Soup Skills from the Dinner Diva

I love Leanne Ely and her wonderful website, SavingDinner.com. If you haven't heard me bless this woman a thousand times, here's 1001. Because I subscribe and download her LowCarb meal plans, I also get the pleasure of a newsletter. Today's was worth sharing, in part. This is only a partial. There was also a recipe, which I don't have permission to share.

Soup MakingBy Leanne Ely CNC
Spring might be springing but it’s still quite cool outside. The daffodils are trying to convince us it’s warming up and maybe it is on occasion, but we still have cold days, rain (and snow) and sadly the last days of soup making before the weather becomes too warm.
So let’s make some soup! Understanding the basics of good soup will get your soup kicked up several notches and make you the undisputed queen (or king) of soup at your house!
Okay, let’s break it down. First up, mire poix. Say that with me-- meer uh pwah. All that is, is onions, carrots and celery all chopped up; the basic beginning of any good soup. I like the onion to be the lead veggie and the celery and the carrot about the same amounts, so for a pot of soup (using a quart of broth), I’ll use a large onion (about the size of a softball) and one rib of celery (about 8 inches long) and a carrot about the same size. Chop it up (no need to mince) and sauté it in the bottom of your soup pot before introducing the broth. You want the veggies to start to release their aromas, their colors to intensify and in the case of the onion, you want it to become translucent.
Now it’s the broth’s turn. I like homemade chicken broth like everyone else. I don’t always have it, but I always have several quarts of low sodium chicken broth hanging around in my well-stocked pantry (have I told you lately that a well-stocked pantry is a girl’s best friend?). My current favorite broth is Wolfgang Pucks Low Sodium Roasted Chicken Broth. It’s the bomb and lends a wonderful, homemade flavor to your soups.

I'm not as fond of onions as Leanne, and I make no bones about changing my mire poix to suit my family's needs and tastes. For me, the vegetables are all equal in volume. That's the right of any cook, IMHO. For those who read my blog, FatFrogDiary when I posted the "How to Make Homemade Broths and Cream of Veggie Soups," you already have the skills you need.

For those who don't know, go take a look at how many carbs and calories are in the condensed soups available in cans. I'll put on my earmuffs so when you scream, you won't deafen me.

Happy Eating!