Soup is delicious
Soup is nutritious
Soup can light the inner fire
Soup can be hot or cold,
thick or thin.
Soup is healthy,
light and stimulating -
agreeing with almost everyone."
Bernard Clayton, Jr.
The Complete Book of Soups and Stews
Soup. I love soup. I love soup more since reading somewhere that if you eat soup you consume less calories than you would eating a full meal, yet walk away fully satisfied. Make sense, sounds good. I want soup!
My family eats soup every week as part of our normal routine. Cold soups in the summer and hearty stews in the winter. Spring and Fall bring out the best soups. Squashes and root vegetables are a welcome comfort in the fall. Asparagus and peas breathe life into spring. Ah, soup!
My husband and I are constantly trying crazy eating plans at dinner - not diets, eating plans - to shed unwanted lbs (pronounced el-bees) and to be more contientious of what we're eating, not just strapping on the feed bag. Our new idea is to eat soup every night for dinner for a month. Not the same soup, not diet soup, just soup. The only rule, no cream based soups. Maybe the unknown article was right and we'll consume less calories and be thin and young and fabulous (I think the article claimed this would happen). Or maybe we'll end up just sick of soup.
Our quest, 30 Days of Soup.
Day 1: Vegetable with Bulghur and Herbs.
A tomato based soup with onions, garlic, acorn squash, zucchini, peas, arugula, parsley, oregano, basil and bulghur. Added bonus - the onion, arugula and herbs were from my garden!
What in the heck is bulghur and why is it in my pantry? Bulghur is a whole grain wheat commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking. Wikipedia couldn't tell me why it was in my pantry and I can't remember when I bought it. The bulghur sauteed with onions and butter, brings out a delicious nutty aroma.
My son's friend smells his food to see if it's too healthy. If it's too healthy, he won't eat it. (It has been months since I've seen him do this, but I loved it so much I'll never forget it, Mom of Son who is reading this post). This soup would not have passed his sniff test. Good and healthy! Pass the bean and cheese burritos for the boys, they weren't having healthy!
Day 2: Vegetable Beef
Early on, I knew I had to make a soup the kids would eat. Who can resist vegetable beef, especially with a side of rosemary bread? Not my family. I started early with grass fed beef roast - which I just noticed is no longer local but shipped in from Uruguay!! Uruguay! My carbon footprint has been compromised! I'll have to find a new resource for beef. Until then, I started early on the Uruguaian grass fed beef and let the soup cook all day. This is veggie first, vegetable beef soup, with lots of veggies chopped small - tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, peas and cabbage. With the bread baking, the house smelled great. Wait - did you think I made the bread too? I do work for a living. I bought some par-baked rosemary loaves and popped them in the oven just before dinner.
Chow down is what we did to that pot of soup....and the pumpkin pie (yes, I made it) for dessert.
The soup may make us thin, but the desserts will keep us sane. These are the kind of mottos I live by.
Day 3: Mushroom
Earthy, warm, and comforting, just what this momma needed on a busy cold day. Chicken stock, mire poix, white wine, mushrooms and parsley. No going wrong with that combination. It may have been too good. I ate two bowls of soup! My first double dip of the week! Delicious.
The kids are over our soup plan already. Soup? Again? They want chicken and potatoes. Fine! You're still eating a vegetable!
We are still game, happy with soup. We are eating less. Soup may be the answer.
Cooking notes:
I typically only buy whole chickens. Using my super heavy duty kitchen scissors, I cut the chicken into parts or remove the bones entirely depending on what's for dinner. The back and wing tips (and bones) go into a pot with onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper and I make chicken stock while I make dinner. The stock is then strained, cooled, bagged and frozen for future use. Handy when you get a whim to have soup for 30 days.
Mirepoix. How fast can you say "celery, carrots and onions in butter"? Why bother when you can say mirepoix? Aromatics. The flavor base of so many fabulous dishes.
Soffritto - celery, carrots and onions in olive oil. Love.
Holy Trinity - bell pepper, onion and celery. I'm working on loving peppers.
What soup will tomorrow bring?
