Menu
Health Blogs / Lifestyle / Recipes / Soups / Starters

Making Soups & Cultivating healthier eating habits

Making Soups & cultivating healthier eating habits

Soups are the perfect comfort food.   They are simple to make and nutritious. It takes little time to prepare soups by yourself. In the midst of winter, nothing compares to a warm bowl of soup. Soups come in a variety of flavours, from creamy bisques to hearty chicken noodles and chunky chowders.

Types Of Soup

Traditionally soups are classified as a thick soups or clear soups. Below are various types of soups.

  • Broth: A water-based savoury soup made from simmering meat, fish, or vegetables is known as bouillon or broth. The soup can be served on its own or with bits of vegetables, meat, legumes, and herbs.  
  • Consomme: It is a tasty soup made with ground beef, carrot, celery, onion, tomato, and other vegetables cooked in broth or stock. To eliminate fat, use egg whites.
  • Traditional bisque is a cream-based soup. Shrimp, crab, and other seafood can be used to make it. 
  • A roux is the base of this soup, which is then diluted with broth, milk, or cream. These soups also contain one more primary ingredient, such as chicken, mushroom, broccoli, or celery.
  • Chowder: A thick, creamy soup that is usually cooked with a lot of milk or cream with roux, crushed crackers, or root vegetables like potatoes for thickening.

Tips To Make Soup Healthier

There are many ways to make a soup bit healthier; check out the following tips. 

  • If you use milk as a thickener, you can omit or reduce the cream by using skim or coconut milk. You can completely exclude the dairy by thickening the soup with mashed potatoes or beans instead.
  • Choose Lean Meat: Instead of using ground beef or sausage to make your soup, choose healthier meats such as ground chicken or turkey. 
  • Choose Homemade Soup – Choose home-made soup rather than pre-packaged or food from a restaurant. A soup maker will make the process of making soup simple. 
  • To get the most nourishment, include veggies like kale, spinach, beans, lentils, broccoli, etc.

Below I have given some super simple soup recipes that you could whip in a jiffy.

Cream of Asparagus & Almond Soup

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/D7fmDRIYncB-96uTdb_8NMiSWRSFJ0bEa6iFa6TjRlMUpvKW491GdaIy1MdqQ0wOQk7_kS4664E0CwcPCi61zX6wUOe9PTG4_Y5Ki1F4S1joV6PtwvEUS4OcG98O8vVaGoN9MMQ

Ingredients

  • 300 grams asparagus 
  • 10-12 almonds, soaked and peeled
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons refined flour (maida) 
  • 2½ cups vegetable stock 
  • Salt to taste 
  • 4-5 black peppercorns (kali mirch), crushed 
  • 2 cups milk

Steps

  1. Peel the asparagus and roughly chop. 
  2. Blanch and reserve a few asparagus tips for garnishing.  
  3. Cut slivers of a few almonds and set aside for garnishing.  
  4. Pre-heat Soup Maker 
  5. Add olive oil. 
  6. Add onion and stir until soft. 
  7. Add asparagus and almonds, stir for a minute.  
  8. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute, then gradually add the stock and whisk so that no lumps are formed. 
  9. Add salt, crushed peppercorns and milk. Mix well.  
  10.  Remove the pot and transfer the mixture in a bowl.  
  11. Blend the soup with a hand blender and pass through a fine sieve.  
  12. Serve immediately sprinkled with crushed peppercorns, blanched asparagus tips and almond slivers.

This one’s perfect for a warm winter night indoors!

Cold Cucumber Soup 

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/wJK9s9OmMJJBZRw5qRhPxMRewiLeTFGpDJD7fQSS_Bbs25u-lfcZJzBai1BPFSCzGYRyW_xUnadjb2fuOc9j3EAtB_YYFe7SSJGm_eKPphR-BmCUrXfwp3WRbLdsUhTkk2r8S4g

This one’s a perennial favour for me because the ingredients never go out of season and it’s the kind of soup that can be enjoyed during India’s merciless summers as well. Refreshing and extremely healthy, follow this recipe for a great summery soup!

Ingredients

  • Cucumbers, of course! I love to use delicate, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers in this recipe. Don’t forget to save a few slices for garnish! They add a nice crunch to this cool, creamy soup.
  • Greek yogurt – It gives the soup its delicious creamy texture and tangy flavor.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
  • Fresh herbs – I blend basil and dill into the soup and scatter more dill, fresh mint, or chives on top.
  • Lemon juice – It makes the soup nice and bright.
  • Garlic – It adds a sharp depth of flavor.
  • Honey – Don’t worry – the honey doesn’t make this recipe sweet. Instead, it offsets the tang from the lemon and the bite from the raw garlic, creating a flavorful, well-balanced soup.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop

Steps

  • First, blend! Add the cucumbers, herbs, yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper to a large blender, and blend until smooth.
  • Next, chill. When the soup is smooth, transfer it to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  • Finally, enjoy! Serve the chilled soup in bowls with a garnish of fresh herbs, thinly sliced cucumbers, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

With Wonderchef soup maker, you can make tasty soups just at the touch of a button. When you’re in the mood for soup, the soup maker automatically heats, boils, and combines ingredients. It also retains all essential fibres in your soup, making it healthier and tastier.

Author : Alina Gufran, writer and film-maker, who loves the outdoors and reading.

No Comments

    Leave a Reply