Slimming Detox Soup ~ I’m a common sense type of eater, and so I’m usually not interested in faddish diets, but, like everybody else, the pounds sometimes creep up on me. My secret is simple — soup!
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Gently sauté the shallot, garlic, and ginger for a few minutes until softened.
Add the broth to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Add the carrots and beets and simmer for several minutes.
Add in the broccoli and cauliflower florets and the hot pepper, if using, and simmer for another couple of minutes. The veggies should be just barely tender. If not, cook a little longer.
Next go the pea pods, mushrooms, red cabbage, and bell pepper. Bring back to a boil and then turn down the heat again, these veggies don't require much cooking at all. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
When you are ready to serve, throw in the leafy greens and the tomatoes and give everything a stir.. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of cheese.
Notes
I use 'handful' as a measure for this recipe - don't stress over it - veggies are difficult to measure, and there's lots of leeway here for you to decide how much or how little of each ingredient you want to add. Do you want a super chunky soup? Add more. A lighter more broth-centered soup? Just add less.
This recipe has plenty of room for improvisation when it comes to what ingredients you choose, too. You can use any vegetable you like, but to stay true to the slimming and detox theme, you might want to avoid starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, lima beans, etc. Other ideas might be asparagus, Brussels sprouts, Napa cabbage, celery, green beans, onions, bok choy, eggplant, edamame beans, summer squash, etc.
This is not a strongly flavored soup, it's mild and focuses on the flavors and textures of the vegetables themselves, which I find is part of the 're-setting' process. But don't leave out the shallot, garlic, and ginger, they form a flavor base for the broth. If it is too mild for you you might try adding a can of crushed tomatoes for another layer of flavor.
If you'd like to make this a strictly vegetarian soup, use Swanson® Vegetable Broth.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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