SOUPS

Ten-Minute Tomato Soup

Roasted Garlic Paste makes this soup taste really wonderful, and the “10-minute” promise of the recipe title assumes you have some on hand. Realizing that this is not entirely fair, and that you may not yet be in the habit of keeping some of this great ingredient around at all times, we offer you a choice of substituting fresh garlic cooked briefly in olive oil (see first note below). The soup will be good either way.

One 28-ounce can tomatoes (whole or crushed)

1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Paste (here)—or see note below

A dozen leaves fresh basil—or 1 tablespoon dried basil

Pinch of salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne or red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• If you don’t have Roasted Garlic Paste on hand, use 2 teaspoons minced or crushed fresh garlic, sautéed lightly (10 to 20 seconds) in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

• This keeps for up to a week if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

image YIELD: 3 SERVINGS (A GENEROUS ¾ CUP PER SERVING)

Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g /
Dietary Fiber: 3 g / Calories: 112

  1. Combine the tomatoes, Roasted Garlic Paste or sautéed garlic, and basil in a blender or food processor, and puree to your desired texture.
  2. Transfer to a pot and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 5 minutes or a little longer.
  3. Season to taste and drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil. Serve hot.

Ethereal Broccoli Soup

Both this recipe and its Delicate Spinach counterpart (opposite page) are practically instant soups! Pureeing vegetables into soup is one of the easiest and most delightful ways to go green(er) with your diet. These two recipes are terrific hunger-busters that will fill you up just the right amount. And if they don’t do the trick on the first go-round, just help yourself to more. We’re happy to report that these soups are an “unlimited” item on the 21-Day Diet!

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen (6 to 10 ounces)

Salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

• There are several good vegetable broths available commercially. This recipe was tested with Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth, available in most grocery stores, stored unrefrigerated in 1-quart boxes (similar to soy milk packaging).

• You can make this soup with fresh or frozen broccoli. If using frozen, you don’t need to defrost it ahead of time.

• This soup will keep for up to 5 days if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

image YIELD: 2 SERVINGS

Protein: 5 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: < 1 g /
Dietary Fiber: 6 g / Calories: 77

  1. Pour the broth into a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the broccoli, partially cover, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes if the broccoli is fresh, or for 5 minutes if it’s frozen.
  3. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a blender and puree to your desired texture. (Or you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot.)
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Delicate Spinach Soup

There are several good vegetable broths available commercially. This recipe was tested with Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth, available in most grocery stores, stored unrefrigerated in 1-quart boxes (similar to soy milk packaging).

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups (firmly packed) fresh spinach leaves, or 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach

Salt (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Freshly grated nutmeg

• You can make this with fresh or frozen spinach. If using frozen, you don’t need to defrost it ahead of time.

• This will keep for up to 5 days if stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

image YIELD: 2 SERVINGS

Protein: 7 g / Saturated Fat: < 1 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 6 g / Calories: 82

  1. Pour the broth into a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the spinach, partially cover, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes (if the spinach is fresh) or for 5 minutes (if it’s frozen).
  3. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
  4. Transfer to a blender and puree to your desired texture. (Or you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot.)
  5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve hot.

Miso Soup with Tofu and Scallions

Rich in enzymes that aid digestion, miso is a salty, deeply flavored paste made from aged fermented soybeans and grains. There are many varieties of miso (determined by variations in the soybeans, the type of grain used, length of fermentation, etc.) and they are often referred to by their color (red, yellow, brown, white, etc.). Because it is already fermented and aged, miso keeps indefinitely on your pantry shelf and, once opened, can be stored for several months in the refrigerator. You can buy it at Japanese and Asian markets, and also in many grocery stores (especially natural-food groceries). The best type of miso to use for this soup is shiro or “mellow white,” but any type will work.

A single portion of miso soup can be put together—and ready to serve—in roughly the amount of time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Try transferring the soup to a wide-neck thermos and take it to work with you. If you are too hurried to make even this simple recipe—or you don’t have the ingredients on hand—there are some very good brands of instant miso soup powder available. They come in single-serving packets, and all you need to do is add hot water and stir. Consider keeping a stash at work, for spontaneous nourishment.

1 tablespoon miso

1 cup boiling water

1 to 2 tablespoons diced tofu (any kind) (tiny pieces)

1 tablespoon very finely minced scallion

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g /
Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /
Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 41

  1. Place the miso in a generously sized single-serving bowl, and pour in about image of the boiling water. Mash and stir until the mixture becomes smooth.
  2. Add the remaining hot water, along with the tofu and scallion.
  3. Serve right away.

