Soups For Dieters

On a cold day (and we seem to have our fair share of these even in the summer), there is nothing worse than being on a diet and trying to think of something healthy to eat for lunch. We may be craving spaghetti bolognese but pasta isn't exactly the healthiest of lunches! Furthermore, sandwiches using low calorie bread just don’t seem to hit the spot and by early afternoon the stomach is invariably growling. Next time you’re stuck for inspiration why not try some healthy but hearty homemade soup? It’s easy to make a big batch and freeze some for later in the week and the variations are endless. If you prefer your soup smooth rather than chunky, a basic liquidiser or even a sieve is all you need.

You can find loads of recipes online, with the Schwartz website offering plenty of good ideas, but one of my favourites is red pepper and chilli. All you need is some chicken stock (made with stock cubes if you are in a hurry but stick to the low salt variety if you’re trying to be healthy), a couple of chopped red peppers, three or four tomatoes, a red chilli (minus the seeds if you are worried about it being too spicy) and an onion. Fry the vegetables in low fat spray oil, add the stock, cook until everything is soft and then blend. A dash of chilli sauce can be added when you serve the soup to give it an extra kick.

If you’re not keen on peppers, then tomato and basil is another easy and healthy combination. Carrots are another vegetable which lend themselves to soup making. Add the juice of an orange or coriander powder for a change.

For a real winter warmer, lentils go down a treat. There are lots of recipes on the internet for lentil soup but for one with a difference why not go Moroccan and use a little harissa paste?

All these soups, served with a chunk of bread, provide a healthy and filling lunch.