By: Melanie Nelson
I have heard it said plenty of times before: soups are winter’s answer to salads. I couldn’t agree more! Some soups definitely rank higher than others if your goal for 2020 is to make healthier choices or lose weight, and these are my picks from my favorite hearty winter soups for weight loss!
Delicious soups are perfect for the winter months, family cooking, simplicity for a small household,
and keeping it healthy and hearty for your new year’s goals! I would love to hear how you enjoyed these hearty soups for weight loss if you made any variations, etc…so please comment with your personal results!
AFRICAN CARROT SOUP
This makes for a perfect starter, side dish or snack, so save the rest in the fridge to warm on the stovetop later!
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion
- 6 large carrots
- Organic Peanut Butter
- Organic low sodium vegetable stock
- Salt, pepper, cayenne, Sriracha
- 1 clove fresh garlic (optional)
Prep:
- Cut onion and carrot into large pieces, then add to a large pot on the stove over low heat
- Fill with water & vegetable stock so veggies are 3/4 covered, add a squirt of Sriracha, a couple dashes of cayenne, & a little salt & pepper
- Simmer on low until carrots are al dente (approx 12 min) then let cool slightly
- Add to Vitamix, Blender or Ninja & blend on low, add 1-2 T of peanut butter, then continue to blend on low until soup is smooth and creamy
- Heat to desired temp & serve and garnish with hemp seed or fresh basil.
LEFTOVER GARDEN VEGETABLE CHICKEN SOUP
If you have roasted a whole chicken for dinner and have leftovers, you have a perfect opportunity to make an awesome soup tomorrow!
For the Broth (homemade):
- Clean the meat off the bones to save for the soup in the fridge.
- Add the cleaned off bones to a large pot.
- Fill it with water and some of the runoff from your cooked chicken left in the pan, but be sure to strain it first.
- Add a bay leaf, some salt & pepper & a cube of vegetable stock, then simmer on low for a few hours.
- Strain out the bones & now you have a nutritious and delicious bone broth as your base.
- Let cool & store in a Tupperware container overnight. This will solidify the fat and the next day you can skim it off or scoop it out for a lower fat soup broth.
Ingredients:
-
Onion
-
Carrot
-
Cauliflower
-
Broccoli
-
Green beans
-
Yellow summer squash
-
Frozen peas
-
Frozen corn
- Chicken, as desired
- Chicken broth
Prep:
- Place the broth in a pot and begin to warm, adding more water & spices as needed.
- Chop up your favorite garden vegetables finely, then and add to soup from hardest to softest as it simmers on low heat. This is the suggested order:
- Onion
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Green beans.
- Add a little later as it simmers:
- yellow summer squash
- frozen peas
- frozen corn
- Once veggies are mostly cooked & thawed, add the chicken and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes more, or until chicken is up to temp.
- It’s ready to serve when vegetables are still bright in color but slightly soft!
Enjoy!
THAI SHRIMP SOUP
If you are not a fan of shrimp, that’s ok! This is just as delicious with chicken, tofu, or large chunks of cauliflower, green beans and red peppers for a vegetarian option. Either way, you will be happy to skip the Thai take-out for this budget-friendly go-to instead.
Ingredients:
- 2 T unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 (12-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Prep:
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to the stockpot.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in curry paste until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in coconut milk and vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add vegetables or tofu if going vegetarian with approx 5 -7 min left to simmer
- Stir in shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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