The goal of any diet is to improve the body. Whether the diet is associated with the problem of overweight or with any of the symptoms of malaise - it is an important addition to the treatment and almost the only measure for the prevention of various diseases, including overweight. Hippocrates' catch phrase is “we are what we eat” - without exaggeration, it has been working for health for hundreds of years. Of course, subject to this recommendation of the ancient healer.
And although this article is intended mainly for the Russian-speaking audience, still, I want to answer the question of an American, “Why do Russians make salads?” This question tells that diet soups, like soups, in general, they are far from being a priority dish in American cuisine, as well as the idea that soup consists of 50% water precisely because water is the basis of life. But in Russian cuisine - dietary soups appeared almost not since humankind became aware that food can be cooked on fire. True, in those days it was not known either about diets or dietary soups. But it was they — the soup and chowder, the botvinia and okroshka, the ear and the kalya, the turea, and other kinds — that were the “ancestors” of healthy and wholesome food.
Therefore, lovers of fast food should learn to “cook salads” and adopt the best traditions of dietary soups. And not only in Russian cuisine, but also in other cuisines of the peoples inhabiting Russia, Asia and Europe.
And for us, from what has been said, it follows that the new is the forgotten old. Let's try to explain the main stages of cooking a variety of dietary soups, in the light of modern discoveries of dietology and cooking.
Dietary soups - general technological principles
As already mentioned, the basis of any dietary soups - water. In addition to this component, the composition of the dish may include meat, fish, vegetables, and even fruit. During the cooking process, the water is enriched with nutrients added to it. The resulting broth is quickly and easily absorbed by the body. Much faster than any solid food that does not contain water. The two main categories, cold and hot soups, are divided into types according to their liquid basis, of which the following options are acceptable in the dietary diet:
1. On milk and dairy products;
2. On the water;
3. On vegetable or fruit broth or juice;
4. In meat broth;
5. On fish broth;
6. On a combined basis (milk and juice, meat and vegetable broth and so on)
There are, of course, soups on beer, kvass and wine, but these types of dishes are not suitable for dietary nutrition.
Considering the technological methods of cooking first courses, the category of dietary soups here include:
1. Transparent soups - based on a concentrated broth, clarified using a tie.
2. Condensed Soups - eggs, dairy products or flour are used as a thickener.
3. Soups-puree - various methods of mechanical grinding (wiping) are used to obtain a puree consistency.
4. Filling soups - the cooking method is partially used for their preparation.
For dietary soups, the cooking method, including roasting, is absolutely not acceptable.
Soups are also distinguished by the main ingredient, in connection with which the appropriate name is assigned to the dish. Any combination of ingredients for dietary soups is permissible, provided that the products are maximally balanced and the degree of assimilation of the beneficial substances.
Consider a vivid example: it is known that carrots contain beta-carotene - provitamin A, which belongs to the group of fat-soluble vitamins and therefore is best absorbed by the body in combination with fat. From this it follows that, for example, carrot soup will not be of any use if it does not include butter or cream, which, in turn, contain lactic acid, which most effectively dissolves vitamin A. That is, carrots can be eaten daily, whole kilograms, but to no avail.
Approximately, the same happens with other products. Knowing the principles of wholesome, not just taste, compatibility is necessary.
Vegetable dietary soups
The basis of many low-calorie diets are just vegetable dishes. It would seem that the soup is the simplest dish that can be easily and quickly prepared by any novice housewife. So it is, if you know:
• Vitamins in the process of their preparation and subsequent cooking tend to volatilize, getting into the food already in small quantities. This applies mainly to vegetable broths - the most difficult from the point of view of their proper preparation, due to the significant loss of vitamins during heat treatment.
In this case, there is a main principle - you need to prepare vegetable diet soups before you eat, focusing on the proper and quick processing of vegetables: washing, cleaning and cutting them. It is important that immediately after processing, the vegetables are immediately sent to the pan.
What else is important to remember when preparing vegetables for dietary soups?
• Each of the products known to us has a different biochemical composition, different density, which, in turn, affects the duration of cooking. Therefore, slicing vegetables, according to technology, in cubes or straws, or in any other way, it is important to observe the following order:
Hard vegetables should be sliced more finely than less dense products, with a loose structure, if the ingredients are to be cooked at the same time - for example, for dietary mashed soups;
If, according to the recipe, the vegetables should be whole, then, while maintaining the attractive appearance of the dish, the vegetables are cut to the same size, but they are dipped in boiling water one by one, starting to cook the hard ingredients first, and then add the soft ones. For example, they first boil the potatoes until half cooked, and some time later add cabbage, fresh pepper, greens.
