This wonderfully flavorful soup is super quick to make. Feel free to try different vegetables, add some lean ground turkey, lean ground beef or left over roasted or grilled chicken as well. While the soup is simmering, throw together a quick salad and toast a few whole wheat pita to serve with it for a complete meal.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-3 teaspoons hot paprika or cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth low-sodium preferred
2 1/2 cups water
4 medium plum tomatoes, diced
1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
1 ½ cups uncooked whole wheat pasta (elbows, rotini, penne, etc.)
1 (15 oz) can no sodium added beans (kidney, garbanzo, black, etc) drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen spinach (5 ounces)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add paprika and garlic, cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes, squash, pasta and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and pasta are just tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in spinach and vinegar; continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes more, adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh basil.
Nutrition Information per serving: 253 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 12 g fiber; 285 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (270% daily value), Vitamin C (60% dv), Folate (44% dv), Potassium (30% dv), Calcium (20% dv), Iron (20% dv).
Tips: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze leftovers for up to 6 months.
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Sunshine Flax Bread
Roasted sunflower seeds and ground flaxseeds lend crunch and nuttiness to this quick bread. If you have any flaxseed oil on hand, use a combination of 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil and 3 tablespoons of oil in the batter, instead of the 1/4 cup oil (adds 0.75 gm ALA/ slice bringing total ALA up to 2.15 gm/slice).
1/2 cup flaxseeds
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk
1/4 cup olive oil (or 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil)
1/3 cup, roasted sunflower seeds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour.
In a mini-food processor, coffee grinder or spice mill, grind the flaxseed into flour.
In a large bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds, flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the whole egg, egg white, milk and olive oil. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk mixture. Stir until just combined. Stir in the sunflower seeds.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto the rack to cool completely.
Yield: 10 slices
Nutrition information (per slice)
Calories 195; total fat 9 gm (sat 1.3 gm, 1.4-2.15 gm ALA); cholesterol 22 mg; carbohydrate 21 gm; dietary fiber 2 gm; protein 6 mg; sodium 180 mg; good source of riboflavin, selenium, thiamin, vitamin C, vitamin E
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