! As a child I had a really small appetite and the doctor told my Mom that as long as I was eating her homemade soup she shouldn't worry. The doctor was right - my Mom's homemade soup contained meat and vegetables and was a full meal in itself, providing a variety of nutrients from protein to vitamins & minerals.
My own children also enjoy soup and love watching me transform water and vegetables into a delicious meal!
Soup is so easy to make and you can add just about anything! All you need is water, meat or vegetable stock, salt & pepper and vegetables. Then you can add anything you have in your fridge or pantry - try different herbs, cubes of meat or chicken, beans, pasta - the sky's the limit and there's no right or wrong!
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| Soups: leek & potato, vegetable & butternut squash |
A new soup recipe I tried yesterday was for butternut squash as a friend had given me a squash. (I chose a recipe from a Cookbook containing recipes submitted from my husband's work colleagues so thanks to Jennifer R for this one!)
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbs butter
6 cups peeled & cubed butternut squash
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
8oz light cream cheese (or less if you like it less creamy)
Cooking Instructions:
1) In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender
2) Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper & cayenne pepper
3) Bring to a boil; reduce heat & cook about 30 minutes or until squash is tender
4) Puree squash mixture with the cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. return to saucepan and heat through but don't boil
5) Season with salt & pepper if needed
This recipe lets me give good examples of how ingredients can be adapted for different reasons:
~ Don't have one of the ingredients? That's ok! I didn't have marjoram so I substituted oregano.
~ Don't want too many calories or fat in your soup? I reduced the butter I used to cook the onions (the recipe stated 3 tablespoons, I used only 1.5 - 2 tablespoons)
~ Using light cream cheese is definitely better than the full fat option and as the recipe states you don't have to use the full 8oz. However, if you're being really careful of your fat intake you can omit the cream cheese altogether & it can be substituted for a splash of low fat milk. Sure it might taste less creamy but it'll still taste delicious!
So go ahead and experiment with different soups! Adapt the recipe to suit your needs and enjoy the warmth and nutrition each bowl provides!
