I was browsing around the aisles at Trader Joe’s and picked up a carton of their ‘Squash and Roasted Pepper Soup’. Simply delicious, but at almost $4.00 / carton and only four servings, that’s not very cost-effective for me and my family of four. I can easily consume 4 servings in one meal. So I decided to recreate and revamp the recipe by adding additional nutrition perks. I added apples and beans and it tasted super delicious. Apples gave it the subtle sweetness I wanted and the beans just made the fiber skyrocket through the roof. Team this soup with some homemade rolls and they make Dinner a “I don’t want to leave the table meal “.
Some Nutrition Nuts and Bolts about the key ingredients :
Squash : Great source of Vitamins A, E and potassium. High content of Vitamin A makes it a superior cancer protection vegetable. Richer the color, the higher the concentration of Vitamin A.
Sweet Peppers : Loaded with high (really high) amounts of Vitamin C. Also has Vitamin A, B1, B6 and Folic. Vitamin C and Beta Carotene (vitamin A) gives protection against cataracts and eye disorders. It has high amounts of capsaicin which have been touted with fat burning qualities due to increase in metabolism.
Beans : Low fat protein loaded with potassium, protective antioxidants and phytochemicals. Bursting at the seams with all the goodness of fiber. Pinto beans in particular have this amazing quality of just sliding seamlessly into most dishes without altering the taste. Bonus: they increase fiber in the dish. I like beans so much, will probably do a solo post on them sometime.
Apples : A natural mouth freshener with Vitamins C and A. Has large amounts of soluble fiber in the form of pectin which prevents cholesterol build up and keeps the arteries clean … hence the old adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”
Ingredients Instructions
http://www.suesnutritionbuzz.com/2011/11/04/squash-and-pepper-a-high-fiber-match-made-in-heaven/
Bonus : Whopping 7 gms of fiber is great and 5 gms of protein for a vegan soup is super !!
Note that this soup provides almost all of your day’s requirements for Vitamin A and half of your Vitamin C requirements.
Low in fat and lower in sodium than most soups.
Try these scrumptious dinner rolls as a perfect accompaniment to the soup.
Hi there! I’m Sunithi, AKA Sue, a registered dietitian with a sweet tooth and a passion for eating healthy (quite a combo) currently working as an independent consultant in the DC Metro area. I’m also a blogger, health nut, nutrition geek who jogs to keep sane :)! I love to revamp recipes and add some ‘Nutrition Bytes’ to them. All my recipes are gluten free! I also blog on natural health and fitness! Visit often and drop me a note if you have any nutrition queries!
Can I use dried beans instead of tinned?
Great question. you can use dried beans… just soak overnight, pressure cook upto one whistle or slow cook till soft and then you can add them to recipe. Canned is just easier, but if you cannot get canned or prefer to use dried .. go ahead 🙂
Hey Sue, Really dig the food label… notice that you have it for all or most of your recipes 😉 Where did you get that from.. would be interested to know …Maybe I can make one for my calorie and fat loaded Philly cheesesteak … would scare the heck out of healthy eaters. Love the soup .. will try it 😉
Hi Steve, Thanks for visiting !! I created the label using Nutri-base 9 a pretty pricey software that I happen to have a liscense for etc since I do use it in my field . If you are interested e-mail the calorie and fat laden sandwich and I can create a label for you . Have not set uip my contact page yet… will do that tonight, so am offering .. e-mail recipe if you want 🙂
Greetings. This is my first time on your blog, but you have a terrific one. I am always on the look out for new blogs, new ideas. I especially appreciate all the details you do. Great photos makes it seem like anyone can replicate the recipe!
I am asking, would you please consider posting a few of your favorite recipes on erecipecards.com http://erecipecards.com/
It is a tool for bloggers to see and to be seen. Your posts would fit in perfectly.
in addition, all photos, recipe titles as well as your blog name would link directly back to your blog. Thus giving you new attention and potentially new readers.
Or, if you just want to take a look at a lot of fellow food bloggers all in one place. A great learning experience to get ideas about how to establish your own blogging voice!
We have a very easy to follow step by step photo guide to help you get started… http://erecipecards.com/content/?id=42
Please take a look. If you have any ideas or questions, please do not hesitate to write
Dave http://erecipecards.com/
Contact@eRecipeCards.com
Thank you! Did viist your site and will be very glad to hook up and post my recipes etc. I did register and will look at putting some in tomorrow etc. Really glad you liked my blog 🙂 Still setting up some stuff .. but getting there. Just moved from blogger to WP