Recipe: Healthy clear soups, served hot!

Winter is here and the best way to enjoy it is to prepare some healthy and tasty soup and have it sip by sip! A simple homemade clear soup is packed with nutrients and does your body a lot of good. Here are some winter special continental soup recipes made from ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen.

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]1. French onion cheesy soup[/highlight]

Total Cooking time:60 minutes

Serves:4

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-green” ]Ingredients[/highlight]

1. 4 onions, thinly sliced, 5 cups vegetable stock
2. 1 cup grated cheese, ½ tbsp black pepper powder
3. ½ tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp all purpose flower
4. 1/4 cup olive oil , 1 bay leaf
5. 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 4 small slices of roasted bread

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-blue” ]Procedure[/highlight]

1.In a deep pan, heat oil and add sliced onion. Sauté it for 30 minutes. Stir continuously so that they do not stick and burn. Add sugar while stirring the onions.

2.After the onions turn golden-brown, add all purpose flour paste, bay leaf, vegetable stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to boil on low flame for about 20 minutes.

3.Now remove the bay leaf.

4.Put grated cheese on a slice of roasted bread and keep it at the bottom of the serving bowl. Now pour hot soup over it.

Serve hot…

Tip: Little time-consuming recipe, but worth the time spent. Secret behind its awesomeness is, more you sauté the onions, more tasty your soup will turn out to be.

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]2. Spicy Mexican Soup[/highlight]

Total Cooking time:30 minutes

Serves:6

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-green” ]Ingredients[/highlight]

1. 3 tsp olive oil, 1 large onion, chopped
2. ½ cup red/green pepper (capsicum), diced
3. 3 clove garlic, finely chopped, 2 zucchini crush, diced/optional
4. 2 red tomatoes diced, ½ tsp dried oregano
5. ½ cup carrot, diced , 6 cups vegetable stock
6. 1 avocado, peeled and sliced or use boiled broccoli, 6 beans finely chopped in pieces, Salt to taste
7. ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1½ cup corns, 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped, or you can use fresh coriander
8. 3 green chilies, finely chopped, 1 tsp red chili, Cream 6 tsp

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-blue” ]Procedure[/highlight]

1. Heat 3 tsp olive oil in a deep pan and add onion, garlic, green chili and red pepper. Sauté till it turns little golden brown.

2. Now add diced zucchini, tomatoes, carrot, corn and beans. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

3.Pour the vegetable stock, stir the mixture and cook for 10 minutes

4.Add red chili powder, oregano, and pepper powder and salt. Now add parsley/coriander and cook for another 10 minutes.

5.Serve hot with spoon of cream and avocado/ broccoli.

Tip: You can use plain water if you do not have vegetable stock. Little spicy in taste, but you can adjust chilli according to your taste.

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-red” ]3.Tasty Chinese soup[/highlight]

Total Cooking time:25 minutes

Serves: 6

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-green” ]Ingredients[/highlight]

1. 5 cups vegetable stock,1 cup carrot slices, 1 cup cabbage, finely sliced
2. 10 fresh button mushrooms (finely sliced), ¼ tbsp garlic paste
3. ¼ tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp fresh coriander
4. 2 green chillies finely chopped, Salt to taste, Oil 3 tsp
5. Soy sauce, 1 cup noodles or vermicelli.

[highlight highlightColor=”highlight-blue” ]Procedure[/highlight]

1. Boil cabbage and carrot slices and noodles for 5 minutes in normal water.

2.Heat oil in a deep pan fry. Add garlic, chili and ginger for a few minutes.

3.Pour vegetable stock in to the pan and add cooked carrot, cabbage and noodles. Cook for 5 minutes

4. Now add mushrooms and salt. Turn off the flame and add soy sauce and coriander.

Serve hot…

Tip: You can add 2 tbsp corn flour paste for better consistency.