Rhubarb-Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 3/4 cup dried petite red lentils
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups finely chopped carrot
• 1 3/4 cups finely chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over lentils in a small bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrot, celery, onion, and parsley to pan; sauté for 4 minutes. Add rhubarb, and sauté for 3 minutes. Drain lentils, and add lentils to pan. Stir in chicken broth and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until lentils are tender.
3. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. 
4. Blend part of the soup for a thicker consistency.  Use an immersion blender or remove 3 cups of the liquid to blender (be careful of steam while blending)
5. 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup)

Nutrition Facts  Per Serving
calories 136
Total Fat 0 g
Total Carbohydrate 24 g   Dietary Fiber 6 g
  Sugars 6 g Protein 10 g

FP4H Live It Tracker Count: 3 vegetables or 2 Vegetables & 1 Protein 

When serving add a dollop of lowfat sour cream or greek yogurt.    Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Grilled Vegetable Soup

This is adapted from James Peterson's Splendid Soups.

1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 fennel bulb cut into wedges
12 mushrooms
2 small eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/4 strips, about 12 ounces (I prefer the asian variety)
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, thyme, oregano, marjoram
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1-1/2 pounds of tomoates peeled, seeded, chopped  (canned or 4 medium)
6 cups of broth, chicken or vegetable

Add after cooking:
1 large bunch of basil, cleaned stems removed and pepper
Saffron is optional and will add to the depth of the soup

Grill outside or roast in the oven 450 degrees on a cookie sheet.  Spray veggies with olive oil spray.   10 minutes on the grill and 15-20 minutes in the oven.  Once veggies are roasted, cut into smaller 1/2 inch bite size. 

In a 4-quarter pot combine all ingredients except basil.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 8   minutes.   Check to make sure the veggies are soft. 

pray the basil leaves with olive oil and chop.  Add basil, season with additioanl pepper.   Serve.  

This freezes well.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

The key to this soup is to add different things to each serving to add variety.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Makes: 28 cups

• 1 lb. carrots, sliced
• 3 med. onions (1 1/2 lbs.), chopped (4 c.)
• 4 lg. stalks celery, sliced
• 2 lg. cloves garlic, crushed with press
• 2 cans (28 oz. each) whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 sm. head green cabbage (1 lb.) thinly sliced (6 c.)
• 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed and each cut into thirds
• 1 can (48 to 49 oz.) chicken broth
• 6 c. water
• Salt and pepper
• 3 med. zucchini (1 1/4 lbs.), sliced into half-moons
• 2 bags (6 oz. each) baby spinach leaves

1. Coat 12-quart stockpot (or 2 large saucepans) with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add carrots, onions, celery, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally.
2. Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking up tomatoes with side of spoon. Add cabbage, green beans, broth, water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high; stir in zucchini and spinach and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
Each cup: About 45 calories, 2 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g total fat (0 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 410 mg sodium.

Check out the 7 varieties at the following link Soup Diet Basic Recipe - Hearty Vegetable Soup - Good Housekeeping