Gluten-free & Vegetarian Low Calorie Soups
Are you looking for quick, gluten-free and vegetarian dinner ideas? How about throwing together a pot of soup? Not only are soups nutritious but they can be easily made with just about anything you can find in the fridge. Do you have some old, bendy carrots and some greens past their prime? Just wash them off and throw them into a pot with some garlic, onion and spices and you are on your way to your own homemade vegetable broth. This broth can serve as the base for many other soups and kitchen creations, it's also naturally gluten-free and low on sugar.
Soups are an especially simple dinner idea because they really don't require exact measurements. They can easily be created to suit your own personal tastes with whatever ingredients you already have on hand. All of the ideas and recipes listed below are naturally low calorie, dairy totally free and vegan. Of course you can add dairy in if you prefer, but consider using plain greek yogurt or goat's milk as a replacement for cow's milk products. These options are much healthier and often suitable for people with dairy intolerances or on a restricted diet.
1: Homemade Heirloom Tomato Soup
At the end of summer you will find yourself in the peak of tomato season. The farmer's markets will be overflowing with them. If you go to the market towards the end of the day, you can often find the best prices on produce. Use the discount to stock up on yummy heirloom tomatoes and make a big batch of this easy vegetarian and gluten-free soup. Tomatoes are naturally full of sugar, especially when they are at their ripest. By replacing the additional sugar usually used in tomato soups with vinegar, this recipes becomes more suitable for those on a low-sugar diet.
Heirloom Tomato Soup Ingredients:
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 large organic, heirloom tomatoes
- a handful of fresh herbs - basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary
- a splash of balsamic vinegar - white balsamic works well
- juice from half a lemon and a little zest
It is as easy as throwing everything together in a pot and heating until it is the desired temperature. You can heat a while longer and reduce the soup for more intense flavors.
2: Lentil Soups & Daal
Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse. They extremely filling, healthy, full of vitamins and trace minerals and lentils also are one of the least expensive items you can buy in the store. There are tons vegetarian lentil soup variations. The recipe listed by Clean Eating Mama is a good vegan base to start with. Her recipe calls for adding potatoes, if you are trying to watch your simple carbs, you can simply omit the potatoes. Try adding fresh, greek yogurt for a probiotic boast or chopped cilantro for extra toxin-fighting powers!
3: Vegan Garden Vegetable
You can pretty much put any of your leftover veggies in a pot and create something nourishing and wonderful. Try adding balsamic vinegar or lemon zest to make the flavors pop. Here is an easy tutorial on how to easily make your own homemade garden veggie soup without gluten and dairy.
4: Spicy Bok Choy & Leek Soup
Spicy Bok Choy & Leek Soup is easy to make, extremely comforting and perfect for nurturing a cold on a chilly winter's evening. Consuming bok choy is a great way to get some extra Vitamin C in your diet, just 100 grams has 75% of your daily recommended value. This soup would be the perfect low-calorie soup recipe for starting a detox.
5: Watercress Soup
Watercress is another extremely healthy option. This superfood is a great vegetable source for Vitamin K, it is also full of many essential minerals. You can find watercress greens in the produce section of your local, gourmet grocery store. This recipe from Allergic Living is simple, healthy and uses only wholesome, gluten-free and animal product free ingredients.
6: Creamy Zucchini
No need for a recipe! This delicious soup can be whipped up in the food processor in no time at all. Combine garlic, seasonings, a little bit of oil and some chopped zucchini in the processor until it is the desired consistency, add water as needed. You can enjoy this soup cool and raw or heat it up really quick on the stove top.
7: Healthy Black Bean & Veggie Soup
You really can't go wrong with Black Bean Soup, as long as it is seasoned properly. To reduce sodium you should always rinse canned beans first. Add some peppers, garlic, a little cumin, some stewed tomatoes and you are on your way to a mighty-fine, impromptu dinner. While preparing the soup, slice some sweet plantains and bake them in the oven at 400 degrees until soft, for a sweet and yummy topping.
8: Cream of Broccoli
By substituting plain almond or coconut milks for the usual cream in the classic recipe, it can be easily made without gluten or diary. This is another quick soup that can be blended together with only a handful of ingredients. Get your blender or processor and throw in some broccoli, garlic, herbs de provence, salt, pepper, a little oil and pulse. Transfer the soup base to a pot, add milk alternative and heat. Try adding half a tablespoon of gluten-free flour (Bob Mill's All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour works well) or tapioca starch, if you want a thicker soup. Adding a little goat cheese or goat butter at the end will create rich and creamy flavors.
9: White Bean, Pesto, Arugula Soup
Simple pleasures are the best kind. This quick soup can be whipped together in less than ten minutes. The white beans add a heartiness to this otherwise delicate soup.
You'll need:
- 1 can of white beans (rinsed)
- 2 cups of arugula
- 3 tablespoons of pesto
- 2 cups of vegetable broth or water
- additional seasonings of your choice
Simply, add the rinsed beans to a small pot, add water of broth, mix in the pesto and heat. Just before done, stir in the arugula. Season and serve.
This will serve 2 people, you can easily increase the ingredients to feed more and to suit your own tastes.
10: Roasted Garlic & Lemon Soup
Two delicious flavors mingle together without much other competition, in this light and refreshing combination. There are dozens of variations of this soup scattered online, many of them involve animal fats, dairy or glutenous flours. This recipe from Dairy Absolutely free Cooking is absolutely delicious and without all of those nasty allergens.
No comments:
Post a Comment