RCP: Soup time!

Ever have one of those days when it's cooler than normal and rainy to boot, and it just feels like soup weather? Happened to me today.

A few months ago I had picked up some of that bulk soup mix at Whole Foods, that has all the dried veggies, wild rice, lentils, barley and split peas in it, and had never used it. So this evening I beat Gail home, and decided to make some veggie soup.
I used about 1 1/4 C. of the veggie mix in the pot in 4 C. fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth and 4 C. water, added about a pound of small red, gold and purple potatoes (diced small with peels left on), 5 frozen chicken tenders out of a bag in the freezer, 1 1/2 C. fresh okra sliced 1/8", sea salt and freshly groung pepper, a little EVOO, and about a Tbls of Herbs de Provence.

Simmered it all for an hour, chopped the chicken and threw it back in the pot, served it up. YUMM!!!!

Gail plugged the ingredients into the online WW points calculator, and it worked out to 3 points per cup. Who says diet foods have to be bland?!

With the exception of the lobster bisque recipe I posted, it's hard to make a soup that would be high in WW points. Cabbage makes a great addition to such soups.

Sounds good, RR.

I'm a soup lover of the first degree. Love it, any time of the year---but yeah, especially in the colder months.

We make every kind and style of soup we can.

One of the great ingredients we've come to rely on frequently is Swiss Chard.

Works with tomato-based soups, or anything else. Goes exceptionally well with sausages, chicken, meats---even fish (although I limit that pretty much to firm-fleshed whitefish and shellfish.

Adds a great slightly bitter touch and an interesting texture. Doesn't disintegrate like spinach will at times, and holds its flavor nicely in the eternal back of the stove soups too.

Just finished the arc of a soup yesterday. Started out as a fresh bean/tomato/veggie soup, which gradually progressed to a thicker and thicker form, so that when I took the last bit of the bottom of the pot to work for lunch it was all sludgy and looked more like bean porridge than anything else. Still good, though.

Plus, with a soup like that, you can alter the taste by throwing in some fresh herb or such, and make it a different critter.

Rainbow chard in broth with some cranberry beans. OK, Hoke, you officially have me hungry.

Rainbow chard in broth with some cranberry beans. OK, Hoke, you officially have me hungry.

Good. Cause I already did that to myself.

Sounds good, RR.

I'm a soup lover of the first degree. Love it, any time of the year---but yeah, especially in the colder months.

We make every kind and style of soup we can.

One of the great ingredients we've come to rely on frequently is Swiss Chard.

Works with tomato-based soups, or anything else. Goes exceptionally well with sausages, chicken, meats---even fish (although I limit that pretty much to firm-fleshed whitefish and shellfish.

Adds a great slightly bitter touch and an interesting texture. Doesn't disintegrate like spinach will at times, and holds its flavor nicely in the eternal back of the stove soups too.

Just finished the arc of a soup yesterday. Started out as a fresh bean/tomato/veggie soup, which gradually progressed to a thicker and thicker form, so that when I took the last bit of the bottom of the pot to work for lunch it was all sludgy and looked more like bean porridge than anything else. Still good, though.

Plus, with a soup like that, you can alter the taste by throwing in some fresh herb or such, and make it a different critter.

Hoke, search the forum for Howie Harts "greens and beans" soup recipe. Great cold weather soup, and as it doesn't get cold out there, it will do for a cool weather soup too.

Robert,

It's nice to see someone else counting WW points. I made a beef vegetable soup last weekend that was wonderfully good, and low in points. Higher than your's at 5 points, but that was because of the beef. I added a rind from some parmesan reggiano into the stock and it added a nice depth of flavor and made it very savory. I love this time of year when it gets cooler and I can made all those comfort foods.