When the chill of autumn sets in or a rainy day dampens spirits, there’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty soup to lift your mood and nourish your body. This month I’m sharing recipes for two soups that suffonsify. While you won’t find the word in the dictionary, my mom used suffonsify frequently, usually after serving one of her famously delicious meals. “Are you sufficiently suffonsified?“, she would ask, and of course we always were! So when I say these are soups that suffonsify, I mean they are satisfying, wholesome and comforting.
These are truly one-pot meals as each serving of soup offers up 19 grams of protein and a hefty helping of gut- and heart-healthy fibre (15 grams in one and 25 grams in the other). They are both vegetarian and so call for vegetarian broth. But you could also use chicken broth and/or add some chicken, white fish, shrimp or ham if you wish to amp up the protein content.
The quality of the broth can make or break your soup. Homemade is always best (here’s a simple and fast Pressure Cooker Bone Broth) but store-bought stock is fine too. Just read the label carefully and choose one with the fewest additives. I prefer low-sodium broths as I find the regular versions are far too salty for me. Always be sure to taste before adding salt.
The other bonus with soups is they freeze so well. Make a big batch and you’ll always have some hearty soup on hand for a rainy and/or chilly day when you want a fuss-free, suffonsifying lunch or dinner!
Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipes for Soups that Suffonsify. And read on for more about the nutritional benefits of each soup.
Slow Cooker Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup
This soup is brimming with vitamins and minerals. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, important for both vision and immune function. And we certainly want a fully functioning immune system going into fall and winter! The green lentils contribute more than half your daily requirement of iron, essential for the immune system as well as the production of red blood cells. Note that certain substances found in legumes and whole grains (such as phytates) can hinder iron absorption from plant-based sources. Consuming vitamin C-rich foods at the same time can help improve iron absorption, however, so a nice addition here would be diced tomatoes or bell peppers and a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice.
Green lentils are also a significant source of potassium, which can help reduce your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The recommended daily intake of potassium is 4700 milligrams for adults, but many people fall short of this goal. A single serving of this soup will get you a quarter of the way there.
Tomato, Kale & White Bean Soup
This soup is a fibre powerhouse at 24 grams per serving, or about 86% of your daily value (based on a 2000 calorie diet). To put this in perspective, the average adult Canadian woman eats an estimated 14 grams of fibre per day, far below what is recommended for optimal health. Fibre is important for digestion, weight management, and reducing the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. So if you feel you could use more fibre in your day, this soup will get you close to your daily goal with just one serving.
This soup not only warms your bones, it is healthy for your bones. The kale is a good source of Vitamin K, essential for bone health. And one serving contains nearly one-quarter of your recommended intake of calcium.
A soup to satisfy every craving
Soups are more than just food; they are a source of warmth and comfort. They are also a great way to increase your vegetable intake and get the most out of your veggies (including using the peelings to make your own vegetable stock). A previous post of mine, on root-to-top eating, has more on getting the most bang for your vegetable buck. Especially now that they are pricier than ever. Whether you prefer a classic soup or something with a twist, there’s a soup out there to satisfy every craving. I hope my Soups that Suffonsify help to satisfy yours.