Soup

Savory, smooth, and hearty, traditional split pea soup is made with ham hocks to give it that signature salty flavor. But you can easily omit the meat and make the soup with celery and sweet potatoes for a delicious vegan twist. This soup only needs to simmer for a couple hours, and is less than 400 calories per bowl. It's also filled with protein, fiber, and vitamin A.

From Jenny Sugar, POPSUGAR Fitness

Vegan Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 pound (2 1/4 cups) green split peas
5 celery stalks, sliced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash and drain the peas, removing any stones.
2. Pour the peas, sliced celery, chopped onion, minced garlic and veggie broth in a big pot with the top on. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer, cracking the top open slightly.
3. Stir occasionally, cooking on low for two hours. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the peas are soft and the soup looks creamy. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Makes six servings. Here's the nutritional info for one serving:

Source: Calorie Count

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For a comforting dish, minus the calories, try this curry cauliflower soup. It's low in calories and full of bold flavors; the best part is that the entire recipe is made from raw ingredients, and the sunflower seeds provide a nice crunch.

Learn how to make this creamy soup after the break!

Perhaps you've tried cheddar beer chips, cheddar beer fondue, or even beer-infused cheese, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this bacon-studded cheddar beer soup is a whole new frontier, unless you've dined at Jonathon's Oak Cliff in Dallas, TX, where this ridiculously indulgent dish hails from.

Now, let's address the hulking elephant in the room: unlike many soups, this soup is decidedly not diet food, but that's OK. Heck, I could barely finish one petite bacon-studded bowl before admitting defeat, even though I loved every dreamy-creamy spoonful. Rather, this luxuriously decadent soup is the sort that's meant to be shared and paired with a pint of beer and a heaping mound of the greenest salad you can get your hands on.

That said, it is very good — as in ditch your dinner plans and make it tonight good. I can say with absolute certainty that I'll be making it at any appropriate opportunity I can conjure — for starters, I can think of no better Super Bowl party treat — and suggest you follow suit. Treat yourself!

Keep reading for the can't-miss recipe.

January may be National Soup Month, but every day in my household is its own national soup day of sorts, so whenever a new recipe gets on my radar, it quickly becomes an obsessive quest to gather the ingredients and take it for a test-drive.

This za'atar-oil-flecked beauty was no exception, so off I set to the store with hopes that my search for a packet of za'atar — a Middle Eastern spice blend comprising oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac — wouldn't be found futile. Thankfully, Spicely came to my rescue, no specialty store required; it even came in a conveniently smaller package to boot, a boon to those looking to waste less in the kitchen in 2013.

And to answer the burning question: yes, this soup was everything I wished for and more. Well-balanced, velvety smooth, and aesthetically appealing thanks to a swirl of za'atar oil, this tangerine-hued winner will be entering my soup rotation for months to come. I urge you to adopt it into your fold as well.

Keep reading for the recipe.

Miso soup is a staple in Japanese restaurants, where the slightly cloudy broth is always a comforting, warming appetizer to enjoy before a meal. But did you know it's also easy to make at home?

The soup begins with dashi, a stock made from dried bonito fish flakes and the firm, flavorful seaweed known as kombu. For texture, tofu and wakame, another sea vegetable, are added to the dashi; finally, to make it miso soup, one must add miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented rice and soybeans. It's salty, it's filled with umami flavor, and it gives the soup its famous cloudy appearance.

The next time you plan to make sushi or another Japanese dish for dinner, consider starting the evening off with a traditional bowl of miso soup; while the ingredients may sound obscure, they can all be located at Whole Foods stores, health food markets, or Asian grocers. Or if you don't mind the smell of the sea in the morning, make like the Japanese, and eat miso soup with white rice for breakfast! Keep reading for the recipe.

Lentils are a great source of protein and also help lower cholesterol. Red lentils are high in fiber, which, in combination with the protein they provide, keep you feeling fuller for longer. Make this healthy spin on classic tomato soup for a light dinner that won't leave you going to bed hungry.

See the recipe after the break!

Even if you can't take a tropical vacation, you can bring a healthy taste of Jamaica to your kitchen. This roasted roots soup plays up the natural flavors of the produce and simmers it all in a coconut bath. If you like soups a little on the chunkier side — like chef Levi Roots and I both do — chop up all the vegetables as instructed. If you prefer a puree, toss all the ingredients (minus the bay leaf) in a food processor before the second-to-last step. Then continue as instructed to enjoy some warming island flavors.

From Levi Roots's Food for Friends

Roasted (Levi) Roots Soup

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch chunks
3 tomatoes, halved
2 red peppers, deseeded
2 red onions, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
1.5 inches fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp smoked paprika, plus extra for garnish
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can light coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper

For garnish:

Chopped coriander
Lime wedge

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the vegetables in the oil, and roast in pan for 40 minutes, until cooked, stirring halfway through.
2. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Peel the skin from the peppers and tomatoes and discard. Chop the peppers.
3. Chop up the roasted roots, and put them in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients and 3/4 cup of water. Stir everything together.
4. Season with salt. Bring to boil, stirring, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the flavors settle for 20 minutes.
5. Divide between 6 soup bowls, and sprinkle with a little smoked paprika, black pepper, and coriander on top.

Serves 6.

Source: Calorie Count

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