Try Legumes, as in Lentils and Split Peas -Low Fat and High in Fiber

Happy New Year and with that comes some resolutions in the diet category. What is better than soup as a meal with some added protein of chicken or tofu with a salad . In this blog, the soups are made with legumes. Legumes or pulses, dried beans and peas as they are called, offer good nutrition at  200  calories per one cup with plenty of vitamins and minerals and gluten free. These are complex carbohydrates and low on the glycemic index , below 50. which is important to Diabetics in choosing the right carbs.

We featured 3 products from the Supermarket shelf: here goes!

Sodium Free Beef  and Chicken Stock  from Swansen’s  -wow great new products from the makers of the TV dinners- remember those? how times have changed! Also Pacific has organic vegetable, beef and chicken broths. 

A stock is a base for 2 great soups. We feature Pea Soup with Carrots, Marjoram and (optional) Ham  and Indian fire roasted Tomato  Lentil soup with Pappadums.

Pappadums are thin Indien wafers made with lentil or chickpea flour. 44 calories per 6″ disk, 17 gms of protein.

Pea Soup

• 5 cups of vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 2 cups of split peas
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 carrots sliced
• 1 /2 cup of ham chopped (optional)

Saute the onion , garlic ubtil translucent, add the split peas, broth, carrots and ham. Cook  and simmer for one hour or until the spilt peas are cooked through and have broken down. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Lentil Soup with Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Indien Pappadums

Try these wafers made from lentil flour with spicy lentil soup!

• 2 cups of brown lentils
• 1 medium onion’
• 5 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoom of garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper to tast
• Cilanto  1/2 cup chopped
• 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes chopped

Saute onion and garlic ina medium saucepan ith 2 tablespoons of oil until translucent and add the spices and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the lentils and broth and cook until the lentils are soft and can be mashed with a fork but still remain whole  and simmer about 40 minutes at medium heat. Add tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Remove from heat and serve.

Pappadums

Heat in a frying pan, 1 teaspoon of oil and when hot add the pappadum and cook for one minute until crisp and reduces in size by 30%. Place on paper towels to drain and serve.

Glycemic index of beans legumes 

• Butter beans 28-36, average 31
• Chick peas (garbanzo beans) 31-36
• Chick peas, canned 42
• Kidney beans 13-46, average 34
• Kidney beans, canned 52
• Lentils 18-37
• Lentils, canned 52
• Navy beans (white beans, haricot) 30-39
• Navy beans, pressure cooked 29-59
• Peas, dried, split 32
• Pinto beans 39
• Pinto beans, canned 45
• Soy beans 15-20