Is your New Year's Resolution to lose weight - AGAIN! I love this soup, it's a recipe adapted from the "Weight Watcher's" diet and is made with lots of fresh delicious vegetables. It's nice to have this soup to fall back on, especially if you've had a really BAD weekend. It is so filling and satisfying, that you will cut your calorie intake and help you to stay on the straight and narrow.
So, now you have no excuses! One bowl has practically no points and can be eaten thoughout the day, especially when you're craving a cookie or ice-cream...
This recipe has a tomato base, so I use canned tomatoes for the convenience but fresh tomatoes can be subtituted in the summer. I love adding butternut squash or carrots and purists will say that they add too many calories, but oh well, it's better than adding pasta. And I don't add potatoes, they tend to get mushy. When you go to the market to shop for this recipe, try to choose vegetables with different colors and textures. Remember that we eat with our eyes and the more colorful your food is, the more enticing it will appear. We keep hearing from the media, Oprah and Dr. Oz, that we need to eat more fruit and vegetables in our diet (for obvious health reasons), and sometimes you really get sick and tired of salad - especially in winter!
I usually make a huge pot full and it will last 2 or 3 days, unless your family decides that it's good enough for them too!
Practically Zero Points Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 -7 cups chopped vegetables, e.g., garlic, onion, leeks, carrot, squash, zucchini, cabbage etc
1 15 oz. can diced or crushed canned tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth or water with bouillon cube (follow package instructions)
1 teaspoon dried herbs or to taste
Salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot with lid, heat the olive oil over high heat and add the prepared vegetables.
- Add a pinch of salt, then stir and cook the vegetables for 1 -2 minutes, but do not brown.
- Lower the heat to medium/low, cover with lid and leave the vegetables to sweat for 10 - 15 minutes. This method of cooking soften the vegetables while extracting the natural juices and flavors.
- Add the canned tomatoes and broth - you can more or less depending on how thick you like your soup. Season with dried or fresh herbs if you have them. (A sprig of thyme would be nice).
- Bring to the boil and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for approx. 30 minutes until the vegetables are fully cooked.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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