eat well

Soup's On

There’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of soup to fight winter’s chill. It makes a terrific one-dish meal and eating the right soups can help you get your daily helping of vegetables, protein and fiber, keeping you healthy through the winter months.

Start with a good vegetable stock, recommends Andrea Correale, President of Elegant Affairs, a catering and event planning company in Glen Cove. Many store bought stocks are high in sodium, so Correale suggests roasting vegetables, such as mushrooms, peppers, onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and then simmering with water and white wine on the stovetop for a delicious homemade stock. For a simple vegetable soup, sauté your favorites in olive or avocado oil and add to the stock along with rice, barley, beans, quinoa (say keen-wa) or whole wheat pasta. Bean soups are loaded with such health-supporting nutrients as soluble fiber, protein and potassium, and studies have linked bean consumption to lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart attacks and even preventing some types of cancer. Try a meatless split pea soup with carrots, onions and celery or a vegetarian Greek lentil soup, rich with tomatoes.

When preparing cream-based soups, Correale says lose the cow’s milk and substitute coconut milk, linked to lowering cholesterol and preventing tumor growth. For a creamy, non-dairy soup, sauté onions and leeks in olive oil, add yellow and green squash, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are just tender, then puree. The result is a smooth, creamy, low-calorie and low-fat soup filled with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

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