Turkey Barley and Sweet Potato Soup

Amazing Delicious Turkey Barley and Sweet Potato Soup by Skinny Kitchen

One of the greatest aspects about working on Soupy (other than making the soups themselves) is the amazing opportunity to meet - both in person and online - so many passionate home cooks and chefs. One blogger that I have admired and really hope to meet one day is Nancy Fox. As the creator of Skinny Kitchen, a website devoted to healthy eating and cooking tips, Nancy creates weekly recipes that include Weight Watchers points, a list of healthy alternatives and nutritional information so that you can compare recipes. For this guest post, Nancy shared her Amazing Delicious Turkey Barley and Sweet Potato Soup recipe that uses turkey instead of chicken, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and pearl barley to create a full-bodied soup with great texture. I hope you enjoy this delicious and easy-to-prepare soup and stay tuned for more contributions from Nancy in the next couple of weeks.

Guest Post: by Nancy Fox of Skinny Kitchen

 
Amazing Delicious Turkey Barley and Sweet Potato Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour

Ingredients:
1 (32 ounce) container reduced-sodium chicken broth (we like Swanson’s Organic reduced-sodium.)
1(14oz) can reduced- sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup dried pearl barley
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon from a jar)
1 ¼ cups carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup onions, chopped (~1 small onion)
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (~2 sweet potatoes)
1 ½ cups cooked turkey breast (skin removed), diced
Fresh ground pepper to taste


Instructions:
1. In a large pot add the chicken broth and barley.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, in a pan add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery, onions,  and  sauté until vegetables are soft (~ 5 minutes)
3. Add the sautéed vegetables to the broth.  Cook uncovered for 30 minutes
4. Add the sweet potatoes and season with pepper.  Continue to cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the cooked turkey and cook 10 minutes longer.
Makes 8 cups

Food Fact:

Barley dates back to the Stone Age.  The ancient Greeks relied on barley to make bread and athletes attributed much of their strength and physical growth to their barley rich diet.

Healthy Benefit:

Pearled barley in high in cholesterol- lowering fiber and is low in fat.  A single serving offers 11% of the RDA of iron and has a fair amount of folate and niacin.

Shopping Tip

You can find dried pearl barley in the supermarket aisle with the dried beans.


Substitution Tip:
If desired, substitute chicken for the turkey.

Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 4

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 cup
162 cal, 2g fat, 10g protein, 26g carbs, 5g fiber, 418mg sodium, 5g sugar

FAT FACTS: for a regular cup of Turkey, Barley and Sweet Potato Soup
260 cal, 8g fat, 10g protein, 26g carbs, 4.8g fiber, 1074mg sodium, 5g sugar

Skinny Kitchen is your fun guide to healthy yet decadent-tasting foods. Each week we share skinny recipes, cooking tips, food finds, nutrition facts and WW POINTS on every recipe. Join Nancy Fox for the recipes and more at http://skinnykitchen.com/.

Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque - Seriously Soupy

One of my soupy goals for 2011 is to make a Lobster Bisque, a creamy and delicious soup that I have enjoyed for years at restaurants but never attempted because it seemed too difficult. After making soups for over a year, I don't think any soup is impossible anymore (even though some can still seem challenging) and decided to try a variation of a Lobster Bisque by using some shrimp that I had at home. Still hoping to make Lobster Bisque in a few weeks, this Shrimp Bisque included carrots, leeks, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, chives, garlic, non-fat, thick Greek yogurt (I didn't have heavy cream), and some delicious lobster stock from Brooklyn Bouillon that really enhanced the flavors and actually made the soup pretty healthy (as opposed to the rich cream and butter used in most bisques). The addition of parsley, dill, and red pepper flakes also give the soup a nice kick in this delicious and comforting creamy-fish soup.

