Uh, hi there. Sorry I left you all hanging here with nothing new. See, the problem with this blog is that it entices me to make delicious treats ALL THE TIME. So I thought, okay, I'm going to eat healthier and blog about THAT. But that didn't happen (the eating or the blogging). Until now.
This morning I had a rude little awakening that I am a considerably larger person now than I was a year ago when Lito and I got married. Eugh. Let's not dwell on this any longer than is necessary. The point is that it lit a fire under my buns to figure out how to something healthy, maybe even weight-loss-ey, that actually tastes good. So here we go.
I need to start with this caveat. When I eat a lot of sugar, I've noticed that my taste buds are not as excited about eating pretty much anything else. What I'm trying to say is that I think people refine their palates as they eat fresh foods that are lower in refined sugar. Par example: when I stopped eating desserts for a significant amount of time, I found that raw almonds tasted really sweet. I used to roll my eyes at meals/dishes that people touted as both weight-loss-ey and super-amazingly-tasty, because as a sugar-eater, they WEREN'T tasty. So work with me here -- if you really hate these foods, lemme know -- but if it's a matter of a salad not tasting like scalloped pineapple (delish, by the way) then, well, uh, try to be nice.
 |
| The Sous-Chef |
So here we go: Super Healthy Soup!
Here's what you need:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green beans
2 t. beef Better than Bouillon
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots (or several baby carrots), sliced
3 stalks of celery, sliced
2 cloves of garlic (smooshed through a garlic press)
two handfulls fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Here's what you do:
1. Brown your ground beef. Drain. Set aside.
2. Throw all the raw veggies in your soup pot. If your pot isn't non-stick, add a little butter. Stir it around on low-ish heat (my stove knob is pointing at 4) until the veggies are cooked through.
3. Add everything else except for the spinach.
4. Add water (2 cups maybe?) depending on how thick or thin you like your soup. If you get too much water, just add a little more Better than Bouillon.
5. Get it all nice and hot. Throw in the spinach. Let it simmer while you watch an episode of 30 Rock.
Or, you know, leave out the beef.
ReplyDeletefo sho. you could easily use veggie bouillon and leave out the beef. since you are my definition of a refined palate, I'll pose to you this question: what would you add (spice-wise, perhaps) to the soup? I think in its current state it probably relies on the beef&broth to taste interesting. OR is this another refining of the palate that I should be working on? do I just need to appreciate the veggi-ness of the veggies more?
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's relying on beef too much to be it's primary flavor-booster. I'd double the garlic, and add oregano and thyme. And I'd probably throw in a can of garbanzo beans to up the protein. That would take it closer to what we think of as minestrone, but not too terribly close, especially if you have that much carrot in it.
ReplyDeletegarbanzo beans! genius. you are the food guru. I'm doing sun salutations in your direction.
ReplyDeleteThis looks delish. I'm forcing a large, sharp mental note into a deep crevice of my brain to try and cook it.
ReplyDeletethat sounds painful.
ReplyDelete