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July 16, 2023 By Neha Kapoor 6 Comments

The Right Way To Include Superfoods In Your Soup

soupWhether you’re a confident cook or a kitchen newbie, a little advice is always helpful. So, here I am with these need-to-know soup-making tips and techniques to make your soup healthy and nutritious. Soups make an excellent choice for snacking, a light dinner recipe or post workout meal. You can easily fit it in your meals in various ways.

Homemade Soup vs Packed Soups

Canned or dried instant soups contain lots of salt, hidden sugars, fillers, and preservatives to increase shelf life of the product. As with almost anything, home-made is better. Making your own soup takes time, but it gives you complete control over the ingredients and how you prepare them.

Know Your “Superfoods”

Superfoods are all around us but we seldom take note of them. Incorporating superfoods into your bowl of soup can load your meals with nutrition, antioxidant properties and low amount of calories. Some of the popular choices of super foods to consider are Moringa, Drumstick, Pumpkin, Barley, Bell pepper, Sprouted legumes and pulses, Broccoli, Mushroom, Spinach, Sweet Potato and all herbs and spices. Cinnamon, Cayenne peppers, Pepper, Rosemary, Oregano, Lemon grass, Basil, Thyme, Parsley are a boon for our digestive and Immune system.

How Do You Use Superfoods? 

  • Garlic is used widely as a flavouring in cooking soups, but also has been used as a medicine to treat various ailments. Add 5-6 peeled, cracked garlic cloves and cook, tossing them around occasionally, until they are golden brown.
  • Basil is well known for its medicinal properties. The most commonly known pairing of basil is with tomato, broccoli, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme. The best way is to puree it into the soup.
  • Oregano is an effective natural antibiotic and antifungal. It may also help you lose weight and lower your cholesterol levels. Half teaspoon is good to go.
  • Rosemary/Thyme is traditionally used to help alleviate muscle pain, improve memory, boost the immune and circulatory system, and promote digestive health. 1 teaspoon is enough to avail its benefits.
  • Cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthiest spices on the planet. It can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors and has a plethora of other impressive health benefits. Add ½ teaspoon depending on the quantity of soup. Ceylon cinnamon is better quality.
  • Vegetables are packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The recommended daily amount of vegetables for men is at least 3 cups a day and for women at least 2 1/2 cups.  Adding them to soups increases the serving of vegetables in a diet. Steaming and boiling caused a 22% to 34 % loss of vitamin C. Pressure-cooked vegetables retain 90% of their vitamin C.

 NOTE: Add fresh herbs towards the end as the flavour diminishes with heat.

Tips To Choose Your Ingredients

  1. Include seasonal Superfoods that are readily available in the market and your own kitchen. Refer to the above list.
  2. Good Fats: Choose fats that your body needs such as Virgin Coconut oil, homemade pure ghee and olive oil are preferable options to add taste and enhance absorption of fat soluble Vitamins from your vegetables.
  3. Right Base: In order to cut saturated fats like cream, you can replace your creamy base with vegetable broth, tomato puree, coconut milk, tomato puree or vegetable puree.
  4. Pick Seasonal Veggies: Pumpkin, tomato, spinach, onion, beetroot, moringa, mushroom, sweet potato, or mixing three or four vegetables not only enhances the taste but also increases the nutritive value. Garlic is common. Use whatever you like from what is available.
  5. Herbs & Spices: Sea salt and black peppers are your two most basic spices. You can experiment with various herbs as all are beneficial for your gut health. Popular flavour combinations are Basil and oregano pair well with tomato-based soups, Parsley, and rosemary go well with potato-based soups, Parsley and thyme are a nice addition to cream soups.
  6. New Age Superfoods: Handful of boiled barley, quinoa, oats, microgreens, boiled sprouts, Tofu, cooked lentils and legumes adds proteins as well as increases the satiety value and health quotient of the soup. They are perfect because it thickens the soup as it cooks; creating an irresistible, slightly sticky broth that coats your spoon beautifully.

Simple Technique To Cook Any Type Of Soup 

  1. Take vegetables of your choice. Wash it and chop in big pieces.
  2. Take a pressure cooker and add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin or unrefined coconut oil/ olive oil. Add chopped vegetables and mix well.
  3. Add 1 glass of water and give a whistle.
  4. After cooling, separate vegetables from water (vegetable broth) and grind them with a handful of boiled quinoa/ sprouted dal or any other protein source to get a thick paste.
  5. Mix it again in the same vegetable broth and give it a boil adding sea salt and herbs at the end. 
  6. Optional: add coconut milk to give a nice colour, pieces of tofu or beans/ bell peppers for crunchiness.
  7. Serve it hot! Your healthy protein rich, immunity boosting soup is ready!

