Easy Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans (drained)Â
12 oz. ground turkey
1 onion
1 tbs. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans beef stock
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbs. thyme
1 tbs. basil
1 tbs. parsley
1 bay leaf
1 avocado

Saute the ground beef in a nonstick skillet. Chop the onion. When the beef is done, remove it, drain the pan, and sauté the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil until the onion is translucent. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir well to help blend the tomato paste. Simmer for 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf, garnish with slices of avocado, and serve. Serves 4.

Blocks 4 

Calories 475

Carb 44 41%

Protein 31 29%

Fat 16 30%

 

Santa Fe Chicken Soup

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts
2 large green peppers
2 cups onion
2 cups carrots
1 cup tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup green chiles
1 qt. water
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
5 tbs. butter
6 cups milk
2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. cumin
1 tbs. Cajun spices
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbs. seasoned salt
2 tbs. onion powder
5 tbs. chili powder

Start by broiling the chicken. When cooked, shred or dice it, and place in a large stock pot. Dice the peppers, onions, carrots and tomatoes, and add to the pot. Add in all remaining ingredients except for the butter, flour and milk. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer on a low burner.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. In another saucepan, heat the milk until steaming, then remove from the burner. When the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Avoid lumps. As the mixture becomes too dry to work with, slowly alternate adding the flour and the milk. When you’ve combined all of the butter, flour and milk, whisk this mixture slowly into the simmering soup. Let the whole thing cook on low for another 20 minutes.

Makes 10 servings. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and freezes well.

Blocks 4
Calories 390
Carb 36 41%
Protein 28 31%
Fat 12 28%

 

Healthy Recipes

A couple of years ago, I started following a 40/30/30 diet plan (aka “Zone Diet”). In the beginning, I had a lot of trouble putting together meals that had the right proportions. For one thing, I had “The Nut Problem”. It seemed like every other Zone recipe that I found would end in something like “Eat with 18 peanuts on the side” or “Add 5 almonds”.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like nuts. They’re healthy, and they make a convenient snack. But the problem is that I like meals. My definition of a meal is more

Healthy Recipes