Soup's On

The cold north wind is blowing. Cool September rains are creating mud puddle obstacles on the walk to school. I've pulled my favorite leather boots out of the attic. And it's football season. That can only mean one thing: It's soup weather.

On the food satisfaction scale, soup is right up there-- in my opinion. I think I could eat it every day and never get tired of it. When I was a kid, September meant my Italian Nonna always had a pot of minestrone going, full of zucchini, tomatoes, greens and other fresh vegetables. We'd sprinkle it with a good dusting of grated parmesan cheese and dive into it.

She'd usually serve crusty Italian bread on the side, along with chunks of cheese and marinated olives. That truly was clean, homemade eating.

Being somewhat of a soup snob, I tend to shun canned soups because they're thin, fake tasting, loaded with sodium and flavorless. Plus, it's so easy to create a steaming pot of soup yourself. It freezes well and you can eat it a couple days in a row with a sandwich or salad on the side.

Here's a recipe for Confetti soup which features black eyed peas. I looked for frozen ones, but settled for canned beans. They were just fine after I drained them and rinsed them with water.

Black eyed peas have decent protein and fairly low carbs. The fiber in them makes the soup satisfying and you can certainly add meat to the soup for flavor or an added protein boost to help build lean muscle. The kale adds a ton of vitamin A and bold flavor.

Confetti Soup:

one cup chopped onions
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups finely chopped kale
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cans fat-free chicken broth (no msg)
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
optional 1 lb ground turkey, cooked rinsed and drained.


Coat a large pot with cooking spray. Add onions and peppers, cooking for about five minutes on medium heat. Add kale, chili powder, cumin and red pepper. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until kale is bright green Add broth, black-eyed peas and turkey meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes and serve.

Makes 6, 1 cup servings. 151 calories, 9-15 gr. protein with turkey, 26 carbs.
Recipe adapted from the booklet, "Evelyn's Essentials."