Kill-a-kilo soup version with lower cal & half the carb, Welcome “Shchi” Russian cabbage soup
Gave the Kill-a-kilo soup a whirl this week.
Personally, found it way too sweet for my liking, even minus the french onion soup mix, especially after drinking the sweet shakes all day, I needed something a bit different and way more savoury for a quick meal on the run. We are moving house in a few weeks so figure I’ll definitely need some quick easy meals with the bonus of some additional weight loss … I hope …
Looked into good vegetables for weight loss, and naturally the ones with a high water content came out on top, no surprise ! The evidence is thinnish on specific vegetables, however, caraway seeds and dill were suggested in some articles. Had a think. Cabbage, caraway and dill in combination.
Thought of the Russian cabbage soup my nanna would make. Revised it for Optifast intensive, ran it through MFP recipe converter and came out lower in cals and half the carb of Kill-a-kilo. Winning ! It also cooks at a low temperature for longer, so preserves the nutrients far better than fast boiling.
Super quick to make, under 10 mins plus cooking time & even better after a few days in the fridge as flavours really develop. So a good one for a big pot, sitting, ready to be eaten, or frozen. It has a slightly “sour” flavour, so if you like this, to cut through the sweetness of the shakes, I’m really liking it. Certainly not a huge flavour bomb like the laksa , but a good hearty, tasty soup. You can add or remove any vegetables from it as well.
I should note, being a bit of a thinker by nature, definitely not sold on the weight loss benefits, no real empirical evidence, but it is low in cals and carb, tastes good, warms you up, so what the hell, welcome “Shchi” to my repertoire !
Joni xx
- 8 cups stock (beef, vege or chicken)
- 650 grams of green cabbage (1 small one or a large half), shredded finely
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 brown onions, chopped finely
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 leek ( white part only), sliced thinly
- 4 sticks celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon caraway seed
- 1/2 cup brown mushrooms (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
- Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, onion, leek and carrot. Sauté on high heat approximately 5-10 minutes until vegetables have softened.
- Add stock and bring to a boil.
- Add green cabbage, tomatoes, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and caraway seed. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for approximately one hour or until all vegetables are cooked, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Season. Add thinly sliced mushrooms, they will cook in the broth as it's served. Finely chop dill and/or parsley and add to soup and serve. Even better after a few days in the fridge !
- This makes 15 cups of soup. You can add more stock to get the quantity higher as it thickens when cooling down.
