High Protein (AND Vegan!) Creamy Tomato Soup

This Creamy Tomato Soup is high protein AND vegan! It was created to be an example of a puree stage food for bariatric patients but it is delicious for everyone! In the process of making this we realized it can be enjoyed hot, warm, or cold like a creamy gazpacho. ENJOY!!

 

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

A patient sent over this favorite recipe of hers from allrecipes.com. She said it delicious out of the pot and freezes really well too! She likes to use chicken broth which will add more flavor, for a vegan variation use vegetable or mushroom broth.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch ground allspice
4 cups vegetable, mushroom or chicken broth, divided
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste

Directions
1. Combine olive oil, red onion, garlic, cumin, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, and allspice in a large pot over medium-low heat; cook and stir until onion and garlic are browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups vegetable broth, black beans, and tomatoes in a blender; puree until smooth.
3. Pour remaining 2 cups vegetable broth, pureed black bean mixture, and pumpkin puree into the pot. Simmer soup, uncovered, until thick, 40 to 45 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar before serving.

ENJOY!!

CBS Newsletter Recipe: Lemon-Rosemary Lentil Soup

Sara's pick for the January 2017 CBS Newsletter is a Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Lentil Soup from Melanie Bauer 

Serves: 6-8 (or possibly more depending on how far out from surgery you are! Use vegetable broth instead of chicken to make it a vegan recipe.)

Ingredients/Materials Needed

§6 quart slow cooker

§6 carrots, diced

§1 large yellow onion, diced

§4 cloves garlic, minced

§1 yellow pepper, chopped

§⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

§3 cups dry red lentils

§4 cups chicken broth

§2 cups + 3/4 cup water

§1 ½  teaspoons salt

§1 lemon, zest and juice

§1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Instructions

1)In a six quart slow cooker, add all ingredients EXCEPT lemon zest, lemon juice and rosemary.  Cook on LOW for 6 hours.

2)When done cooking, stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and rosemary.

3)Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4)Garnish with additional chopped rosemary if desired.

ENJOY!!!!

Sargent WB's Black Bean Soup

A patient brought me in some of his homemade black bean soup this week. It was very tasty (I only thought it could have used a little salt....GASP... the dietitian uses salt!) so I wanted to pass it along to everyone! They make a big pot of it so that it can be frozen and thawed as necessary over a few weeks.

Beans:
1 pound dried black beans - place in 4 quarts hot water with 2 tablespoons of koster salt, then boil for 2 minutes, let beans soak for 8-24hours

Veggies:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried cumin (I think you could use up to 1 tablespoon if you prefer that flavor)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
32oz vegetable broth + 1 cup water
2 limes, cut into wedges

1. Once you have soaked the beans, drain and rinse them, set aside.
2. In the pressure cooker on medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil an add the ingredients under the 'veggie' and 'seasoning' sections. Saute for about 5 minutes until the veggies are soft.
3. Add beans and broth to the pressure cooker and stir to combine. Bring the cooker up to high on 'manual' and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and let the pressure come down naturally about 15 minutes more.
5. If you want a thicker soup, you can use a hand blender (immersion/stick blender) right in the pot to  do so or you can blend up half of the soup (2 cups a time) in the regular blender and then mix back in until you have the desired thickness.
5. Service with lime wedges to sprinkle juice over soup.

ENJOY!!

Parsnip Soup from Farm Fresh Rhode Island

In case you missed support group last night, here is the recipe that was demonstrated by the Farm Fresh Rhode Island crew. The Parsnip Soup is one of the recipes in their Farm to Cafeteria project.

