Soups and stews are a great winter meal. Even better they are great if you are dieting. The high water content of soup will fill you up without all the added calories. Usually soups and stews have high fiber content and consist of a lot of vegetables and beans. In addition, soups and stews are frugal. So if you and your wallet are on a budget you found the perfect winter meal. After eating it you will not feel like hibernating because you are too full to move. I love making soups because how easy they are to make and how creative you can get. Chilis are great because you have a lot of latitude with ingredients and options. If you are eating soups partly to support a weight loss program make sure you do not focus on cream based broths.
Winter Chicken & Barley Soup
From WebMD
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked skinless chicken breast (about 7 ounces cooked)
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup pearl barley
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon parsley flakes)
1/3 slivered almonds, toasted (toast by heating over medium heat in nonstick frying pan, stirring often, until golden brown)
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste (optional)
Add oil to a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are lightly browned (about 7 minutes).
Stir in carrots, chicken, and broth and bring to boil. Stir in the barley, cover the saucepan, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about an hour or until barley is just tender.
Turn off the heat and stir in parsley and almonds. Add pepper to taste and salt to taste if desired.
Crockpot Chicken Chili
Ingredients:
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium red pepper, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut in half
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added corn, drained
1 15-ounce can reduced-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce jar low-sodium organic salsa
Preparation:
Place carrots and peppers at bottom of 4 quart crockpot, followed by chicken thigh pieces. Add corn, kidney beans and salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Serves 4-6