Rue of celery, stock, onions, garlic and leeks

Shrimp Bisque
Ingredients:
3 cups of water
3 stalks of celery, chopped up
1 sweet potato, chopped up
Dab of butter - use your discretion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
Lobster stock 
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 can of tomato paste
1 leek, cut up (white part only)
3 carrots, cut up
1/4 teaspoon of dried dill
1 bunch of fresh parsley - about a handful
1 pound of shrimp
1/3 cup of flour
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt such as Fage 
1 lemon, squeezed
1 chive, cut up
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cut up the chives, onions, garlic, leeks and celery. Add butter to a deep pan and let melt. Add the chives, onions, garlic, leeks, celery and stock. Let soften and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, dill, red pepper flakes, parsley, water and cut up the carrots and sweet potatoes and add them to the pot. Add the yogurt and flour, stirring periodically and add more water (if necessary). Add the shrimp and lemon and let cook for another 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper, mix and taste. Add the soup to a blender and mix. Enjoy!

Creamless Leek and Asparagus Soup with Celeriac Root and Kefir

Leek and Asparagus Soup with Celeriac Root and Kefir - Seriously Soupy

I recently had the opportunity to learn more cooking at an event called the Cooking Experience, a culinary mash-up where participants learned about various products and brands (Lifeway, LG, Welch's, SoyJoy and Nature's Path, to name a few) as well as and how to prepare recipes in a creative, yet healthy way. Part meet 'n'greet, interactive cooking lesson, and food sampling, the evenings dinner menu was created by Registered Dietitian and Chef Diane Henderiks. Her delicious and mouth-watering dishes focused on nutritionally-rich food and various out-of-the-box flavor combinations that highlighted the various products such as an amazing pecan crusted barramundi that we had for our main course and a velvety leek and asparagus soup with parmesan-panko crips. Instead of using heaving cream, the soup used Lifeway kefir, a probiotic beverage made from fermented milk and kefir cultures that made it rich and velvety without being heavy. I decided to try a variation of this recipe at home that included leeks, asparagus and potatoes and my own additions - celeric root and dill. Try this at home, and trust me you won't miss the cream either.

Creamless Leek and Asparagus Soup with Celeriac Root and Kefir

Based off of Diane Henderiks' Velvet Asparagus and Leek Soup
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only); cleaned and thinly sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds asparagus; trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 celeriac root, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes; peeled and quartered
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Lifeway Lowfat Plain Kefir
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of celery salt
1 tablespoon of dried dill


Directions:
1. In a medium soup pot, saute the onions, leeks and garlic in oil until tender
2. Add the water, celeriac root, potatoes, asparagus, dill and celery salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 30-40 minutes.
3. Puree the soup in a blender. 
4. Add in Lifeway Kefir, salt and pepper and Enjoy!


What other alternatives have used instead of cream?
Seriously Soupy Serena

Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach

Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach - Seriously Soupy

Sometimes it takes a little inspiration to create a new soup. I was perusing through "Great Tastes Soup" by Bay Books and discovered a delicious-looking chickpea, potato and spinach soup and an interesting tomato soup that included celery stalks and carrots. I decided to combine aspects of the two to create this creamy tomato soup with chickpeas and spinach by adding some simple flavors like rosemary and thyme and omitting the potatoes, sugar, and bay leaves. A classic recipe that can continuously be altered - and that is the beauty of soups.

Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Spinach

Ingredients: 

5-6 heirloom tomatoes, cut up
3 cups of water, approximately
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut up
2 green onions, finely chopped
2-3 garlic, minced
2-3 stalks of celery, cut up
2-3 carrots, cut up
1 can of tomato paste
Pinch of rosemary
Pinch of Thyme
1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 
1/4 cup of light cream
Bunch of fresh spinach
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
Drizzle of olive oil

Directions:
Cut up the onions - both yellow and green - and place them in a medium-sized pot, along with the garlic and olive oil. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes as you cut up the tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Add them to the pot, along with the paste, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and some water (use your discretion). Cover and let cook for 30-40 minutes. When the vegetables are soft, turn off the flame and mix the ingredients together in a blender with the cream. Return to the pot and add the spinach and chickpeas. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Taste with salt and pepper and top with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

What are your favorite recipes for tomato soup?

