Soup's On!

I love homemade soup. It's comforting and filling and is food at its most basic. Here are six yummy diabetic soup recipes to help you through the day, including Old-Fashioned Tomato Soup and Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Minestrone. Enjoy!

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

From Diabetic Connect

To view this online, go to http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/2418-broccoli-cheese-soup

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup half & half - fat free

4 ounces cheddar cheese

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon onion

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

4 cups broccoli florets - bite-size

Directions

Combine chicken broth, water, half & half, cheese, flour, onion and pepper in a large saucepan. Whisk to break up any lumps of flour; turn heat to medium/high. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat to low.

Add broccoli and simmer for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is tender, but not soft.

For each serving spoon one cup of soup into a bowl and garnish with a Tbsp. of shredded cheese and a pinch of parsley.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 8; Each (app 1 1/2 cup) serving contains an estimated: Cals: 126; FatCals 42; TotFat: 5 g: SatFat: 3 g; PolyFat: 0 g; MonoFat: 2 g; Chol: 14 mg; Na: 253 mg; K: 368 mg; TotCarbs: 15 g; Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 5 g; NetCarbs: 13 g; Protein: 9 g

SLOW-COOKER VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE

This recipe begins, “With a few simple steps and time in the slow cooker, you'll have this delicious and nutritious minestrone soup ready to serve.”

This is from Diabetic Connect

To view this online, go to http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/6654-vegetarian-minestrone-slow-cooker

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 cup green beans

1 small zucchini

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup elbow macaroni

4 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Directions

Combine vegetable broth, tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain.

Stir spinach and macaroni into minestrone; cook another 15 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 8; Calories: 138; Carbohydrates: 25.2 g; Saturated Fat: 0.5 g; Protein: 6.9 g; Sodium: 941 mg; Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g

OLD-FASHIONED TOMATO SOUP

Yield: 4 servings

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=643

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/643.shtml

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 can (28-oz.) diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/8 tsp. ground mace

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. snipped dill, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Melt the butter in a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Saute the onion until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the onions are golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, the sugar, thyme, mace and cayenne. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer the soup until the tomatoes and onion are soft, about 15 minutes.

Let the soup sit 20 minutes, uncovered. Transfer it to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and reduce the mixture to a puree, either pulpy or completely smooth, as desired.

Blend in the half-and-half. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup hot, sprinkling one-fourth of the dill over each bowl, if using.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 105; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 586 mg; Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g; Carbohydrates: 18 g; Exchanges: 1 Reduced-Fat Milk, 1 Vegetable

CHICKEN SOUP WITH LIME AND CILANTRO

Yield: 5 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=687

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/687.shtml

Source: The New Family Cookbook for People with Diabetes

Ingredients

1 quart Homemade Chicken Broth or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 whole chicken breast, skinned, boned, and split, or 2 skinless, boneless breast halves (about 3/4 pound)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup coarsely cilantro leaves

Directions

Bring the broth to a simmer in a large saucepan.

Add the chicken; cover and simmer over low heat until it is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove and shred the chicken. Return it to the broth; add the lime juice and bring the soup to a boil.

Ladle into soup bowls; sprinkle with cilantro.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 102; Protein: 18 g; Fat: 4 g; Sodium: 126 mg; Cholesterol: 41 mg; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 2 g; Exchanges: 2 Lean Meat

SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

This recipe begins, “This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.”

Time: 80 minutes (45 minutes prep)

This is from Diabetic Connect

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds (1 small to medium) butternut or other winter squash

1 teaspoon canola oil

2 stalks celery , chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 carrot , chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see Tip)

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

6 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or chopped parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut squash in half and seed. Place the halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out flesh when cool enough to handle.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the squash flesh, cumin, chipotle to taste and cloves. Add broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches) until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and sprinkle of chives (or parsley).

Tip: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle can be found in the specialty-spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 6; Serving Size: about 1 1/4 cups; Calories: 91; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Protein: 3 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Potassium: 354 mg; Sodium: 694 mg

AVOCADO TORTILLA SOUP

This soup recipe begins, “Serve with a crisp salad for a soup-and-salad meal.”

Yield: 8 servings.

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=710

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/710.shtml

Ingredients

3 cans (14-ounces each) fat free, less salt (or lower sodium) chicken broth

2 cans (10.75-ounces each) low sodium, condensed tomato soup

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 ripe California avocado, seeded, peeled and cubed (Reserve 8 cubes for garnish)

8 corn tortilla chips, crumbled

Directions

In a large pan combine chicken broth, soup, cilantro, garlic, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, decrease heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool slightly, and puree in batches in a blender.

Return to pan, add avocado cubes and heat through.

Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with reserved avocado cubes and crumbled tortilla chips.

Serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 142; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 383 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g