Ingredients:
½ cup Onion, finely chopped
1 each Garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon Ginger root, peeled and minced
½ cup Carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup Celery, sliced thin
1/8 teaspoon Dried thyme
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
¾ pound / 2 cups Parsnips, peeled and cut into thin slices
2 cups Chicken broth
½ cup Cannellini Beans, rinsed
Dash Nutmeg (optional)

Method of Preparation:
1. In a heavy saucepan, cook the onion, garlic, ginger, the carrot, the celery and the thyme in the olive oil over moderately low heat. Stir until the onion is softened.
2. Add the parsnip, broth and beans, bring the liquid to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.
3. Puree soup in a blender and return to the pan, or use an immersion blender to puree in the cooking pot. Add water if needed to thin to desired consistency.
4. Serve with a dash of nutmeg if desired.

ENJOY!!!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Lentil Chili

February Support Group Newsletter featured this recipe from KitchenTreaty.com - and in case you misplaced your hard copy of the newsletter, here is the recipe and info!!



Make life a little simpler for yourself by using your slow cooker more often. This super easy recipe takes a different vegetarian spin on chili and proves to still pack in tons of flavor & nutrition. Unlike beef, lentils contain no saturated fat or cholesterol and are much cheaper in price than ground beef at this time. You can find a 16 oz. package of lentils for approx $1.25, whereas the price of ground beef has risen above $4.00/pound.

Yield: Approximately 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
•Two 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
•2 cups vegetable broth (choose low sodium for heart health)
•Two 15-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
•1 cup dry red lentils
•1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
•1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 a medium onion)
•1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced (taste pepper for heat
and add another. For milder chili, scrape out the seeds.)
•1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
•1 Tbsp. chili powder
•2 tsp. cumin
•1/2 tsp. cinnamon
•1/8 tsp. cloves
•1 tsp. kosher salt
•Optional topping: Shredded cheese
Directions:
1)Add all ingredients to a 3-quart or larger crock pot and stir thoroughly.
2)Cook on high for 4 - 5 hours OR on low for 8 - 10 hours until lentils are tender and chili is thick and hearty. Top with a 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and enjoy!

ENJOY!!!

Spinach and Sweet Pea Soup

This is a recipe my husband has come up with. It has evolved over the last year, from one he found by Dr. Joel Fuhrman into this, based on the vegetables Ted prefers more and ingredients that are easier to find. It is bright green in color when served, and that color doesn't fade even with refrigeration and reheating. We hope you enjoy!!

10oz container Baby Spinach (fresh)

12.6oz bag Baby Broccoli Florets (we used frozen ones)

14.4oz bag Baby Sweet Peas (frozen)

1-15.5oz can Chick Peas, strained and rinsed

1-15.5oz can Butter Beans, strained and rinsed

1-2 cups unsweetened almond milk

6oz fresh soybeans, shelled (the ones from the produce section at the grocery store)

2-3 mushrooms, thinly sliced

fresh parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add spinach, broccoli, peas and beans to water and par-blanch (cook for about 2-3 minutes until tender/al dente in texture).

2. Strain

3. Put ingredients in blender (depending on the size of your blender you may need to puree in batches - alternatively if you have a hand/immersion blender you can blend the ingredients in the pot), add 1 cup almond milk. As mixture purees, if you would like it thinner, add more almond milk. Once soup is fully pureed, returned to pot and put on medium heat. Stir often so soup doesn't burn on the bottom. 

4. When soup is hot, add soybeans and cook an additional 5 minutes. 

5. Ladle soup into bowls, top with mushroom slices, parsley and cheese if desired. Season with salt and pepper if needed. 

ENJOY!!

**please note - this makes approx 4 pints of soup (~8 cups), you will have plenty to freeze or package for work lunches. The whole batch of soup has approximately 50 grams of protein, that is 6 grams of protein/cup of soup. Adding cheese would increase the protein, or use of cow's milk instead of almond milk would also increase protein content

Farm Fresh RI's Potato Leek Soup

In Case you missed support group today - here is the Potato Leek Soup recipe from Kim Clark and her JWU students. Use vegetable stock to make this a Vegan item.

