Who wouldn’t love to sip some delicious soup on a cold day, all covered up in sweaters and blankets, watching the snow fall? While there is a lot to dislike about winters, Soups are one of the best parts of the season.
Soups come in all varieties but they are the simplest to cook with high nutritional content. Soups help to rehydrate our bodies while keeping us warm.
While butter is usually preferred over oil among the cooking ingredients in soup, use of specific oils in some recipes can be advantageous in a medicinal way. Any oil such as coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil or rice bran oil which do not have a strong flavor can be used.
And soups can be garnished beautifully with herbs, spices and/or cream, served with crunchy croutons or fries. So let us explore some simplest and delicious vegetarian soups which would be amazing to have anytime.
Garlic Soup
Garlic has a lot of medicinal properties, such as helpful in combating common cold, improving cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of heart disease, high nutritional content etc. which makes it extremely beneficial to health.
Sipping garlic soup can be especially good during winter season, since our bodies are more prone to illnesses at that time.
Ingredients:
- Garlic Cloves (peeled) – 4 to 5
- Oil/ Butter (melted) – 2 teaspoons
- Garlic (finely chopped) – 2 teaspoons
- Onion (chopped) – 1/2 bulb
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – 2 cups
- Pepper and Salt – according to taste
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat up a pan and pour the oil/ butter into it. Saute the garlic cloves in it for a minute.
- Then add the chopped onion and garlic to it, and saute for 2 more minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the corn flour and 1/4 cup of water to make a slurry, proceed to add it to the mixture in the pan.
- Once everything is blended well, add the remaining water, cover and boil for a couple of minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper seasoning and serve hot.
Lemon-Coriander Soup
Lemons are a great source of vitamin C, reduces acidity during digestion and promotes the health of internal organs. It is very effective for weight loss, healthy skin and hydrating our bodies.
Coriander or cilantro is a very rich source of vitamins, numerous minerals and proteins. It also contains a lot of anti oxidants. It promotes gut health, is aromatic and an easy addition to recipes.
Soups incorporating these two in soups is a sure shot way to improved health condition, especially during the winters, when our bodies put in extra effort to keep functioning.
Ingredients:
- Lemon juice – 1/4 cup
- Coriander leaves (chopped) – 10 Grams
- Oil/ Butter (melted) – 2 teaspoons
- Garlic (finely chopped) – 1/2 teaspoon
- Ginger (grated) – 1/2 teaspoon
- Lemon zest – 1/2 teaspoon
- Onion (chopped) – 1/4 bulb
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – 3/4 cup
- Pepper and Salt – according to taste
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat up a pan and add the oil/ butter into it. Saute the finely chopped garlic, grated ginger and lemon zest in it for a minute.
- Then add the chopped onions and saute for 2 more minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and cook them for another minute.
- In a small bowl, mix the corn flour with 1/4 cup water and add the slurry to the mixture.
- Once blended well, add the remaining water, cover and boil for a couple of minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper seasoning and serve hot.
Mushroom Soup
Remember our history lessons, where we found out that the earth was once covered with giant mushrooms, before any other vegetation or organisms started existing and thriving?
Since then, mushrooms have evolved themselves into different varieties, shapes and sizes. While picking the right kind of non toxic mushrooms to ingest can be a bit difficult, the health benefits they offer makes it worth the effort.
Mushrooms are full of vitamins, and is good for the heart. They are good for the digestive system and helps maintain healthy skin.
Ingredients:
- Button Mushrooms (chopped) – 100 Grams
- Oil/ Butter (melted) – 2 teaspoons
- Garlic (finely chopped) – 1 teaspoon
- Onion (chopped) – 1/4 bulb
- Spring Onion (finely chopped) – 1/2 cup
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – 2 cups
- Pepper and Salt – according to taste
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat up a pan and add pour the oil/ butter into it. Saute the chopped onion and garlic in it for 2 minutes.
- Then add the chopped spring onion, mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes more.
- In a small bowl, mix the corn flour and 1/4 cup water to make a slurry, and add it into the pan.
- Once blended well, add the remaining water, cover and boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper seasoning and serve hot.
Tomato Soup
Tomatoes are known for their anti-oxidant power. Tomatoes also contain many vitamins which promote heart health, strong bones, eye sight, digestion and is even effective in preventing cancer.
Having tomato soup regularly will safeguard you from a variety of cancer and cancer related issues. Overall, tomato soups are delicious and perfect during winters.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes (chopped) – 3
- Carrot (chopped) – 1/2
- Oil / Butter (melted) – 2 teaspoons
- Onion (chopped) – 1/2 bulb
- Garlic (finely chopped) – 2 teaspoons
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – 2 cups
- Pepper and Salt – according to taste
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat up a pan and pour the oil/ butter into it. Saute the chopped onion and garlic in it for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and carrot and cook for another couple of minutes
- In a small bowl, mix the corn flour and 1/4 cup water to make a slurry, add it into the pan.
- Once everything is blended well, add the remaining water, cover and boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper seasoning and serve hot.
Mixed Vegetable Soup
How could it not be amazing to have the goodness of a whole bunch of vegetables at a time? It is obvious that carrots, cabbage beans and corn have their own nutritional values and their own minerals, which provide our bodies with a variety of dietary requirements all at once.
Mixed vegetable soup is a perfect way of taking in the goodness of a variety of vegetables all at once.
Ingredients:
- Onion (chopped) – 1/2 bulb
- Carrot (finely chopped) – 3 tablespoons
- Cabbage (shredded) – 3 tablespoons
- Beans (chopped) – 3 tablespoons
- Corn – 2 tablespoons
- Oil / Butter (melted) – 3 teaspoons
- Fennel seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Vinegar – 1 teaspoon
- Ginger- Garlic paste – 2 teaspoons
- Corn flour – 2 teaspoons
- Water – 2 cups
- Pepper and Salt – according to taste
Cooking Procedure:
- Heat up a pan and pour the oil/ butter into it. Saute the fennel seeds and ginger-garlic paste for a minute.
- Then add the chopped onion and saute for a couple of minutes more.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, beans and corn. Add the vinegar and cook well.
- In a small bowl, mix the corn flour and 1/4 cup water to make a slurry,and add it into the pan.
- Once everything is blended well, add the remaining water, cover and boil for a few minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper seasoning and serve hot.
Soups boost our immune systems because of loads of nutrients in them. they are easy to prepare and is an inexpensive. Another advantage is that they can be frozen and stored for future use.
Soups are not strictly appetizers. If you add some bread, seasoning and salads, they can be converted into a whole meal.
So a healthy serving of any kind of delicious, warm soup is all you need to fill your stomach and mind. Your body will definitely thank you for it, especially in winters.