Tabakova - Soup Cookbook: Simple and Healthy Homemade Recipes to Warm the Soul: Healthy Recipes for Weight Loss

by Vesela Tabakova
Text copyright(c)2016 Vesela Tabakova
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. Soup, glorious soup! I love it and can happily eat it every day. Soup is filling, soup is warming, soup is healthy, and soup is comforting. Homemade soup is diet friendly, it curbs cravings and prevents overeating.

You can have soup for lunch, dinner, and even for breakfast. You can eat it in fall and winter, but you can also eat it in summer, especially delicious cold soups as the cold yogurt soup, or Spanish gazpacho. Most of my soup recipes come from my mothers and grandmother's personal collections of recipes. Some are the original recipes which still work beautifully today, some I have adapted to suit my familys - particularly my teenage kids 21st century taste buds. Homemade soups are inexpensive and taste so much nicer than many ready-made ones. Soup is easy and versatile, it is also adaptable - you can always improvise and use whatever ingredients you have at home.

Weeknight dinner ideas are hard to come by. For me, preparing delicious homemade soups is the easiest stress-free way of cooking healthy, yet amazingly tasty food for the family. My favorite soup recipes use simple ingredients that you probably already have in your freezer, refrigerator, and pantry. They do not require complicated cooking techniques and are simply the best solution for fast-paced families who want tasty and healthy meals. At the end of a busy day a steaming bowl of soup is the perfect answer to the question 'Whats for dinner?'

Serves 4Ingredients: 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite sized pieces 1/4 cup rice, rinsed 1 small onion, finely cut 2 carrots, grated 1 celery rib, finely cut 5 cups water 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 bay leaf 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely cut, to serve 4 tbsp lemon juice, to serve Directions: Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Gently saut onion, garlic, carrot and celery, stirring occasionally.

Add in chicken, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then season with salt and black pepper and add in rice. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf and serve with parsley and lemon juice.

Serves 5-6Ingredients: 1 cup cooked chicken, cubed or shredded 1 small onion, chopped 1 small carrot, grated 1 bunch kale, cut into 1 inch pieces 4 cups chicken broth 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp paprika 3 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated lemon zest salt and black pepper, to taste grated Parmesan cheese, to serve Directions: Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Gently saut onion, garlic and carrot, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and cooked chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 5-6Ingredients: 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 leek, trimmed, halved, finely cut 1 celery rib, trimmed, halved, finely cut 2 carrots, chopped 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, diced 1 cup frozen peas 4 cups chicken broth 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp salt Directions: Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Serves 6-7Ingredients: 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite sized pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1 celery rib, chopped 1/2 small parsnip, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed 5 cups chicken broth 1 tsp thyme 2 bay leaves 1 tsp salt black pepper, to taste 1 tsp summer savory Directions: Season the chicken well with salt, ground black pepper and summer savory. Place it in a slow cooker with all remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4 hours. Serves 6-7Ingredients: 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut in bite sized pieces 1 small onion, chopped 1 tomato, diced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2-3 broccoli florets 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp oregano 2 bay leaves 1 tsp salt black pepper, to taste Directions: Season the chicken well with salt, black pepper garlic powder and oregano. Place it in a slow cooker with all remaining ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Add noodles to slow cooker; cover and cook on low 20 minutes.

Serves 4-5Ingredients: 1 lb ground chicken meat 1 egg, lightly whisked 1 cup whole milk ricotta 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2-3 tbsp flour 1/2 onion, chopped 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups baby spinach 1/2 tsp dried oregano 3 tbsp olive oil tsp black pepper Directions: Place ground chicken, Ricotta, Parmesan, egg and black pepper in a bowl. Combine well with hands and roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Roll each meatball in the flour then set aside on a large plate. In a deep soup pot, heat olive oil and gently saut onion until transparent.

Add in oregano and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add meatballs, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add baby spinach leaves and simmer for 2 more minutes until it wilts.

Serves 4Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 2 leeks, finely cut 2 chicken breast fillets, cooked and shredded 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped salt and black pepper, to taste lemon juice, to serve Directions: Heat the chicken broth in a large soup pot. Add in the shredded chicken and the leeks and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the asparagus, parsley, salt and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes more. Serve with lemon juice.

Serves 4-5Ingredients: 1 roasted chicken, skin and bones removed, shredded 1/2 Chinese cabbage, shredded 5 cups chicken broth 1 cup water 1 red chilli, thinly sliced 2 carrots, peeled and cut into short, thin sticks 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 16 oz snow peas, shredded lengthwise 2 tbsp soy sauce 1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely cut Directions: Combine the chicken broth, water, soy sauce and the chilli in a deep soup pot. Gently bring to a boil then add in carrots, mushrooms, snow peas and shredded chicken. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for 2 minutes or until the cabbage wilts.Stir the coriander into soup.