Protein-rich soups for weight loss

Soups are not only comfortable and warm but they are also a favourite winter delicacy to sip in anywhere and anytime. The best thing about  soups is they are easy to prepare and digest. It can comfort you and get you abs at the same time.

Soups are the perfect choice to treat your taste buds and it gets an extra point when they are also helping you lose some extra pounds. You can even soothe your cough and cold symptoms by having a hot bowl of soup every day. So if you are looking for high protein soups, you have landed at the right place. Here we have curated a list of the best soups for you to fulfil your protein intake and will be helpful in your weight loss journey.

Cabbage soup: Cabbage soup is quite popular among health-conscious people. According to many experts, consuming a large quantity of cabbage soup every day helps shed some pounds. So here are the ingredients one needs to prepare delicious cabbage soup. (4 servings)

Ingredients

• 3 cups roughly chopped cabbage
• 1 small onion roughly chopped
• ¼ cup chopped celery optional
• 1 small green chilli sliced
• 3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-inch ginger
• 1 cube Vegetarian Maggi cube optional
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Coriander leaves/cilantro for garnishing

For seasoning:

• 2 tablespoons ghee/clarified butter
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Peel and chop the one piece of ginger into 2 to 3 large pieces.
• Pour some oil and butter into the heated pressure pan. Add some bay leaves and clove. Saute for a few seconds.
• Add chopped onions, ginger pieces, celery and green chillies.
• Fry for about 1 minute on medium-high, stirring often.
• Stir in chopped cabbage and sauté again for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water in the pressure cook on high flame and wait for 1 whistle.
• Remove the whole spices from the soup: cloves, ginger, bay leaf and green chillies.
• Blend the mixture and use an immersion blender too.
• Add water to the consistency you want, a crushed Maggi seasoning cube, salt to taste and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
• Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the seasoning.
 

Seasoning recipe:

• Heat ghee in a small saucepan and once hot, stir in crushed black pepper powder.
• As soon as you see the spice sizzle, add the seasoning to  the simmering soup.
• Garnish light, healthy and lip-smacking cabbage soup with chopped cilantro/celery leaves and serve hot with garlic bread.

Spinach soup: Green vegetables are always good for health and spinach soup is an amazing winter food to prepare whenever you are feeling hungry. One can and and enjoy an aroma of cheese in it with some sprinkled oregano. Here is the easy recipe of low calories spinach soup. (2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped spinach
• half cup chopped onions
• ¼ teaspoon chopped garlic or 2 to 3 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon gram flour or chickpea flour – swap with cornmeal or 
• all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf – small-sized, swap with bay leaf
• 2 cups water or vegetable stock.
• 1 or 1.5 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or add as required. salt as required.
• 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut cream for topping, optional.
• First, rinse the spinach leaves very well in the water a few times  Then drain all the water.
• Chop the spinach leaves and keep them aside. If the stems are tender, 
• you can use these too.

Method to prepare:

-Take a  hot saucepan and add oil to it. Add the bay leaf and sauté for 2 to 3 seconds
-Now add the chopped garlic and sauté till the garlic is lightly browned or browned. Don't burn the garlic.
-Sauté the garlic on low heat. Add chopped onions and sauté till the onions are softened.
-Add the chopped spinach. Stir and season with black pepper and salt.
-Now add the besan or gram flour. Mix well.
-Pour 2 cups water and mix again.
-Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
-Add ground cumin and stir well.
-Switch off the heat and let the soup mixture cool a bit.
-When the soup mixture's heat has reduced or has become warm, then 
blend with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth.
-Remove the bay leaf while blending.
-Check the seasonings and add some more salt or pepper if required.
-If the soup looks thick, then add about ¼ cup water and stir.
-Keep the well-blended soup back on the stove for simmering for 2 to 3 minutes.
-Serve spinach soup hot sprinkled with some freshly crushed black  pepper and coconut cream.

Tomato and carrot soup

Let's prepare some red food, carrots and tomatoes are stapled food and you could find it easily in every Indian kitchen. It is simple and mouthwatering soup feels amazing with some bread crumbs. Here are the ingredients you require. (4 servings)

Ingredients:
2 cups grated carrot/1 big carrot.
1 cup chopped tomato/2 tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon pepper powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder.
 

Method to prepare:

-Firstly boil the grated carrot and chopped tomatoes together and add 1 cup of water.
-Keep it aside and let it cool down.
-After cooling, grind the mixture into a thin juice.
-Strain the soup.
-After straining you will get the carrot and tomato soup, add cinnamon, pepper powder and salt to taste. Boil this again.
Add water if required.

Chicken soup

Many people think eating chicken can increase body weight but the truth is the opposite. When the right amount of chicken is consumed at the right time, it can help you lose some extra body weight. So here are the ingredients you need to prepare the heavenly chicken soup. (2 servings)

Ingredient:

• 1 serving soup & broth mix.
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 carrot
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 x 200g can chopped tomatoes
• 500ml chicken stock.
• 2 tsp mixed herbs.
• 100g roast chicken

Method to prepare:

• -soaked the soup & broth mixture the night before, rinse and cook.
• -Peel and chop the onion, celery, carrot and garlic.
• -fry the chopped vegetables in heated oil until soft then add the prepared soup & broth mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes more
• -Add the tomatoes, stock, herbs and season to taste. Stir in the chicken.
• -Simmer for 30 minutes, adding more water if the mixture gets too thick.