POSTED February 28, 2022
March 2022 Flourish with Food, the Med Approach to Soups
Last fall the Med approach series reached the pyramid’s foundation: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans/lentils, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices - Base every meal on these foods. (https://oldwayspt.org). This month features vegetables looking into a bowl of soup.
Nine out of 10 Americans fall short on meeting vegetables’ guidance of 2-3 cups daily. Why a worry? Vegetables - an integral part of the Mediterranean way of eating - are nutritional powerhouses of fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that promote health and prevent chronic diseases. (www.dietaryguidelines.gov) For what counts as a cup of vegetables, go to https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/vegetables.
Where are vegetables most often found? Forty-five percent of consumed vegetables are a separate meal item. Forty percent come in mixed dishes. Soups, an easy strategy for increasing vegetable intake, are a warm welcomed meal on cold days.
Soup as a meal-in-a-bowl is ideally a combination of generous vegetables (including legumes), a protein (meat, fish, poultry, legumes) and a carb (rice, pasta, quinoa) in a liquid (broth, water); plus, seasonings.
Hearty, chunky soups are actually possible without a recipe. Soups are a perfect strategy to avoid food waste by using leftovers.
Ready-made canned and packaged soups can be “enriched or upgraded” with leftover vegetables, frozen vegetable mixes, a carb and a protein to make them meal worthy. An idea for transforming canned tomato soup into a meal is available at: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/10-simple-ways-to-improve-canned-tomato-soup-article.
My no-recipe method for a quick-scratch chicken soup:
- simmer 2 bone-in chicken thighs, onion, celery, and black pepper in water to generously cover
- shred cooked chicken and return to chicken’s broth
- throw in plenty of fresh, canned, frozen, or leftover vegetables such as: carrot, broccoli florets or diced stalk, green beans, frozen roasted corn, riced cauliflower, green peas, frozen shelled edamame,
- add 1 can petite diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (with liquid)
- add ½ to 1 cup uncooked carb: orzo, small pasta pieces, rice
- add sodium-reduced packaged chicken or vegetable broth for more liquid, if desired
- season to taste: salt, all-purpose seasoning, Frontier Co-op’s chipotle powder (my favorite for mild smoky flavor)
Remember to choose Med approach ingredients when preparing homemade soups and purchasing ready-made chunky soups: vegetables, whole grain pasta, brown rice, quinoa, olive oil, legumes, chicken, fish, herbs.