Jan 6

Ask Away: Low Carb Soup

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Ask Away: Low Carb Soup

In my “Ask Away” post earlier this week, Peggy from Texas asked for a soup or stew recipe that is low in carbs. I have to admit that with all my dietary restrictions I eat a lot of carbs from beans, potatoes, corn, rice, etc. So, this stumped me at first. I read up a little on low carb diets. So, here’s some really basic info on low carb diets and then a recipe per Peggy’s request.

What is a low carb diet?
A low carb diet generally allows anywhere from 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day. Low carb diets include South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, the Zone, Suzanne Summers, and Protein Power. Each of these diets varies in the amount of carbs they allow with Atkins allowing less than 20 grams and the Zone allowing up to 30% of your daily caloric intake to be from carbs.

How a low carb diet works?
I found this great explanation of how the low carb diet works at www.low-carb-diet-recipes.com/how_low_carb_work.htm,
“When a high-carbohydrate meal is consumed, the increased blood sugar stimulates insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that allows blood sugar to be used by the cells. However, a side effect of insulin is that it causes fat to be deposited, and it stimulates the brain to produce hunger signals. As a result more carbohydrates are consumed, and the cycle repeats.”

Low Carb Soup Recipe: Beef Vegetable Soup
I have to admit I haven’t personally tried this recipe yet, but it really sounds great! Peggy from Texas, hope this is a great solution for warm, comfort food that follows your diet plan! Recipe source www.lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/soupsandsalads/r/beefvegetablesoup.htm

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. brown (crimini) mushrooms, chopped medium
3 medium stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
1 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (GF soy sauce is available)
3 cups diced celery root (celeriac) – about ½ inch dice or a little smaller (hearty alternative to potatoes)
5 cups beef broth (look for GF, low sodium option)
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped leftover beef brisket, pot roast, sirloin tips, chuck, etc.
1 packet unflavored gelatin
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
chopped chives (optional)
Directions:
1. Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside to cool.
2. Cook onion in bacon drippings until soft and beginning to brown. Add mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms have shrunk in size and lost most of their water. Add celery, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Make a space in the center of the pan, and add garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant (don’t let it brown). about one minute. Add tomato paste and stir well.
4. Add wine to pan and cook for a minute or two, stirring to get any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Add soy sauce, celery root, broth, pepper, pepper flakes, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring soup to a simmer and cook until celery root is tender, about 15 minutes.
6. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Add the beef to the soup and bring the soup back up to a simmer for five minutes.
7. While soup is simmering, chop cooked bacon, and sprinkle geletin into half a cup of cold water.
8. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves from soup, stir in gelatin and parsley.
9. Serve with a garnish of chopped bacon, and, if desired, chopped chives.

Recipe yields about 10 one-cup servings. I suggest freezing in individual serving portions for a quick heat up meal.
Nutritional Information: Each serving has 7 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber, 16 grams protein, and 162 calories.

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