Potato Leek Soup

Serves: Eight 8 ounce portions

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons                 olive oil

5 each (about 1.5 lb)   medium potatoes, peeled and diced in ½ in cubes

1 each                         medium parsnip, washed, peeled and diced in ½ inch cubes

2 each                         medium leeks

1 each                         sprig of sage

6 each                         sprigs of thyme

1 each                         bay leaf

3 cups                         vegetable or chicken stock

3 cups                         water

To taste                       salt & pepper

Method of Preparation:

1.      Preheat oven to 375F

2.      In a large bowl, toss potatoes and parsnips with 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. (Alternatively, spray sheet pan and diced vegetables with olive oil spray.)

3.      In the meantime, prepare the leeks by cutting them lengthwise and fanning their layers under running water to rinse the dirt hiding inside. Soaking the leeks in a bowl of water will also help dislodge hidden dirt. Cut off the dark green tops and reserve for making stock. Slice the light green and white part of the leeks crosswise into 1/4 inch slices.

4.      In a large, covered pot over medium heat, sweat the leeks in remaining tablespoon of olive oil until leeks are softened, about 10 minutes.

5.      Add roasted potatoes and parsnip, herbs, bay leaf and stock to pot, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

6.      Remove bay leaf and herb springs from pot. Using an immersion blender or standing blender, mix about half the soup for a chunky soup, or all of it for a smooth soup.

7.      Season to taste and serve with a garnish of scallion or chives.

Nutritional Information:       Per serving (Eight 1-cup servings in recipe):

Calories: 83                             Vitamin A: 6%

Cal from Fat: 10                      Vitamin C: 31%

Total Fat: 1.1 g                        Calcium: 3%

Saturated Fat: 0 g                   Iron: 7%

Cholesterol: 0 mg                    Sodium: 286 mg

Carbohydrates: 17 g               Fiber: 3 g                                            

Sugar: 3 g                               Protein: 1.9 g 

Chicken Soup (with all leftovers!)

Just put all those leftovers in the pot!!

1 onion, diced
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 cabbage diced into chunks about 1" square
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup edamame, shelled
leftover meat from a roast chicken, skin removed
1-2 packages soft/precooked-udon noodles**
2-3 cups Chicken broth
1-2 cups water
2 table spoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley


1. Saute onions, mushrooms and cabbage in olive oil over medium-low heat for about 7  minutes.
2. Add chicken, broth, water, noodles, and 1/2 package of the noodle seasoning if using 1 pack of noodles (if using 2 packages add 1 seasoning packet) and stir to combine. Raise heat to high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add spinach and edamame, cook 1 minute more.
4. When you are ready to eat, drop parley on top of soup and stir in. Serve!!

ENJOY!!
**Bariatric surgery patients should replace the udon noodles with shirataki noodle which are less chewy, find them in the produce section in a bag with liquid. Strain liquid before adding noodles to pot.

Apple Corn Chili

Well, I don't know about where you live, but here in Boston, winter has set right in. Temps in the high 20s at night and 30s during the day definitely make me want to come home to a bowl of something warm for dinner. Try out this fun version of chili brought to us by the people over at Fruits and Veggies More Matters.

This recipe costs $7.43 (or $1.86/serving and there are 4 standard servings - probably 8-10 bariatric servings) and has 20 grams of protein in each one of the 4 servings.

*2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
*8 oz chicken breast, skinned, deboned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*1 medium onion, diced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*salt a pepper
*15 oz can yellow corn, no salt added, drained (or use 2 cups frozen kernels)
*2 firm red apples (like Braebrun, Empire or Fuji), peeled, cored and chopped
*1/2 tablespoon cumin
*1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (because some like it hot)
*15 oz can black beans, no salt added, drained, rinsed
*2 cups low sodium, low fat chicken broth (or 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons sodium free chicken bouillon)
*4.5 oz can diced green chiles, drained
*1/4 cup fat free sour cream
*1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in stock pot over medium heat
. Add chicken and brown, about 7 minutes.
2. Remove chicken and set aside. Add remaining olive oil to pan and heat. Add onions, garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute until vegetables are starting to get soft.
3. Then add cumin, cayenne, apples, beans, chiles and corn. Cook another 5 minutes.
4. Add chicken back to pot. Pour broth into pan and using a wooden or thick plastic spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the bits up off the bottom. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 20 minutes. (if to much liquid boils off you might need to add more broth).
5. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Soup

As we all know - because we can see those leaves starting to drop - fall is approaching and with fall and apples, also comes colder weather and pumpkins!! Many people carve them and forget that you can eat them all together (except in the form of pie) but today we are going to share a recipe for pumpkin soup!

