Your Newspaper - Your Health

Posted on: November 3, 2006

Souped Up

Three hearty, healthy recipes will keep you and your soul powered up for the chilly months.

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Puree of Fennel, Carrot and Potato Soup

Although it’s rarely the star of the culinary world, soup has the power to revive and nourish the body. Is it any wonder this is the dish people turn to when the winds are fierce and the nights are long?

“There’s something comforting about soup. The image of everyone being served from one big pot of soup evokes another time and place,” says Judith Barrett, author of the cookbook “Saved by Soup” (William Morrow, 1999).

Soup does have the power to bring people together and to thaw them out this time of the year. But soup also has a sustaining quality that’s very welcome when you’re trying to lose weight, notes Barrett.

“Adding soup to a meal saves a diet. Often when you’re dieting and trying to lose weight, low-calorie meals aren’t satisfying enough. Add a bowl of soup and you’re full,” says Barrett, a Boston area food writer.

And, contrary to what you might expect, you don’t have to serve gruel to enjoy the diet benefits of a bowl of soup. There are plenty of flavorful recipes, chock full of vegetables and seasonings that are low in fat and calories.

The ideal soup for weight loss is broth-based with beans, lean protein and vegetables, according to Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., who holds the endowed Guthrie Chair of Nutrition at Penn State.

“Water, or broth, is important because it’s filling, and beans and vegetables have dietary fiber which provide satiety. And if you add lean meat you have a nourishing meal,” says Rolls.

However, a soup doesn’t have to be chunky to appease your appetite. Barrett discovered she could make healthy soups with the velvety texture of cream-based recipes.

“Low-fat, low-calorie soups don’t have to be thin. You can make an elegant creamed soup that looks fabulous by cooking and pureeing the vegetables in a recipe. For example, I make a creamed fennel, broccoli, celery and potato soup. It takes about 20 minutes and it’s delicious,” Barrett says.

Rolls, who promotes the idea of eating a large volume of low-calorie foods, recommends recipes with a large proportion of vegetables.

“The more you can fill a soup bowl with vegetables and make it look abundant, the more you’ll trick your appetite into thinking you’re full,” says Rolls, author of “Volumetrics” (HarperCollins, 2000).

The Bok Choy, Bean and Canadian Bacon soup and the Smoked Turkey soup are inspired by Roll’s recommendations to combine a broth with plenty of vegetables. The Puree of Fennel, Carrot and Potato Soup has the delicacy that Barrett finds so appealing.

Puree of Fennel, Carrot and Potato Soup

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 milliliters)

• 1 large shallot, peeled and minced

• 1 medium fennel, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped

• 3 cups baby carrots (750 milliliters)

• 1 cup diced new potato (250 milliliters)

• 3 to 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (750 milliliters to 1 liter)

• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (2 milliliters)

• Pinch of nutmeg

• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a small pot. Add the shallot and saute over high heat 1 minute or until tender. Set aside. Combine the fennel, carrots, potatoes and 3 cups (750 milliliters) chicken broth in a large pot.

Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over high heat 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Pour the mixture along with the shallot into a blender in batches if necessary, and puree.

Return the soup to the pot. Add additional broth if desired to thin the soup.

Stir in curry powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes to heat through.

Serves 6.

Smoked Turkey Soup

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 milliliters)

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and diced

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (449.5 grams)

• 1 (10- to 11-ounce) can chicken broth (311 to 341 grams)

• 1 pound diced smoked (cooked) turkey (450 grams)

• 1 jalapeno chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary ( 2 milliliters) or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (1 milliliter)

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (1 milliliters)

• 1 cup cooked rice (250 milliliters)

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pot. Add the onion and celery. Saute over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, turkey, jalapeno chile, rosemary and pepper. Bring just to a boil. Reduce to low. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until celery is tender. Stir in cooked rice and heat through.

Serves 4.

Bok Choy, Bean and Canadian Bacon Soup

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 milliliters)

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 3 baby bok choy, washed and coarsely chopped

• 1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (434 grams)

• 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika (3 milliliters)

• 8 ounces diced Canadian bacon (225 grams)

• 3 cups chicken broth (750 milliliters)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pot. Add the onion and garlic. Saute over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the baby bok choy, beans, paprika, Canadian bacon, broth, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes to heat through. Serves 4.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"