Soup's On!

When I was growing up, my mom would fix homemade soup every couple of weeks. I got to the point of thinking of it as comfort food.

With that in mind, here are six yummy soup recipes to help you through the day, including Mexican Chicken Soup and Vegetable and Bean Soup. Enjoy!

MINESTRONE SOUP

This originally came from Diabetic Gourmet, though the recipe is probably more than ten years old. (It was in an email that long ago.) Unfortunately, I no longer have the link to this recipe. However, it is from However, it is from "Cooking with The Diabetic Chef" by Chris Smith, which can be found at http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/23.shtml. Yield: 4 servings (about 1 cup each)

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1/4 medium carrot, finely diced

1/4 stalk celery, finely diced

2/3 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons leeks, finely diced

3 ounces (about 1/3 cup) canned tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme

3/4 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

3 cups chicken stock

3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) frozen spinach, chopped

3/4 cup white beans, cooked

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and leek and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato, zucchini, thyme, oregano, and chicken stock. Bring liquid to simmer for 20 minutes. Add spinach and white beans. Return liquid to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Serve immediately & garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (about 1 cup): Calories: 110, Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 3 mg, Sodium: 283 mg, Carbohydrate: 15 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 7 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

GREEN MINESTRONE

Recipe Yield: Makes 6 servings

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/green-minestrone.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 scallions, chopped, white and green parts

1 medium leek, white part only, halved and sliced

1 small red onion, diced

1 celery rib, thinly sliced

4 cups reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

12 green beans, or 1 cup frozen, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 medium potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch cubes

1 small zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch slices

3 cups stemmed fresh spinach leaves, or coarsely chopped Swiss chard

1 cup canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Saute scallions, leek, onion and celery until onion is translucent. Cover, reduce heat and cook gently 5 minutes, or until vegetables have released their juices and softened.

Add broth, green beans, potato and zucchini. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in spinach. Add canned beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve, topped with some of the cheese. (Soup keeps up to three days if covered and refrigerated.)

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 111; Fat: 3 g; Sodium: 532 mg; Protein: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread, 2 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

GOULASH SOUP

Recipe Yield: Servings: 6

Source: Deliciously Healthy Favorite Foods Cookbook

Book Title: Deliciously Healthy Favorite Foods Cookbook

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/goulash-soup.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 pound lean round steak, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 cups water

1 beef bouillon cube

1-2 tablespoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon Morton Lite Salt Mixture

2 ounces tomato paste (or substitute 1 peeled tomato, cut up)

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

Directions

In a large, heavy soup pot sprayed with non-stick spray, stir-fry onion and garlic until golden brown. Remove from pot and set aside. Re-spray pot with non-stick spray and brown beef cubes over medium-high heat.

Add cooked onion and garlic to pot. Add water, bouillon cube, paprika, Morton Lite Salt Mixture and tomato paste or tomato. Cover and simmer for 4 hours. Add potato and simmer for 15 minutes longer.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 91; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 290 mg; Cholesterol: 23.4 mg; Protein: 10 g; Carbohydrates: 8 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 1/2 Bread/Starch

MEXICAN CHICKEN SOUP

Yield: 10 servings. Serving Size: 1-1/2 cups. May be viewed online at http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1206.shtml

Ingredients

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

8 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2/3 cup lentils

1 can (19 oz) tomatoes, chopped

3 medium carrots, thinly sliced

2 lbs cooked chicken, cubed

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup frozen peas

1 small avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions

In Dutch oven, heat canola oil. Add garlic, onion and celery. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Season with black pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes.

Add chicken stock, lentils, tomatoes and carrots. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

Add chicken, zucchini and peas.

Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with avocado slices.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 250; Protein: 33 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 280 mg; Cholesterol: 75 mg; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g

SWEET CORN SOUP WITH CRAB AND ASPARAGUS

This begins, “This Cantonese-style soup is practically a meal in itself.”

Yield: 8 servings

Source: Reprinted with permission from The New American Heart Association Cookbook, Seventh Edition, Copyright 2004 by the American Heart Association. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1310

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1310.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus

1/4 cup water

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added cream-style corn

2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

Egg substitute equivalent to 3 eggs, or 3 large eggs

2 (6-ounce) cans crabmeat, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

6 medium green onions (green part only), finely chopped

Chili garlic sauce to taste (optional)

Directions

Trim the asparagus and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Put in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water. Microwave, covered, on 100 percent power (high) for 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Don't overcook. Drain well.

In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the corn, soy sauce, and salt. Return to a boil.

Meanwhile, put the cornstarch in a cup. Add 2 tablespoons water, stirring to dissolve. Pour into the broth mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour the egg substitute into the boiling soup in a thin stream. Remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon 1/2 cup asparagus into each bowl. Ladle the broth mixture over each serving. Top with the crabmeat and sesame oil. Sprinkle the green onions over each serving.

Serve the chili garlic sauce on the side.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 138; Protein: 15 g; Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 278 mg; Cholesterol: 38 mg; Carbohydrates: 17 g

VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP

Yield: 6 servings

Online: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/900.shtml

Source: The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook

Book Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/15.shtml

Easy substitution: To make this soup completely vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and additional olive oil for the butter.

Ingredients

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (14.5) cans chicken broth

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 summer squashes (zucchini or yellow squash, about 1 pound total), quartered lengthwise and chopped

1 (7 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 4 shakes) (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker crock and mix well.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Stir well before serving.

If desired, stir in Tabasco sauce before serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 210; Protein: 8 g; Fat: 9 g ; Sodium: 1020 mg; Cholesterol: 14 mg; Carbohydrates: 18 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 2 Fat, 2 Vegetable