That’s it!  You can make any soup using the ingredients you have at hand with the flavours you prefer, without any recipe. Some examples of healthy soups are tomato basil soup, bell pepper soup, red pumpkin soup, broccoli soup, moringa soup and sprouted soup.

Do try your own variation and let us know your recipe in the comments below. You can find more articles on nutrition and superfoods here. You can also get these tips or recipes directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

July 2, 2023 By Bharti Gupta 1 Comment

Healthy Eating: Sabudana Soup

Sabudana SoupSabudana Soup is an energy rich, wholesome soup that is packed with several health benefits. It is quite famous in tropical regions and many parts of India consume it during festivals. If you’ve been looking for a nice soup to warm you up during monsoon, this is it! So without further ado, let’s go over this delicious recipe! 

What You Will Need 

  • Sabudana – 1 cup 
  • Oil – 2 spoons 
  • Green Chilli – 1 (chopped) 
  • Coriander Leaves – 1 spoon (chopped) 
  • Tomato Puree – 1 
  • Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp 
  • Onion – 1 (chopped) 
  • Water – 3 cups 
  • Maggi Masala – 1 tsp 
  • Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp 
  • Salt to taste 

How To Prepare 

  1. Soak the Sabudana for an hour 
  2. In a pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds 
  3. Then, add the chopped onions, tomato, green chilli 
  4. Saute well and add turmeric along with the coriander leaves 
  5. Add water and salt (as per taste) and then add the Maggi masala 
  6. Cook for 3-4 mins and your Sabudana Soup is ready! 

Highlights Of The Sabudana Soup 

  • Is excellent for morning breakfast or as an evening snack as it provides energy
  • It improves digestion, increases metabolism and is good for gut health 
  • It can aid in maintaining good blood flow and reduces blood pressure 
  • Great for bone health! 
  • It is high in carbs, yet low in fat – a healthier choice for weight gain!
  • The antioxidants it provides is good for the skin  

We hope you enjoy this healthy Sabudana Soup recipe. Do try it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Find more Healthy Recipes here or you can ask a GOQii Coach directly by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

Eat Healthy and #BeTheForce 

January 23, 2022 By Urvi Gohil Leave a Comment

Healthy Eating: The Ultimate Winter Soup

ultimate winter soup

With everyone seeking to build their immunity, especially due to the change in weather and the ongoing pandemic, eating the right food is quite essential to our wellbeing. There is nothing that fuels your body with the right nutrients and warms your soul like the way soup does. So here’s the delicious Ultimate Winter Soup that’s loaded with the goodness of vegetables, herbs and protein.

What You Will Need 

  • Finely chopped onion – ½ cup
  • Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
  • Finely chopped carrot – ¼ cup
  • Finely chopped sweet potato – ¼ cup
  • Chopped french beans – ½ cup
  • Finely chopped tomato – ½ cup
  • Soft boiled chick peas – 1 cup
  • Vegetable broth/ water – 5 cups
  • Coriander – ½ cup
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Salt 
  • Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
  • Red chilli paste – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric – ½ tsp

How To Prepare

  1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and allow it to sauté until soft.
  2. Then add the ginger garlic paste, give it a quick stir and allow it to cook for a minute.
  3. Add the carrot, french beans & sweet potato. Let them cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Now add the vegetable broth or water and partially cover the pan with the lid and allow the veggies to cook.
  5. After 10 mins, once you see the carrots are tender, add the tomato and mix everything well. Add the turmeric and salt during this time.
  6. In another small bowl, mash the chick peas with a fork and transfer it to the soup pan. Also add the coriander, red chilli paste and black pepper at the same time. Give it a quick mix and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
  7. Time to serve the hot colorful looking soup and enjoy.

Note: Instead of chickpeas, you can use any pulse of your choice like chana, sprouts, mung, etc. 

Highlights of the Ultimate Winter Soup

  • An absolute delight for your body, it will boost immunity, heat you up and clear your throat. 
  • Very fulfilling due to the use of a variety of seasonal vegetables. 
  • Great for people healing from any type of viral infections.

We hope you enjoy this Ultimate Winter Soup! Do share your thoughts with us in the comments below. For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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