Seriously Soupy Serena

Chunky Pumpkin Stew with Walnuts

Chunky Pumpkin Stew with Walnuts - Seriously Soupy

Chunky Pumpkin Stew with Walnuts in an actual pumpkin - Seriously Soupy

It's been a good week in the world of Soupy: I started organizing a fall soup party (being held at Jimmy's No. 43 in NYC), started a Brooklyn soup swap, and featured three soups on the site (thanks of course to the amazing Sage Butternut and Apple Soup guest post by Sanura Weathers!). This final soup of the week includes one of the quintessential vegetables of the fall: pumpkin!  I didn't want to create a soup just with pumpkin (although I do love a simple pumpkin), so I added cauliflower, potatoes, yellow squash, and walnuts to create a hearty and chunky meal-like soup. I also added one of my new favorite spices - cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for the ultimate fall soup. An easy one to try this weekend, along with a loaf of pumpkin bread and pumpkin latte and a pumpkin whatever else you can get your hands on.

The chunky part of the pumpkin soup - yellow squash, onions, potatoes and cauliflower

Soup's Up: To Your Health

 A seriously healthy soup-Sweet Potato and Cranberry

 A hearty dose of chickpeas in Seriously Soupy's Hummus Soup

For the most part soup has always been considered a healthy food item — loaded with vegetables and beans, lean meats, and water (or broth) that make it a filing and hearty dish. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule with some cream-based soups, but those to have a place, but maybe more so in moderation. For the most part I too try to make healthy soups, and recently found some interesting articles and new recipes pertaining to just how good soup is for you. So, read up, fill up that ladle, enjoy, and go back for more!

• Soup for Health- A pretty frank and to the point article, stating that our waistlines have essentially gotten too wide. But, low and behold as Dr. Jonn Matsen states the simplest of answers can be found in eating a good dose of soup with vegetables. Apparently, veggies that are cooked in water release bioflavonoids and protect the body against harmful free radicals.  So, the more colorful your soup is, the wider range of antioxidant properties you will receive. Perhaps it's time to try out a new soup idea —25 veggie soup, anyone?

• Soup Up Your Health- Oh, boy are we busy and getting busier as they years go on. So, busy in fact that many of us have foregone traditional ways of cooking in lieu of anything that is quick and easy aka fast food and microwavable dinners. The article by D Laurent states that there is a quick and easy solution to this, and you guessed it — it's soup! The piece goes on to discuss the wonders of stock, healing soups that aid digestion such as tomato and chicken and a general overview of the nutritional properties in soup. Who knew that onions have something called quercetin that is believed to have anti-cancerous, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. I'll eat to that!

• Miso Soup: A Delicious Bowl Full of Health and Anti-Aging Benefits- I never doubted that miso was a healthy soup as it is essentially water and soybeans, but after reading this article by Barbara L. Minton I was shocked at just how healthy it really is. As a fermented food, it provides the body with good bacteria to aid with digestion, strengthen the immune system, enhance the absorption of nutrients, protect against certain cancers, as well as protect the body from aging. The article also includes a traditional miso recipe and various studies of this versatile wonder soup.

The Recipes

This is but no means a complete list of healthy soups, just a few recipes that recently caught my eye. Please feel free to include your own recipes in the comments.

• Puree of Chickpea by Martha Rose Shulman from the New York Times
• Turkey Soup by Karina Allrich from Gluen-Free Goddess
  
• Mama's Health Soup  by Lulu from Mama's Taverna
• Butternut Squash and Apple Soup by Christine from Getting the Family Back to Healthy
• Healthy Pork Soup by Lissa from Curious Eats
• Healthy Soups (Part One) 
• Healthy Soups (Part Two) Listing of healthy soups from readers and bloggers featured on Veg Inspirations
• Minestrone Soup by Cajun Chef Ryan from Cajun Chef Ryan
• Green Soup (Spinach) by Pavithra from Dishes from my Kitchen
• Mushroom Barley Soup by Maria from Two Peas in their Pod
• Healthy Chicken Soup by Mama Shirley from Mom's Who Think
• Roasted Eggplant and White Bean Soup by Seriously Soupy Serena from Seriously Soupy
• Lentil Apricot Soup with Roasted Kale by Seriously Soupy Serena from Seriously Soupy
• Sweet Potato and Cranberry Soup by Seriously Soupy Serena from Seriously Soupy

 Seriously Soupy Serena