THREE  SOUPS FOR A CHEERFUL MONSOON!

“Anyone who tells a lie has not pure heart, and cannot make a good soup.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven

TOMATO SOUP 

Today morning I had to choose between Mango Smoothie and Tomato Soup. Since I love mangoes it was quite confusing to make a decision. Soup won the tug of war.  Nothing can brighten up your morning like a hot and steaming bowl of delicious tomato soup topped with crème and croutons in weather like this with incessant rains.   Soup is the food to eat in the rainy season.

“Your first job when eating is to nourish yourself.”
― Bee Wilson, First Bite: How We Learn to Eat

You don’t need many ingredients to make this soup. Have few tomatoes, you can easily make it. Assuming you already have sugar, salt, and cornflour in your pantry.

To make two bowls of Tomato Soup you will need:

6 to 7 ripe tomatoes

2 tsp cornflour

2 cups water or vegetable stock

Pinch of salt, sugar, and crushed black pepper. Yes, that is all you need.

Boil the tomatoes in 2 cups of water for 5 minutes. You will see the skin starts to peel. Cool it. Peel the skin. Keep aside the boiled water as stock for soup. Or you can use vegetable stock. Blend the tomatoes well. Sieve to remove seeds. Take a pan, add the tomato puree, and two cups of vegetable stock. Boil for five minutes on medium flame. Add salt, sugar, and pepper for taste.

Dissolve the cornflour in half a cup of water without lumps. Add slowly into the soup with stirring. Stir well. Allow simmering for a few minutes. Check the seasoning. Serve hot topped with some crunchy croutons and fresh cream. ( add croutons on top of soup not on the table as you see in the image …) This one is a heart warmer on a rainy day.

BENEFITS :

This soup is nutritious and vegan

 Contains carotenoids Lutine and Lycopene which protects the eyes and skin from light-induced damage.

Improves bone health

Boosts immunity.

Rich source of Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K.

Let me add two more soups to make it more colourful!

BEETROOT CARROT SOUP

To make this simple colourful soup you will need

2 beetroots

2 carrots

Few garlic cloves

A small piece of ginger(optional )

2 cups water or vegetable stock.

3 tsp butter

2 tsp pepper powder

Some whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves

Dreied Italian spices

Salt to taste

Add the butter into a cooker . Add the bay leaf , a small piece of cinnamon, and few cloves. Saute for a minute. Add chopped beetroots and carrots , ginger and garlic cloves. Saute for two to three minutes. Add  1cup of  water or vegetable stock. Cook to four whistles. Allow the cooker to cool. Now open the lid, remove the whole spices. Blend the mixture to a fine puree. Heat the puree in a non-stick pan, add the remaining stock. Adjust the salt and thickness of the soup. Add pepper powder and dried Italian spices. Garnish with thick crème or coconut milk. Serve hot. Not as light as the tomato soup but you will love the luscious thick and red soup. The aroma of Italian spices is quite relaxing too. Can we call it a stress buster soup ?

BENEFITS :

Beetroots :

High in Vitamin C

Improves exercise stamina

May help lower blood pressure

Good for healthy hearts

May reduce dementia

High in vitamins and minerals

Low in calories and fat

Carrots :

Rich in Beta carotene, Vitamin A

Good for healthy eyes

Low glycemic index

Good for skin

The combination of Beet and carrot is definitely going to satiate you with a burst of energy and fullness.

PUMPKIN SOUP

This three-ingredient soup is a very simple one and is amongst the favourites of soup lovers and weight watchers.

When I made this soup and kept it on the table for the shoot I felt it has imbibed the morning light and became all the more bright and yellow. It was such a delight to see the steaming Pumpkin soup soaking in the morning light.

The saying ‘’ Eat the soup ‘’ is true for this thick and Creamy Pumpkin Soup.

Ingredients:

500 gm pumpkin

1 small onion

Three to four garlic cloves

Salt, pepper, olive oil, coriander sprigs, fresh crème or coconut milk

Saute finely chopped onions and garlic in two to three teaspoons of olive oil in a pan. Add diced pumpkin. Saute for few minutes ( 3 to 4 ). Add 2 cups of vegetable stock or water. Simmer and cook well. Allow the mixture to cool. Now blend it into a fine smoothie. Add salt and pepper powder. Simmer the soup once again. Garnish with fresh crème and corander. Serve hot. Simple Isn’t it?

Benefits :

Pumpkin

Rich in Vitamin A

Contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Good for eyesight

High in nutrient content and low in calories

Promotes weight loss

Immunity Booster

Let us dip into that sunshine in a bowl. 🙂 

You can listen to a  Beautiful video on Bhojana (Food ) by Swamiji   here 

Jai Sri Hari