Savory Bean and Spinach Soup

I'm just getting over a nasty cold and spent today at home -- what better time to slow cook a savory bean and spinach soup from Fitness Magazine. It turned out well and tastes nice and healthy. Check out the recipe:

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can tomato puree
1 15-ounce can small white beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach or kale leaves
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine vegetable broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting 5 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in spinach or kale and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition facts per serving: 150 calories, 9g protein, 31g carbohydrate, 3g fat (1g saturated), 8g fiber.

I skipped the Parmesan and estimated most of the ingredients since I'm comfortable with mL, not ounces. Could use some more beans and rice. I like the idea of "stoups" a bit better.

Apologies for not having made and posted about that lentil soup yet. It's in the queue! :)

Bring on the recipes

The first start to looking and feeling better is eating clean (I had McDonald's twice this past weekend [oops!]). The hunt begins for some healthy and filling recipes like this one for lentil soup in a slow cooker:

3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
8 cups water or vegetable broth
2 cups lentils, rinsed
1 tsp. dried thyme

Pop 'er on low and cook all day. Full recipe found on ABC News.

I'll try making it later this week and posting the results. Hello Julie & Julia!

Fitness Magazine has an awesome recipe section, too. They don't update the content too too often, but I definitely recommend bookmarking the site and popping by seasonally for fresh meal ideas.

Ta ta!