It will be very useful to know that:
Cut potatoes boil for about a quarter of an hour, depending on the type of potato and the cut;
Broccoli - 7-8 minutes (in the whole inflorescence), 3-4 minutes - sliced into plates;
Chopped carrots - up to five minutes, diced 0.5x05 mm - 10-12 minutes.
These are examples. If you have such a table at hand, you can absolutely accurately calculate the cooking time of any dish, not just diet soups. And, by the way, it is necessary to take into account that after the soup pot is already removed from the stove, that is, the boiling point of 100 - 104 ° C will gradually decrease, during cooling, then, for example, dill, parsley or other greens can be thrown. in boiling water at this very moment. The aroma and vitamins of fresh herbs will be transferred to the soup without loss, but the pan must be covered with a lid. Do not be afraid that not boiled green leaves will lead to souring of the soup: pasteurization temperature, 80 ° C; and it is quite enough for heat treatment. The soup will not cool down to the pasteurization temperature immediately, and the time for natural cooling is enough for the greens to boil without additional heating on the stove. • Remember that many peeled and chopped vegetable products, remaining on the table in an open form, lose half of their valuable properties in half an hour. This is especially true of vitamin C, which is contained in many vegetables in one or another volume.
In order to avoid significant losses of valuable elements of the product, you need to carefully consider the sequence of work in the preparation of dietary soups from vegetables and organize the workplace in such a way as to perform operations quickly and in a precise sequence. This will help knowledge of some techniques, for example:
Potatoes can be peeled and cut in advance, and then put it in a container filled with cold water. In it, vitamin C is present in the smallest quantities, and all other vitamins will be safely preserved until the end of preparation. On the other hand, if the sliced potatoes are poured with water, and then changed 2-3 times, then the starch is partially washed out of the vegetable - a source of carbohydrates, and the preparation of dietary soups for people suffering from diabetes or struggling with extra pounds is aimed at fighting. But if, for example, you need to prepare broccoli, parsley and sweet peppers, which contain an equally rich amount of vitamin C, for cooking dietary soups, then, knowing the properties of the products, cover the vegetables with acidified water. In this case, it remains only to fold the vegetables through a colander, before you send them to the pan.
• Some vitamins, unfortunately, will evaporate during heat treatment. How to counter this undesirable effect? If there is a multicooker in the house, the solution to the problem is found, since this technique allows you to prepare dishes while maintaining the maximum content of useful properties. If it is not available, then try not to tear off the lid of a conventional pan without special need - at least partially, this will help to keep a maximum of vitamins in dietary soups.
Meat and fish diet soups
Having considered the most difficult category of soups, from the point of view of their preparation with preservation of maximum benefit, it remains to say a little about soups from meat and all its types, as well as fish and seafood. From the point of view of nutrition and healthy nutrition, these products are valued by a high content of protein, fats, amino acids, a variety of mineral elements, and in fish products - also phosphorus. These elements are more resistant to temperature effects than vitamins. Therefore, meat and fish semi-finished products, even with prolonged heat treatment, retain their nutritional value.
Dietary soups are prepared on the basis of meat or fish broths are also prepared with the addition of vegetables. In this case, the same principles are followed as for the preparation of vegetable soup. In addition to the selection of high-quality products and the proper selection of spices for such soups, there are no special subtleties in their preparation.
Dairy soup soups
As a rule, for the preparation of milk soup most often serve as pasta or cereal as ingredients. But there are also recipes for milk soups with vegetables or fruits. In addition to boiled milk soups, there is a mass of recipes for cold soups on kefir, whey, cream or milk. And, of course, such a diet is intended, first of all, for children, pregnant women, people suffering from a lack of calcium in the body.
For dairy diet soups use dairy products of various fat content, with or without the addition of water. Pasta or cereals are added to boiling milk with continuous stirring. For dairy dietary soup with cereals and vegetables, the latter can be cooked separately, in water, and then add them to the milk-cereal mass. Vanilla, cinnamon, saffron, citrus zest are ideal for dairy diet soups. As a rule, sugar or other sweeteners are added to the milk soup if sugar is contraindicated.
Dietary soups are not only healthy, but also very tasty dishes, and their preparation is an art, where each housewife will be able to demonstrate excellent culinary skills.
