Soup Naturally Good Food!

Soup Is Good Food!
Think about those days where you just can't wait to get home, put on a pair of warm fuzzy slippers and savor a delicious bowlful ~ mmmmm-mmmmm-mmmmm-GOOD!
The first thing you notice about these recipes is the intense aroma and pure flavors that seem to just dance on your tongue.
We absolutely savor these dishes, right to the last drop.
We have them all the time when we're in a hurry to get out the door.
Okay, we've all heard that saying "soup is good food".
No question about it, but we believe these "Super" dishes aren't just good food, they're GREAT food!

It's easy to transform a basic broth into a cholesterol-lowering, blood-pressure-balancing meal.
All you need to do is follow these simple rules to garner the health benefits:
Minimize saturated fat with a smart protein choice.
Beans or tofu have less sat fat than animal sources, but you don't have to go vegetarian.
Stick with extra lean cuts like beef sirloin, pork tenderloin, and skinless chicken breast and be careful about portion sizes (3 oz. per bowl max).
For more flavor, lightly brown extra lean meats in a bit of olive or canola oil before adding to the soup.
For additional health benefits, limit the sodium (salt) by preparing your own stock from scratch, which gives you full control over the saltshaker.
I mean there are few things as comforting as a steaming bowl on a chilly day.
But what nourishes your soul can also protect your heart.
Short on time?
Then look for containers of ready-to-use stock, which generally are lightly seasoned (or unseasoned) and therefore lower in sodium, at a specialty food store.
Or, scope out your supermarket for a no-salt-added or low-sodium canned broth made from whole foods, not flavorings.
Additional health benefits would be to load up on veggies, in fact, as many as your biggest soup pot will allow.
Vegetables are great saturated-fat-free sources of fiber, antioxidants, and, above all, flavor! (Plus, they add zero cholesterol.)
Use them to your heart's content, and you'll be guaranteed a bowl of goodness.
Below we've listed some of our friends and family's faves.
Some are low fat recipes.
Some are fat free recipes.
But...they're all home made!
These types of meals have had a long standing history in our family’s kitchens.
Super low fat recipes that taste simply delicious.
Normally, many recipes use a lot of fat to bring out the flavors, especially cream based recipes.
However, you can “significantly” cut down on the fat in your dish and still keep that super natural taste.
It's really quite simple.
From our cooking experiences, it seems that many, if not most, Chinese and Japanese broth type recipes are very low fat or no fat at all, yet they taste really good.
Check out our excellent Wor Won Ton recipe.

Mmmmm, mmmmmmm, goooooood!
Contrary to western tradition, the Chinese usually serve their broths at the end of a meal instead of at the start.
Generally, Chinese and Japanese broth recipes are light tasting, low fat and quite healthy.
The purpose of serving these light, low fat broths at the end of a meal is to cleanse your mouth of all the heavy, oily foods you just ate, leaving your taste buds nice and refreshed.
Ginger is used quite a lot in Japanese and Chinese cuisines.
It's usually sliced, sometimes diced and added into or on the side.
Ginger not only brings out an exquisite taste in these low fat broths, it's also very, very good for your health.
Garlic and ginger go hand in hand as some of the most beneficial super natural ingredients you can use in any of your low fat cooking recipes to improve your health.
Obviously, the quickest way to cut down on fat from your recipes is to use less, or no meat.
But, if you, like me, want to use meat, use as lean a meat as possible and trim away all the visible fat and skin.
So, what's all the soup " hoopla " about?
Soup Hoopla!
An extravaganza.
It's the place to find out everything you ever wanted to know, how to make them, what the best recipes are, and much, much more!
Another low fat trick I like, after I've cooked my recipe, I let it cool (refrigerate) and any fats rise to the top and I just scoop it off before re-heating the dish again.
This is a good tip for lower fat sauces and gravies too.
Of course, using low fat white meats such as chicken, turkey and fish instead of the darker meats, will also cut down a lot on the fats in your recipes.
Here’s a nugget of wisdom for you;
We all know fish and seafood is good for us, but did you know that many types of fish and seafood contain less than 1 gram of fat per 100g. (4oz.) served.
Now that is super smart.
See our Bouillabaisse low fat super recipe below, this IS one of my all time faves.
Did you know you could also prepare, all vegetable and fruit soup recipes.
Yesssssss, fruit.
These are more specialized or extravagant, but hey, we are talking super foods, right.
Using only vegetables and/or fruits, your dishes can still taste super naturally delicious and of course be low fat or even no fat.
You should start any broth (soup) recipe with a vegetable stock.
You can use all types of veggies in your low fat stock recipes such as: squash, asparagus, carrots, winter melon, peas, cucumber, and many, many more.
You're limited only by your imagination.
And speaking of imagination, here's a site with hundreds of free recipes.
Make your own soups and sauces.
Easy follow recipes for all your favorite soups and sauces and many with video support.
Now, you may want to consider using pre-made broth mixes.
They're inexpensive, and can save you time (but watch the sodium content).
We like to make our super recipes interesting, low fat and just as important (to us anyways)....fun!
To kick things up a notch or two, we like using a variety of spices and seasonings such as;
sliced ginger (pink or white), white or black pepper (freshly ground), basil, lemon grass, and many others.
Again, you're limited only by your imagination.
Have fun, experiment, try new and different super healthy, low fat ingredients.
Maybe get the kids involved to help out.
You’ll notice that many of the following super recipes use a variety of ingredients from our super foods list.
I mean, isn’t that what we’re here for? lol
Below are several soup-er-licious ways to warm up, fuel up and keep your heart healthy.