Healthy vegetable soup is something that I love to enjoy after a day of heavy eating or simply just a day where it’s cold.
It’s really hard to find decent stock where I live so I’ve been making soups without stocks and honestly they taste better! And please avoid pre-made soups specifically ones with sugar, corn-starch or potato starch in them, they’re simple high in “bad carbs” and they are not very healthy, but worse some are very high calorie and packed with large amounts of sodium, which will make you bloat and potential cause you immense discomfort! They are the worst foods to have, so please avoid them.
You know the low calorie ones, yeah avoid them too!
Ok this awesome veggie soup recipe is really healthy, quick to make and super tasty. Depends how I’m feeling, I’ll add lentils, butter beans or baby new potatoes or even silken tofu. For non vegan options chicken would taste great too!
So why is soup so good for you? Because it’s the best way to consume so many nutrients in one serve. Plus it helps you feel really satisfied full from a a really low calorie meal.
If you have the time, producing homemade soups are better because they’re processed free, preservative free, tastier and contain less sodium and sugar.
Consuming too much sodium can lead to a build up of many health concerns and conditions like high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
Our daily recommended intake of sodium is just 1,500 ( 1/2 tsp.) to 2,300 milligrams (1 tsp)…crazy hey?
Back To The Soup!
This vegetable soup without adding any extra protein etc. has only a total of 182 calories per serve or 363 in the whole soup*
* calories based without adding any extra add on’s
Ok so here are the ingredients you need for this super healthy, super tasty homemade stock-free soup…
Ingredients:
yields 2
- ½ Leek (white part only)
- 1 ½ Celery stalks
- 1 Onion
- garlic
- parsley leafy and stalk
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Carrots
- 2 handfuls Silverbeet (use only leaves from stem)
- 2 handfuls Kale (use only leaves from stem)
- 2 handfuls Spinach (use only leaves from stem)
- 4 Tomatoes
- Strip of Lemon peel
- Chilli powder (the amount is your preference)
- Little pinch of Sea salt & cracked pepper
- 1 tsp. olive oil to drizzle on top afterwards for flavour
Extra Add On’s: (Optional)
for 2 servings
- 200g pre-cooked whole green lentils ( + 184 calories)
- 1/2 tins butter beans ( + 157 calories)
- ½ tin chickpeas ( + 143 calories)
- 200g silken tofu (+ 130 calories)
- 3 small baby potatoes (+ 170 calories)
- 200g chicken breast ( + 250 calories
Directions:
- Sauté in water leeks, celery, garlic and onion until they become translucent
- Add water, bay leaf, lemon, carrot and tomatoes
- Add salt, chilli powder and cracked pepper
- If you chose to add in an “extra” this is the step when you do
- Cook for 10 minutes and right before serving add the dark leafy greens
- Once you have the divided the portions into 2 serves add ½ tsp. of olive oil to each serve at the and end and enjoy!
The ingredients I have chosen are very specific. Do you know that onion, leek and celery will help you excrete fluid?
This is beneficial if you’re aiming to reduce your tummy bloat so you can have a flat tummy. The dark leafy greens, garlic and tomatoes are considered highly alkaline because they’re full of so many minerals and high water content…So by consuming this soup you’re getting:
- iron
- calcium
- potassium
- magnesium
- vitamin K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins.
- A variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects.
- Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats!” confirms health expert Laura Dolson. Enjoy your soup and live healthy!
Lots of love,
Question of the day
What’s your favourite healthy vegetable soup recipe?