Soup-er way to shed some Kilo's

If you anything like Me, then cooking can be a bit of an "experiment" every time you enter the kitchen :-) I'm not exactly Master Chef South Africa but I do kinda know my way around the kitchen... LOL

I found a few really awesome healthy soup recipes which I have to share with you.

You don't have to know a thing about cooking to make great soup. Here's our 3-step soup-for-dummies secret:

1. Fill a pot with water and turn on the heat. How ya' doing so far? LOL
2. Throw in lots of colorful, chopped vegetables: carrots, celery, red peppers, onions, garlic, and any other firm ones first. Then add tomatoes, dark greens, zucchini, whatever. All are chock-full of nutrients, with almost zero calories and fat. Enrich the flavor and up the protein with beans (fiber plus favor), chicken, or fish.
3. Be bold with spices. Cayenne and hot peppers, rich in capsaicin, not only rev up the flavor but even help you burn fat a little faster, too.

Pea Soup

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NGREDIENTS

• 12 cups water
• 2 pounds English peas with shells
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

PREPARATION

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add peas, return to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer one-third of the pea pods to a food processor. Add 1/2 cup cooking liquid and process until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining pea pods in 2 batches, with 1/2 cup cooking liquid each time. Pour the pureed peas plus the remaining cooking liquid through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. (Alternatively, put through a food mill fitted with a fine disc.)
3. Return the soup to the pot, bring to a boil and then simmer until reduced by about a third (to about 6 cups), 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in chopped dill, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a swirl or dollop of yogurt and a sprig of dill, if desired.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 79 calories; 1 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 2 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 429 mg sodium; 364 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (140% daily value), Vitamin A (30% dv), Folate (16% dv), Calcium & Iron (15% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

NUTRITION PROFILE

Diabetes appropriate | Low calorie | Low carbohydrate | Low cholesterol | Low saturated fat | Heart healthy | Healthy weight |High fiber | Gluten free |