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perfect green soup=perfect winter nutrition

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The post-Christmas let-down: late nights, over-indulgence and stress have taken their toll.  I FEEL LIKE I’M LOSING MY MIND.  Is it Seasonally Affected Disorder, too many decisions, too much work, too much chocolate?  Whatever.  I need to get back on track.

A Reader’s Digest story called “Anna’s Perfect Green Soup” piqued my interest.   According to cookbook author Anna Thomas, she invented this satisfying soup one winter, and it improved her mood and helped her fit into her skinny jeans.  Definitely worth a try.

Kale is loaded with phyotnutrients.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

I Googled the recipe and found several different versions, which I adapted for what I had in my pantry (as usual.)  Not only is it tasty and filling, it is packed with phytonutrients.  A serving has up to 500% of the RDA of Vitamin A, 300% of Vitamin C, 25% of calcium, 30% of potassium, 20% of iron and 9 grams of protein, depending on what ingredients you use.  You can use an assortment of greens, including kale, chard, mustard greens, spinach or even broccoli. Walmart carries “Power Greens,” a big bag of mixed greens which works beautifully.  Here’s my version:

Perfect Green Soup
Serves 4
Versatile green soup using whatever's in your fridge.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups water
1/4 cup organic brown rice (most recipes call for arborio rice, use what you like)
1 bunch mustard greens
1 bunch kale
12 ounce bag of baby spinach
(Or, use an entire bag of Power Greens mix, available at Walmart)
32 oz carton of organic chicken broth
Big pinch of cayenne pepper
Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a saute pan.
Add chopped onions and a sprinkle of sea salt; cook over medium heat until onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 3 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and brown rice in soup pot.
Heat to boiling, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove tough stems from kale and mustard greens and discard.
Chop coarsely. (Use a food processor and pulse, so the greens don't get over-processed.)
Chop the spinach, but keep separate.
When rice has cooked 15 minutes, add greens and return to simmer and cook 10 minutes.
Add a little of the rice/greens cooking water to the onions and stir.
Immediately add onions back into rice/greens pot.
Add spinach, vegetable broth and cayenne pepper. Return to simmer and cook 5 minutes or so, until spinach is tender but still bright green.
Add soup to blender in batches and thoroughly blend until pureed and very smooth.
Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
To serve, ladle into bowls and add a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Add a tablespoon of feta cheese or sprinkle parmesan for a heartier meal.
Adapted from From a recipe in Readers Digest
Adapted from From a recipe in Readers Digest
{full of life} http://kathleencaron.com/
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 I plan to take it to work for lunch with some Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten free seed crackers.  Seasonally Affected Disorder, begone!

Perfect Green Soup

Perfect Green Soup.  Hand model, Marie Caron.  Notice the perfect French manicure.

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About the Author

Kathleen Caron

My name is Kathleen Caron. I live and work in Northern Virginia with my husband and three children. I write about food for the body and soul. Sometimes I rant.

  • glenda chadwell

    how many calories does a bowl have?

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Hi Glenda, it has about 90 calories for an 8 oz bowl. I add a little feta cheese to mine, which probably brings it up to around 160. I forgot to mention, this recipe is also very affordable, as greens are cheap and plentiful this time of year.

  • http://mymenandme.wordpress.com Janelle

    I’ve definitely been feeling the post-Christmas ickiness. I will try the soup!

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      I hope you like it–I would be interested to hear how it makes you feel!

  • Christine White

    Hi Kathleen, I read the same article and decided to try the recipe as well. I just made it yesterday. I love it! It is easy to make and truly is delicious. I have shared with my friends and even my husband gives it two thumbs up.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      I know, I love Readers Digest! It always has some really great advice about nutrition, finance, health, etc. I don’t know why I don’t subscribe to it, the only reason I read the story was because I picked up the magazine while I was waiting to get a pedicure! Stay healthy, and thanks for reading, Christine!