Recipe 1. Diet poultry soup - transparent broth from the rooster, with vegetables
Product Composition:
• Celery and parsley roots • Parsley, green
• Carrot
• Water
• Salt, spices, bay leaf
• Bow
• rooster
Cooking:
With the gutted carcass of a young rooster, skin off, cut into pieces. The skin from the chicken is removed, so that the broth is dietary. For chicken broth, rooster meat, not chicken, is ideal. Water needs to be taken so that it lightly covers the meat. Put the pan on a small fire and do not move away from the stove until we remove all the foam from the boiling broth. As soon as the foam stops rising, we throw prepared vegetables in the pan, except for the leaves of parsley. Vegetables can be cut arbitrarily or cook whole - they are needed for the taste and golden color of the broth. Therefore, only the upper scales should be removed from the bulb, cut off the roots and washed. 5-6 minutes before readiness add favorite spices and salt. Any broth will be even tastier if you add a small spoonful of sugar in it - not for sweetness, but rather for piquancy. Broth strain. It can be served in a bouillon cup with croutons or crackers. Such broth can serve as a basis for making transparent diet soups.
Recipe 2. Dietary soup in fish broth - ear “Tsarskaya”
Product Composition:
• Head and tail of pike perch 500 - 600 g
• Salmon fillet 400 g
• Head, tail, salmon ridge 1.5 kg
• Carrots 150g
• Pike perch fillet 600 g
• Potatoes 0.5 kg
• Onion 250 g
• Celery (root or stem) 200 g
• Dill greens, spices
Cooking:
The prepared heads, ridges and tails of fish are laid in a saucepan, filled with water, cooked on the lowest fire. Before the start of boiling remove the resulting foam. Put half of the cooked vegetables in the broth, except the greens of dill and potatoes. Cut the remaining vegetables into cubes. Potatoes, so as not darkened, immerse in the water for a while. Fish fillets also cut into portions. Strain the ready broth through a sieve lined with gauze rolled up in 4 layers, and then pour it back into the pan. When it boils again, we roll the potato cubes alternately, after 3 minutes - the cubes of carrot and celery, add the fish pieces with the onions. Before the end of cooking salt, add spices. When serving, chopped dill is added to each serving.
Recipe 3. Dietary soup on kefir
Okroshka and tarator - a means for losing weight and coolness.
Hash options are countless, not only for each national cuisine, but also for each locality. We offer to try one of the cold-cooked diet soups.
Product Composition:
• Cucumbers, fresh
• Mineral water
• Radish
• Kefir
• Green onions, dill, parsley
• Eggs, boiled
• Mayonnaise or sour cream
• salt
• Ice cubes
• Lemon
• Potatoes "in uniforms"
Cooking:
For each serving, you need one medium-sized fresh cucumber, 5 small radishes, 1 boiled egg and a potato of the same size. In addition, for the total mass it is necessary to take one large bundle of onions and greens, mayonnaise or sour cream for refueling, as well as 1% mineral water and kefir, in a 1: 1 ratio, zest and juice of one lemon. The ratio of solid and liquid ingredients - the average consistency.
Half of cucumbers rub, and the second - cut into cubes. Chop greens and onions, grind in a mortar with coarse salt. Peeled eggs, radishes and potatoes also cut into cubes. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, season with mayonnaise or sour cream and pour kefir, diluted with water.
Cold diet soups become much tastier after they brew, even for an hour. If desired, they add meat products or fillets of boiled fish.
Recipe 4. Dietary soup - buckwheat with milk
Composition of products for 2 servings:
• Groats, buckwheat 100 g
• Water 220 ml
• Milk 400 ml
• Sugar and salt
• Butter, melted (for filling)
Cooking:
To sort the croup, wash it and warm it up on a dry frying pan until moisture is removed. Cook porridge on the water. When the cup is almost ready, add sugar, salt and lightly oil. Boil the milk separately. Serve porridge in deep plates, and pour with milk right at the table.
Recipe 5. Dietary cream soup with cream, pumpkin and carrot
Composition of products for 2 servings: • Cream 15% 150 ml
• Water 450 ml
• Onions 100 g
• Olive oil and ghee (to extinguish)
• Pumpkin 250 g
• Celery stalk 1 pc.
• Saffron (or turmeric)
• Carrots 150g
• Mint 4-6 leaves
• Sugar, salt.
Cooking:
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Cut half of the onions in the food list, carrots and pumpkin into large cubes and simmer for 15 minutes. So that the vegetables quickly release the juice and become soft, drag them with sugar and salt. In the boiled water put the remaining onions and celery. When the vegetables boil, add hot cream combined with a pinch of saffron or turmeric. Put the finished vegetables from the skillet into the saucepan and boil again. Hot soup to kill a blender until smooth and shift into a la carte plates. Decorate with mint leaves and thick cream.
Recipe 6. Dietary soup from vegetables and dairy products
Thick cauliflower and asparagus soup.