Variations

Miso soup is delicious plain, sipped like a hot beverage. You can also make it into a heartier meal by adding any or all of the following:

  • A few spoonfuls of cooked grains (wild rice or barley is especially nice)
  • A poached egg
  • A handful of daikon sprouts or radish sprouts
  • Wakame (a sea vegetable that comes dried)—soaked in tap water for 15 minutes, or until tender
  • A few small spinach leaves

Vegetable Broth and Its Many Possibilities

A full-flavored broth with a few accents can be an incredibly useful and soothing addition to any eating plan. When consumed at the beginning of a meal, broth calms us down and not only takes the edge off our appetite—it whets it, warming up (literally and poetically) our taste buds for the food to follow.

Once upon a time, “vegetable broth” meant either a very salty and thin-flavored (okay, pathetic) bouillon cube dissolved in boiling water, or an unpredictable potful of scraps and water simmered on your stove. These days, however, there are several very good vegetable broths available commercially. Several of them are so good, in fact, that you can pretty much enjoy them straight from the box—plain, or with just a few accoutrements added. (And we literally mean “box,” as these broths are available in most grocery stores, stored unrefrigerated in 1-quart boxes, similar to those used for soy milk.) Our favorite brand is Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth, but there are others to choose from, including Swanson and Pacific. Taste a few and find your own favorite.

Here are some ideas for augmenting vegetable broth in single-serving proportions (except for the one made with egg, which serves two). All of these will keep up to a week in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Vegetable Broth with Mushrooms and Barley

1 cup vegetable broth

1 medium-size mushroom, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cooked barley (here)

1 tablespoon finely minced scallion

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 2 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Dietary Fiber: 2 g / Calories: 54

  1. Place the broth into a bowl, and heat in the microwave on high for 1½ minutes, or until steaming hot—or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop until just about boiling.
  2. Add the sliced mushroom to the hot broth. It will cook upon contact.
  3. Stir in the barley and scallion, and serve hot.

Vegetable Broth with Corn

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons fresh or frozen corn kernels, cooked

1 tablespoon finely minced scallion

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 2 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Dietary Fiber: 2 g / Calories: 60

  1. Place the broth in a bowl, and heat in the microwave on high for ½ minutes, or until steaming hot—or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop until just about boiling.
  2. Stir in the corn and scallion. Serve hot.

Vegetable Broth with Egg

This is similar to the egg-drop soup made in Chinese restaurants.

2 cups vegetable broth

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon finely minced scallion

image YIELD: 2 SERVING

Protein: 4 g / Saturated Fat: 1 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g /

Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 73

  1. Place the broth in a medium-small saucepan on the stovetop, and heat until just about boiling.
  2. Turn off the heat, and pour in the beaten egg. Stir for about 30 seconds, as the egg fluffs up and cooks from the heat of the broth.
  3. Add the scallion, and serve hot.

Vegetable Broth with Vermicelli and Peas

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons frozen peas

2 tablespoons cooked vermicelli noodles

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Dietary Fiber: 2 g / Calories: 69

  1. Place the broth and peas in a bowl, and heat in the microwave on high for 1½ to 2 minutes, or until steaming hot—or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop until the broth is just about boiling and the peas are cooked.
  2. Add the vermicelli. Serve hot.

Vegetable Broth with White Beans

You can use freshly cooked white beans or the canned variety. If using canned, rinse and drain the beans well before adding to the soup.

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons cooked white beans

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 3 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Dietary Fiber: 3 g / Calories: 57

  1. Place the broth in a bowl, and heat in the microwave on high for 1½ minutes, or until steaming hot—or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop until just about boiling.
  2. Spoon in the beans. Serve hot.

Vegetable Broth with Wheat Berries or Wild Rice

1 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons cooked wheat berries or wild rice (here–here)

image YIELD: 1 SERVING

Protein: 2 g / Saturated Fat: 0 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Dietary Fiber: 1 g / Calories: 56

  1. Place the broth in a bowl, and heat in the microwave on high for 1½ minutes, or until steaming hot—or heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop until just about boiling.
  2. Spoon in the grains. Serve hot.

Gazpacho

The famous cold tomato-based soup, reduced to its delicious essence! Although thickened with vegetables—rather than with the traditional bread used by Spanish cooks—this light gazpacho is still thin enough to drink, but also has enough heft to make you feel utterly satisfied.

1 pound very ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks—or 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or crushed)

1½ cups cucumber chunks (peeled and seeded)

½ cup chopped bell pepper

A handful of parsley

½ teaspoon minced or crushed garlic

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon light-colored honey

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Cayenne

• Make this at least 4 hours ahead of time, as it needs to chill.

• This keeps for a week or longer if refrigerated in a tightly covered container.

image YIELD: 4 SERVING

Protein: 2 g / Saturated Fat: < 1 g /

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g /

Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g /

Dietary Fiber: 2 g / Calories: 69

  1. Place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor with all the remaining ingredients except the cayenne.
  2. Puree to your desired texture.
  3. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, and add cayenne to taste. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Serve cold.