  • Victoria

    I just made this soup and I can’t believe we are talking about the same recipe. There is no way to puree until smooth. I made it according to the directions in Reader’s Digest and when I tried to puree with my immersion blender (which is a good brand, Bamix) it just wouldn’t get anywhere near smooth. Then I put it in a regular blender and tried again, still didn’t work. I ended up straining the liquid part out thru a colander. It tastes ok, but a large quantity of the greens remained behind and my kitchen is a huge mess. I seriously find it hard to believe that anyone actually made this recipe and had it come out “perfectly smooth” as it said in Reader’s Digest.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Hi Victoria—hmm, not sure why that would be. I didn’t make quite the same recipe as Readers Digest, but adapted it a little. I’ve made it several times and it came out quite smooth. Would you be willing to give it one more try, using my recipe? I think you’ll like it!

  • New England Sue

    I made this soup tinight and it was delicious! I used swisschard, and added mushrooms to the
    onion mixture. I then topped it off with some grated parm. Perfect for a 10 degree winter night.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Ooh, that sounds really, must try. I love how versatile the recipe is. Thanks for commenting !

  • http://www.ipaintiwrite.com Pamela Hodges

    Oh, boy does this ever look good. I want the greens to give me energy. Love the story with the photograph. Keep writing these, I see a cookbook in your future. Especially if you include all of the chatter of your life. Those are my favorite cookbooks, the ones where I meet the cook.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Thanks for commenting Pamela, I am seriously thinking that my blog is going to be almost wholly devoted to food and health, so I’ll take that as confirmation that I’m moving in the right direction.

  • Barb

    I just got done making the recipe from Reader’s Digest. I did use the kale and spinach, used homemade chicken broth b/c I did not have vegetable broth (I am not a vegetarian), did not have the cayenne pepper and forgot to put in the lemon juice before I had a cup of it. But it was still absolutely delicious!! Made mine in the blender and it came out nice and smooth. I am so grateful to Reader’s Digest for publishing this recipe as I have been trying to get more greens in my diet and could not ever fathom eating cooked greens.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Hi Barb, I made it with chicken broth too one time and thought it tasted about the same. That’s the thing I love about this recipe, it’s so versatile, everyone gets to do their own “spin” on it. I really should subscribe to Reader’s Digest because I always learn something every time I read it.

  • http://gravatar.com/christasterken christasterken.com

    I need to get more greens too. As in START eating them. I’ll try this too

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Let me know how you like it Christa, most people who have tried either my recipe or the one in Readers Digest really enjoy the soup. It’s definitely super healthy, but if something doesn’t taste good, I don’t care how healthy it is.

  • Cathie

    Best soup ever!! Can’t wait to make again. I added 2 cloves of freshly grated garlic, so good. Also only had mustard greens, spinach and brocolli so went with that. 5 star for sure.

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      I’m so glad you liked it! I will try with the garlic and broccoli. You did add the cayenne I hope? A splash of Franks hot sauce is good too.

  • Dove Brown

    I love this soup! I just made it for the 3rd time since I saw it in Reader’s Digest. I was raving about it to a friend and thought I would try to find it on-line to send her a copy and came across this. It was so good in the original, I haven’t thought to substitute, but reading everyone else’s ideas, I might try something new the next time. Thanks for the inspiration!

    • http://kathleencaron.com Kathleen Caron

      Per Cathy’s suggestion below, I made it again yesterday and added garlic to the onions, and I added broccoli to the greens. It really was the best ever. I put peppers in it one time and nobody liked that much, but for the most part it’s a very forgiving recipe. Thanks for commenting!

  • texasgal

    We added quinoa and flaxseed, which gives you a little more protein. It is really yummy! At night for supper we add some cheese and have a small turkey sandwich with it.

    • lauren

      when you added the flax seed did you do that at the same point in the recipe where the rice is added? I love the idea of adding it just wasn’t sure how it would work

      • http://kathleencaron.com/ Kathleen Caron

        I haven’t tried it yet, but when you blend the soup the flaxseed should break up. I use flaxseed in my smoothie every morning, and it blends right in. I guess it calls for an experiment!

    • http://kathleencaron.com/ Kathleen Caron

      Another great idea, I will have to try that one! I need to come up with a spring alternative, as this is sort of a winter dish.

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