Posted on 05/27/2009 2:11:33 AM PDT by Schnucki
BUY A CROCK-POT!!
Throw in some water, veggies and meat in the AM, set it on low and when you come home from work you’ve got a hot meal waiting with enough left over for another meal or two. Plus, your house will smell great. The only sodium will be what you throw in yourself. You can take some leftover to work the next day for lunch if practical.
I make homemade soup on days when I am doing other stuff around the house so I can monitor it while it cooks. I usually make a BIG batch and then pressure can the broth for future use.
Homemade soup can be made low salt and still taste good if you put the right seasonings in it. That takes some experimenting. I use basil, rosemary, marjoram, and parsley.
To make the broth from scratch, put the meat of choice in a pot with seasonings, a chunk of onion and a stalk or two of celery. I cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Take out the meat and strain the broth. Let the meat cool and put if back in, toss the overcooked chunk of onion and celery, then add the veggies you want to cook them.
If you make a barely soup, you have to put the barley in the strained broth and cook it for about an hour before adding meat and vegetables. Barley takes a long time to cook and has no flavor if not cooked in the broth.
Try again.....
Let the meat cool and put it back in, toss the overcooked chunk of onion and celery, and then add the veggies you want. Cook it for about 15 mins so the veggies are not overdone.
The chunk of onion and celery stalk give the broth a nice flavor but are not appetizing after being cooked so long.
No reason to buy soup. It is so easy to make. And cheap as well.
Funny, but isn't it amazing how cynical this administration is making us?
LIFE made me a cynic. However it did prepare me to deal with the ruling class. (see tag)
I make a great potato soup with southwest flavorings that my family loves and asks for at least once a week when the weather is cool. (see below)
Boil diced potatoes with sliced yellow onions and poblano peppers in chicken broth. Add some butter and diced green chilies and continue to cook until ingredients are warmed through and potatoes are cooked. Add chili powder, black pepper and cumin to taste - no salt as chili powder and the broth contain salt. Add some heavy cream to give it a creamy consistency (you can substitute milk if you want) then use an immersion blender to blend soup to desired consistency (we like the potatoes to remain a bit lumpy). Add some already cooked diced ham and spoon into bowls, add a bit of grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some finely diced green onions for garnish. Yum! (While not low in calories, it can be enjoyed in moderation)
Clarita Garcia inspired generations of restaurateurs and Florida home cooks. Pebbles (Restaurant) founder Manny Garcia didn't have to look far for the perfect black bean soup to serve at his popular restaurants. This recipe was developed by his mother, Clarita, who recently died of heart failure at age 91.
Note that the soup does not contain meat or animal fat, but it doesn't lack flavor. (The secret is in the splash of sherry.)
Clarita Garcia's Black Bean Soup
1 pound black beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole medium ripe tomato
1 bay leaf
1/2 of a medium onion
1/2 of a medium green pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
For the soup:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Wash beans and discard imperfect ones. Place in a bowl and cover with water 2 inches above beans. Soak overnight.
Pour beans and soaking water into a 4-quart kettle. Add more water if needed to cover beans 1 inch. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, tomato, bay leaf, onion, green pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, skim foam as necessary. Lower heat to moderate and cover. Cook 1 hour or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Remove bay leaf and what is left of tomato, onion, pepper and garlic. In a skillet, heat remaining oil and saute chopped onion and green pepper until transparent. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, wine vinegar and salt. Mix well. Cook 2 minutes longer, then add to beans. Stir in hot sauce, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add sherry. Serve with white rice and chopped onions. Makes 1 gallon or 8-10 servings.
All of the above was from the Orlando Sentinel, so they are good for something!
Pho yeah!!!!!
I had the large combo pho in Lexington this weekend. There are two great pho joints in Lex that I know of......Pho BC and Fusion Cafe. Yum!
Soup bookmark...
We had a winter condo in Incline Village for a few years and whenever we were there we would eat at the Black Forest where they had the best oxtail soup I ever tasted — try as I might, I could never make my own as good.
Okay...for someone as time strapped (English translation = kitchen challenged) as myself, are there any off-the-shelf soups that are low in sodium and MSG but still taste great?
“Bean soups, (pinto, red, navy, black, lentils, etc.)”
And in your selfishness to lose weight you’ll kill us all through adding to the methane content of the atmosphere, melting the ice caps and raising sea levels where we all drown. I hope you can live with yourself!
An Viet place close to my house has gone out of biz a couple times and re-opened again. Hopefully they’ll stay around for a while.
I only like to eat soup when it’s cold outside. Forget it in the summertime.
Al Gore is a liar!
Cutting out the junk, eating less, but more often, and exercising 3-7 days a week until you’re on the verge of puking will also help you lose weight.
Actually, I haven’t lost any weight doing this, but it has moved to where it belongs.
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