Product Composition:
• Broth, chicken 2.5 l
• Cream 250 ml
• Flour, wheat 2 tbsp. l
• Onions 100 g
• Cabbage, color 8-10 inflorescences
• Potatoes 200 g
• Butter (cream or olive) 2 tbsp. l
• Parsley root 50 -70 g
• Carrots 150g
• Celery root 50 g
• Salt and spices
• Asparagus 100 g
• Garlic 1 clove
• Greenery
Cooking:
Prepare the vegetables - clean and cut into small cubes, cut the cabbage blossoms in half. For thickening, separate 200 ml of broth, boil the rest and put potatoes and asparagus in it. The rest of the vegetables, except for fresh greens and garlic, passsered in a skillet, in cream or olive oil and pour the browning with cream, combined with part of the broth and flour. We shift the contents of the saucepan to the pan, bring to a boil and remove the fire. Add chopped garlic and chopped greens to the finished soup, leave for 20 minutes, and serve.
Recipe 7. Diet veal soup, with broccoli and green peas
Product Composition:
• Veal with a bone 0.8 kg
• Onions 150g
• Broccoli 250 g
• Parsley root 50 g
• Green peas 150 g • Carrots 200 g
• Celery root 100 g
• Salt and spices
• Garlic 1 clove
• Greenery
• Water 2.0 l
Cooking:
Remove the film from the veal, separate the meat from the bone and cut the flesh into portions. Cook the broth until ready, not forgetting to remove the foam. At the end of boiling broth, add half of the amount of onions and carrots taken, parsley and celery roots, so that meat and broth acquire flavor. Also add spices - a mixture of peas peas, bay leaf. An unusual and refreshing will make the taste of orange peel soup, which perfectly combines with beef. If you want to experiment, add it a couple of minutes before you remove the broth from the plate for straining. After filtering the broth, and again putting portions of veal in it, bring to a boil and boil vegetables: first, lower the carrot, cut into small cubes, and then - onions, peas and broccoli. When vegetables boil, add salt. If you have added orange peel, then garlic is better to put aside. Sprinkle the finished soup with greens.
Recipe 8. Dietary soup with rice and turkey breast and cheese meatballs
Product Composition:
For meatballs:
• 300 g turkey breast
• 1 small onion
• 100 g of any hard cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• spices and salt.
For broth:
• 1 whole onion with peel
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 parsley root
• 11/2 lemon, juice and zest
• 2.5 liters of water
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup steamed long rice
• Salt and spices
• Fresh greens for serving.
Cooking:
Wash rice and leave in cold water for at least half an hour. Prepare vegetables: wash and peel. Cook the minced turkey breast, without the skin, twice scrolling meat with onions in a meat grinder. Add the minced yolk, grated cheese, spices, lightly salt. Ready to beat the stuffing and soak in the cold for at least half an hour, then divided into equal parts (a teaspoon) and roll the balls. Ready meatballs temporarily put in the refrigerator.
Boil the vegetable broth. Onions and roots can be dipped in a pan of water whole, or cut into large pieces. When the roots boil and give up all the flavor, remove them with a slotted spoon and throw in the meatballs, prepared rice with carrots, cut into small cubes, into the boiling vegetable broth. Boil until tender, removing the foam. Serve in a deep plate, sprinkled with chopped, fresh greens.
Recipe 9. Dietary soup with chicken broth with homemade noodles
Product Composition:
For noodles:
• 2 yolks
• salt
• Flour, wheat flour
For soup:
• Chicken broth 1.5 l
• Dill, fresh
• Potatoes 200g
Cooking:
Knead a very cool dough of sifted flour and yolks. Triturate the surface with flour and roll out the dough very thin, sprinkling it on top so that it does not stick. Then roll the formation into a roll and cut strips of 2 mm width from it. Expand the noodles and leave to dry for a while. Before throwing it into the soup, shake off excess flour.
In chicken broth, boil potato cubes, 1x1 cm in size, until half cooked, add noodles and boil the soup until it floats to the surface. Ready soup served with chopped dill.
Recipe 10. Dietary sweet soup with dried apricots
Product Composition:
Cream, boiled 250 ml
Cherry syrup 200 ml
Peaches 300 g
Nectarine 2 pcs.
Leaves of mint or lemon balm - to serve.
Cooking:
From the fruit, remove the bones, chop and boil them until soft in cherry syrup. Smash fruit mass with a blender and put it in a tureen. Pour boiled cream over the fruit soup and put fresh leaves of lemon balm or mint on top.
Dietary Soups - Tips and Tricks
• Avoid boiling over the soup during cooking. It is better that he languished.
• Carefully select vegetables for cooking soups. Damaged fruits can spoil the taste of the broth.
• Soup liquid should be immediately taken in the right amount. Water should not be added during the cooking process, as this will impair the quality of the broth.
To get a good broth, put the meat in a bowl, pour cold water and boil. If you want to have juicy meat, then water must be boiled first and then put meat into it.
Cook with pleasure and health!