1 15 oz can cannelini or great northern beans, strained and rinsed
1 vidalia onion, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup skim milk
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (plain)
14-16 oz of low sodium chicken broth or mushroom stock
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon (per person) part-skim ricotta cheese
optional: sauteed mushrooms

1. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low-medium heat in a saute pan. Add onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until soft, making sure to stir them frequently so that they don't burn.
2. Add cooked onion and beans to food processor and blend with milk until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree and stock and blend until combined.
3. Pour soup into a sauce pot over low-medium heat and warm to desired temperature. Be sure to stir often so that soup doesn't break or burn to the bottom of the pan. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve topped with ricotta, a sprinkle of thyme and rosemary and sauteed mushrooms if desired

ENJOY!!

Kale, Sweet Potato and Apple soup

Apple season will soon be upon us and the next crop of kale will be ready to pick also! I understand from the food trendies that kale 'is so last year' but that doesn't mean we can't keep making great recipes with it. Keep this recipe in a safe place for when we get to apple picking season!

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound kale, carefully washed and stemmed
1 large sweet potato (or yam), peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 vidalia (sweet) onion, diced small
1 small MacIntosh apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup fat free, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon , chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

1. Bring the broth to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add the diced sweet potato - let cook until soft. Add the kale, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile in a saute pan over low-medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, cumin, salt, and let cook for about 8 minutes. Then add the apple and cook an addition 5 minutes.
3. In a blender working in batches, puree the cooked kale, sweet potato, apple-onion mix, cooking liquid and yogurt until smooth. CATION - use a THICK dish towel to hold down the top of the blender! The steam will make the top very hot and it could pop the top off so be careful!
2. At this point you can either put the soup back on the burner to stay warm or garnish with a small amount of rosemary and eat.

ENJOY!

Spicy Vegetable Gumbo

RG (a patient, not my horse!) gave me this recipe last week to share with others who are looking for some interesting alternatives to meat. We hope you enjoy!

2 quarts low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want a veggie dish)
2 cups mixed beans (soaked over night in the ice box)
8 oz can of tomato sauce (remember to check the labels for zero added sugar!)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning mix
black pepper (to taste)
Fresh vegetables - whatever you like to fill the remainder of the crock pot, might I suggest a combination of the following:

• eggplant
• zucchini or yellow summer squash
• mushrooms
• kale
• carrots
• celery or celery root
• sweet potatoes
• parsnips
• Lima beans
• bell peppers or cubanelle (not spicy) peppers
• vidalia onions
• leeks

Let everything cook in crock pot on high for 8 hours. Eat (perhaps with some fresh cheese grated on top) or freeze.

ENJOY!

Lamb Stew

Brrrrrr it's cold outside! This lamb stew turned out great last night and it warmed me right up, not to mention got the house smelling tremendous! Be careful it is VERY filling and it made quite a bit so I have plenty in the freezer for another frigid day : )

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup leftover lamb roast, cut into 1" cubes
1 cup thin sliced white onions
5 large cloves garlic sliced
3 parsnips, halved lengthwise, then sliced
1 medium yam, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced
1 medium eggplant, stem removed, cut into 1" dice
1/4 cup pearled barley (not quick cook)
1/4 cup Israeli couscous
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence
1/8 teaspoon tumeric
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon (has a hint of cayenne pepper)
1/2 tablespoon dried mint
1/2 tablespoon West Indian Blend Spice mix (see recipe below)
salt and pepper
1 quart vegetable stock (I use Pacific Organic because it doesn't have added sugar or oil)
12 oz pale ale beer (I used Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), cold
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

