Happy Thanksgiving Folks! A comforting healthy soup recipe just to serve your family before you start having your main course feast. A perfect recipe for weight watchers and diabetic people. Hot and sour mix veggie soup.

This recipe is a part of diabetic friendly Thursdays
Creating recipes with a cause

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Please Read the footnotes after the recipe, where some useful tips are shared by Mrs. Geeta Kakade who is diabetic herself and runs a Facebook group called Diabetic Support Group

With the onset of Winters, My craving for soup increases and specially these fresh green and seasonal vegetables invite me more to try different kids of soup for myself and family. I went to the grocery store the other day bought so many veggies ( well… I love to shop for vegetables) I can’t resist myself going to the vegetable section of the store even if I don’t have them to buy in my shopping list. No doubt I am food lover!!

Thanksgiving dinner might include lot of rich recipes including turkey, Desserts and mashed potatoes, but if you start the meal with a bowl of light, healthy perfectly seasoned soup, your dinner will feel downright elegant, if only for a moment.You can also make this soup in a big batch just like I did , and freeze it and have it for few days too.

The soup is simply exquisite and offers a great flavors and I always love these kind of non starchy mix vegetable soups. Soups are always advisable to have before dinner so that you can fill your tummy with food that is nutritious as well.

INGREDIENTS

VEGETABLES USED
1 large Onion Chopped
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 inch ginger piece to be shredded
1 stick celery finely chopped
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped beans
4-5 finely sliced mushrooms
few slices of bell peppers

SAUCES USED
1tbsp dark soy sauce
1tbsp green chilli sauce
1tbsp vinegar

OTHER INGREDIENTS

A pinch of brown sugar
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Olive oil-1tbsp

METHOD

1. In a large Wok heat a table spoon of olive oil. Add onions and saute for a minute.
2. Add garlic and saute them till they become slightly brown. Now add cabbage and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes
3. Then add Green beans, mushrooms and saute for another couple of minutes.
4. Add carrots and saute for few more minutes now.
5. In a small bowl mix soy sauce, vinegar, green chili sauce and brown sugar.
6. Pour in this sauce into the soup and stir well. Add 4-5 glasses of water or the desired amount. I like watery soups, but you can add more or less water.
7. In a bowl mix 1 tbsp of corn starch and 1/2 cup of room temperature water. ( This step is optional and if you are making for diabetic people skip this step). Add this into the soup and mix well. Put salt and pepper in the soup. Add sliced bell peppers now.
8. Cook for 15 minutes on medium flame and turn off the flame. Garnish with Fresh spring onion greens and serve hot.

Enjoy!
Swati.

FOOTNOTES

Topic: ‘Some ways a diabetic tries to resist food overindulgence at festivals, during the holiday season and at get togethers all year round.’

Its a challenge…always a challenge. It doesn’t matter if you are in your own home or in someone else’s home: resisting the lure of food isn’t easy.
Here are some tips that help me when I’m at a party and I hope will help you.

1. The day you’re going our, say for dinner, follow strict dietary guidelines for the other meals during the day. Balancing your sugar will give you a head start and will allow you to have a little ‘extra’.
2. Don’t skip your exercise on this day…exercise helps regulate hunger pangs.
3. Before you go out, eat a bowl of salad or some fruit…an apple works best for me.
4. Insist on serving yourself, then stop and look at your plate before you eat…both for appetizers and main course. If someone forces you to have something by putting it on your plate, leave it there. I get rid of the stuff on my plate very discreetly.
5. Remember food will always be there and the healthier you are the more you can continue to enjoy it at future parties. The meal you’re at is NOT your last meal.
6. Respond to comments like, “What! That’s all you’re eating?” with a firm but pleasant comeback. I tell people I’m there for the company and I enjoy myself best if I don’t have to lose the next day to ‘not feeling well’ because I ate too much.
7. Love sweets like I do? Make adjustments in the meal to accommodate your craving. I find skipping either the naan or the rice helps me at a party.

Okay so you read articles like this all the time and know what’s right. What happens when you still fall off the dietary wagon once in a way? No big deal! (as long as its not all the time.) Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on…all we diabetics can do is keep trying to do our best.

Geeta Kakade, Diabetes Support Group.

Disclaimer
I am not a nutritionist or dietician. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet.

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