Super Low-Calorie, High Volume Vegetable Soup

I made this soup one afternoon when I was hungry, but it was still hours away from dinner. Instead of munching on cookies, chips, and other high-calorie (but unsatisfying) snacks, I decided to throw together a bowl of veggie soup, keeping it as low calorie as possible - but making sure the volume was high enough to get me through the afternoon until dinner. Boy, did this work! This made a HUGE bowl of veggie soup, it was tasty, satisfying, and filling - and according to verywellfit.com's recipe calculator, only 71 calories!! I need to make a bigger batch of this soup and keep it on hand for the afternoon munchies.

Yield: 1 serving

Cooking spray (I use avocado oil)

1/4 yellow onion, thinly slice

1/2 medium carrot, thinly sliced

1 small celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cooked white beans (I used cannellini)

1 teaspoon tomato-chicken bouillon granules (I used Knorr)

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (I used Knorr)

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

3 cups water

1 cup raw baby spinach, long stems removed

1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 small lemon

1. Spray medium saucepan lightly with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender and starting to brown. Add garlic and cook for one additional minute. 

2. Stir in water, tomato-chicken bouillon, chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, and thyme leaves. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add spinach and parsley. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes longer, until leaves are wilted.

4. Serve with a splash of lemon juice.

<a href="https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076" target="_blank"><img width="320" height="651" src="https://www.verywellfit.com/thmb/5mfAZ7OncDMczIQL3KypuxMEGi0=/1000x0/Nutrition-Label-Embed-282707599-a6e71284511d449eb1c4a1e616d89038.png" /></a>

(This was supposed to copy and paste my recipe's nutritional values here but it didn't work. 😔)

Chicken Soup

This morning I was really craving a bowl of broth-based soup with rice and beans. That sounds so specific, but it's what I wanted. I also had a container of cooked chicken breast that I needed to use up, so I created this soup and had it for a very early lunch (or late breakfast?). It was so delicious and really hit the spot!

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

6 cups chicken broth

1 can white beans, drained 

2 teaspoons lite soy sauce (reduced sodium)

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Hot cooked rice

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and the spring onion whites. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, then cover and reduce heat to medium low. Allow the veggies to steam and soften for about 5-7 minutes. 

Add chicken and seasoning; stir to mix well. Add chicken broth, beans, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir gently and raise heat to high and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Place 1/2 cup of rice in a bowl and ladle 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the soup over the rice. Top with some of the sliced green parts of the spring onions to serve.

*If I had fresh ginger on hand, I would have minced some to add to the soup.

Yield: about 10 bowls. Each bowl of soup without rice is about 95 calories; 1/2 cup of rice adds about 120 calories.

Healthy and Low-Carb Shepherd's Pie

I am so happy with how this Shepherd's Pie turned out tonight! Definitely a keeper. I roasted fresh cauliflower to make the "faux-tatoes," and used lean ground beef. The cauliflower is topped with fresh shredded Parmesan, which gives the top layer a yummy, crunchy texture when it bakes in the oven. It was delicious, and my 20-year-old daughter, who has never been a fan of cauliflower, had 3 helpings before realizing she wasn't eating potatoes! 

I know you're not "supposed" to use carrots or peas in low-carb recipes, but you know what? It's only 1/2 cup of each in this whole recipe, so it really doesn't add a lot in a serving. I believe 1/2 cup of peas has 11 carbs, and 1 whole carrot has around 7 - and that's not even counting the fiber you can take away from the carb count. I'm not worried about it! (And I just love the taste of carrots and peas in Shepherd's Pie!) On the other hand, a helping of mashed potatoes can have 30-40 carbs, with zero fiber, so if you're trying to keep your carbs in check, I do think it's worth it to replace them with something lower-carb like cauliflower.

Oh, one other thing. I think traditionally Shepherd's Pie is supposed to be made with lamb, and "Cottage Pie" is made with ground beef. But I digress. I'm American, and I grew up saying Shepherd's Pie, even if that's probably wrong.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves - 3 whole, 1 crushed
• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup cut green beans (can be fresh, frozen, or canned)
• 1/2 cup green peas (can be frozen or canned)
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/3 cup water
• Seasoned salt (like Lawry's), to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 TBSP cream cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan (do not use the powdery canned stuff!)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay cut-up cauliflower and 3 whole garlic cloves in the pan in an even layer. Drizzle generously with the olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until cauliflower starts to turn a nice golden brown. Set aside, but keep oven on at 350.
2. While cauliflower bakes, heat a large iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, carrots, green beans, and crushed garlic. Cook and stir, breaking up the beef, until the beef is brown and cooked through.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together tomato paste and water. Stir into the beef mixture along with the peas. Season with rosemary, thyme, seasoned salt, and pepper. Mix well and taste-test, adding more salt or other seasonings as needed. Smooth beef mixture evenly in the skillet with a spatula.
4. Place the roasted cauliflower in a food processor bowl with the cream cheese. Process until smooth, like mashed potatoes. Taste and add some seasoned salt if it needs more salt.
5. Carefully spread the mashed cauliflower over the beef mixture, then sprinkle evenly with the shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes, until edges are bubbly and top is starting to brown.

Yield: about 6-8 servings