In my quest to eat healthier, cook more, and create WLS-friendly* but yummy dishes, I decided to do a little play on an old cold-weather stand by: vegetable soup. So here is my # 2 recipe for 2010: Spicy Veggie-Ravioli** Soup! I like the spicy, so you can add or subtract spices as you like...but this is HELLA good! Nice and warm for a cold day, but the ravioli gives you enough to keep the tummy satisfied for a good while.
Note: as a former vegetable hater (now lover), I like my veggies cut up really small/diced. It makes them more appealing to me, probably because I'm a nutcase. But hey, if you don't love veggies, it may be worth a try to get your veggie-pallette going, you know? This is a REALLY tasty way to get loads of veggies and nutrients in.
Go fire-up the crockpot and try this out:
Veggie Ingredients:
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 large celery stalk, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 roasted red pepper (I like some black char on my peppers, yo)
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 1 tblsp of minced garlic (this goes in at the very, very end - garlic burns easily!)
Spices/Oil Ingredients:
- 1 tblsp of Montreal Steak Seasoning (yes, this appears in just about every soup I make!)
- 1/2 tblsp of Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 tblsp of Cajun Seasoning
- 1/4 tblsp of Chili Powder
- 1/2 tblsp of oregano
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tblsp of olive oil for the pan
Other Ingredients:
- 2 large containers of chicken stock/broth (veggie stock/broth would also work great here)
- 16 small frozen cheese ravioli
- I also had a very small piece of cornbread with this, b/c I always need bread with soup. Some habits die hard, lovelies.
Directions:
- Warm olive oil in pan, then add all diced and frozen veggies (except garlic!) to the pan to sautee' for about 20-25 minutes on medium heat - or until veggies start to look clear. Add garlic in for the last couple of minutes to avoid burning it. (You just want it warmed with the other veggies.) Season the veggies with salt and pepper - not too much, about a good pinch or two of each.
- Pour stock into crock pot and turn on low.
- Add all spice ingredients to stock and stir. Remember, I like-ah the spicy, so you may want to cut back a bit on the spices if you or your tummy/pouch doesn't agree with spicy.
- After veggies are done sautee-ing, transfer them to the stock in the crock pot.
- Let this cook on low for the afternoon - the longer it sits, the more the spices intermingle and do their awesome-thang.
- About 30 minutes before eating, add frozen ravioli to the crock pot. After 30 minutes, serve and enjoy!
This makes about 8 pouch-friendly servings (for a gal who's almost two years post-op). Each serving should have 2-3 ravioli in the soup, depending on if you can handle pasta or not.
*Disclaimer #1: Always check with your nutritionist/dietician/doctor about what you should and should-not eat if you are a WLS peep. I'm not any of those things - just a diva who likes to cook. And eat. :)
**Disclaimer #2: If you take the ravioli out, this becomes a pretty kick-ass veggie soup all on it's own. I put the ravioli in there for a touch of protein and substance, but a lot of lovelies can't handle the pasta...so use it at your own discretion.
My nutritional estimates (per serving - based on the labels I have): approximately 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein in each serving. This does not include the small piece of cornbread I have pictured or any other bread. Come on, yo! Enjoy. :)
