Spudd wrote:I like soups as a lunch food. Just pop them in the microwave and you're good to go. I make big pots of soup in my crockpot and then freeze them in individual serving sizes, but you can also buy pre-made soup at the store if you're not into making your own.
I agree! Soup is my default lunch at least 90% of the time. I also make soup in my crockpot, but I don't freeze individual servings. I just make small batches.
Here's the general formula I use. It's from cookbook author Pam Anderson:
THE QUICK SOUP FORMULA
Serves 4
Oil: 2 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
Onion: 1 medium, chopped
Vegetables: 1 pound, cut in bite-size pieces. I usually select 2 vegetables to equal the pound, but more variety is fine. Good choices are celery, carrots, cabbage, corn, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, green beans, mushrooms, leeks, kale, spinach, peas and lima beans.
Protein: 1 pound. Your choice of boneless, skinless chicken thighs; Italian sausage in the casing; kielbasa; ham; pork tenderloin; firm-fleshed fish; medium shrimp, peeled; or scallops.
Starch:* Your choice of 1 pound potatoes, cubed; 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, white beans, chickpeas or hominy; 4 ounces wide or extra-wide egg noodles, uncooked; or 1/3 cup long-grain rice or orzo, uncooked
Tomatoes:** 1 cup, canned or fresh
Chicken broth:*** 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth, canned or in a carton
Herb or spice: Your choice
Salt and pepper
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add onions; sauté to soften slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining vegetables, protein, starch, tomatoes, broth and herb or spice. (If using pork tenderloin, shrimp or scallops, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking.)
Partially cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors have blended, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with a salad and good bread.
*I usually use beans as the protein and another starch
**Can be omitted
***I substitute water or vegetable broth sometimes. Since I tend to cook this in a crockpot, the long, slow cooking makes a great tasting broth.
Here's Pam's chicken soup formula:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Soup-Up-You ... etail.aspx
And a cream soup formula from her:
http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/one-formul ... etail.aspx
And another variation of the vegetable soup:
http://www.finecooking.com/cyor/summer- ... -soup.aspx
And another cream soup (not Pam's):
http://www.finecooking.com/articles/cyo ... soups.aspx
Along with the soups I usually have bread and fruit and sometimes more vegetables or a small salad.