West Indian Spice Blend

3 tablespoons Curry powder
2 tablespoons Ground cumin
2 tablespoons Ground allspice
3 tablespoons Paprika
2 tablespoons Ground ginger
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Salt
2 tablespoons Ground black pepper
Makes 1 cup

1. Heat oil in a 2-3 gallon stock pot over medium heat. Cook garlic and onions until soft. Add lamb and let brown slightly about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add parsnips, eggplant, yam - let cook 3 minutes.
3. Add cold beer - stir around scraping the bottom of the pan. The alcohol will start to boil off. Let cook about 1 minute, then add all the broth, barley, couscous, lentils and all the seasoning. Stir well to combine.
4. It will take a few minutes to get the ingredients up to temperature since the beer was cold. When it starts to simmer, turn down to low heat, cover (leave a crack) and let simmer about 3 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. When it is ready, you will notice that the starch from the couscous and barley and the breakdown of the yam and lentils has started to thicken the stew.
5. To serve, spoon into bowl and top with some of the fresh rosemary and tomato.

ENJOY!

Butternut Squash Soup

Its soup season people - come on in and warm up!

1/2 cup small diced vidalia onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peeled, chopped apple (Macintosh is a good one or Granny Smith)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 pound peeled, diced potatoes (use red potatoes)
1 pound peeled, seeded, diced butternut squash
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1 cup fat free milk or soy milk
salt and pepper

1. Saute onion in olive oil until very soft and translucent. Add apple, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, and cook 3-4 minutes more.
2. Add broth, potato, squash and bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are very soft (approx. 25 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove from heat and blend in pot with hand immersion blender (or cool slightly and use regular blender - but be careful you can get some killer burns with the regular blender).
4. Stir in milk, reheat if necessary but do not boil.

Serve topped with some pinenuts (pignola nuts) and a grating of Romano cheese and a nice crusty loaf of bread for cleaning up the bowl :)

Escarole and Bean Soup

Courtesy of a co-worker...I really need to make this one myself!

Escarole and Beans – 4 - 1cup servings

2-3 Tbsp. Olive oil
3 – 4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Head escarole, approximately 1 Lb., washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 14 oz. cans cannellini, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons Freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:
Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for a minute or two. Add the escarole and stir to coat with the oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the escarole begins to wilt. Stir in the beans. Lower the heat, add up broth, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for five to ten minutes.

To Serve:
Divide equally among four soup bowls, garnish with 1 teaspoon Parmesan. Garnish with homemade croutons.

ENJOY!!!

Broccoli Soup

This recipe was created for my bariatric patients as a dish during their post-op liquid phase. When a fellow RD in the office made it and raved about the finished product I thought I would share it with everyone!

1 large onion (sweet Vidalia would be great)
1 medium carrot (and/or a turnip - looks like a white carrot but really sweet!)
1 medium potato
1 large celery stalk
3 bunches broccoli (or 2# fresh/frozen broccoli florets)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 cups non-fat milk
28 oz 99% fat free chicken broth/stock or vegetable broth/stock
salt and pepper

1. Dice up onion, carrot, and celery.
2. In sauce pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add diced vegetables and bay leaf. Let sweat for 10 minutes or until vegetables are translucent.
3. If broccoli heads were purchased, remove main stem from the top. Leave stem whole and put in pot with sweating vegetables. Chop up florets.
4. Peel, then dice potato into 1" cubes. When vegetables in pot are soft (not including the broccoli stems) add potato, chopped florets and broth. Cook about 20 minutes, until potatoes are falling apart.
5. Remove bay leave and broccoli stems.
6. Stir in milk.
7. Use an immersion blender (hand) or stand up blender to puree soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a loaf of crusty bread immediately or freeze in 1 cup portions for an easy lunch later!