Another chicken soup recipe, right? Wrong. This chicken vegetable soup delivers a low cal, satisfying complete meal that conquers the food pyramid while fulfilling our cravings for something that just tastes good. The difference from typical chicken soups – this one’s loaded with savior-like vegetables that don’t preach down and dense with savory chicken that won’t grease up. Topped with a devilish cheese crisp that adds sinful flavor, but wholesome enough to keep us out of confession. Hallelujah.
I first made this soup as a lonesome lunchtime requirement fulfilling a diet, a diet panic rather that I had before heading to Europe this summer. It would be a diet ensuring that I lose just the right amount of weight to gain back on vacation. The pre-summer weight loss idea turned into a six week plan turned into a 17 day diet which I tried to do in 6 days. I’ve cherry picked that diet for 83 days now and counting. Although a slimmer me did not emerge (thanks summer barbecues), a go-to guilt-free soup favorite did.
The recipe is diabolically easy. You can make it at dinnertime or freeze it for later. It’ll last at least 83 days and counting.
chicken vegetable soup & parmesan crisp
Okra is rarely a vegetable I reach for, but this nutrient laden vegetable nearly disappears when thinly sliced and the soluble fiber nestling the seeds thickens the soup much like it does for gumbo. Nearly all of the vegetables can be found on your grocer’s salad bars – prepped and ready to go. Okra-homa in a flash!
preptime: 20 min 4 servings
cooktime: 1 hour
- 1 1/2 cups cabbage chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 cup okra sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 large celery stalks with leaves chopped
- 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can fat-free chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 baked chicken breasts diced
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Place all ingredients, except chicken, in a large pan and simmer for one hour or until vegetables are soft.
- Add chicken and heat thoroughly.
- Parmesan Crisps: Mound 4 each 1/4-cup shredded cheese onto non-stick surface of bakeware (reliable non-stick surface, non-stick aluminum foil, or silpat mat). Broil at 400° on top rack. Watch closely. If edges brown too darkly, move to a lower level. When the cripss have fully melted into one disk, remove from the oven. When cool, carefully spring each disk from the pan’s surface.
- Ladle soup and serve with a parmesan crisp.
recipe inspired by 17-Day Diet book and provided by your friends at crucnhtimefood.com
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