Screw Campbells

It’s hella cold outside. In our house that means all the space heaters are on full blast, blankets thrown everywhere, fuzzy socks permanently glued to our feet, and comfort food galore. Tonight I was in a rush so I threw together an easy soup recipe. In most homes across the U.S. people associate the word soup, with the garbage canned food substances found on the shelves at the grocery store. Canned soups are garbage for three reasons: they are greasy, over salted, and they are not real food. Good ol’ Campbell’s would have you believe that the convenience of canned soups should by far over shadow any negative health benefits that come with eating their products.

Canned soups are sky high in sodium and sugar. WHY?!?! Because adding an abundance of salt to canned foods gives it the mirage appearance that it is fresh when the user opens it. Bravo to salt for making us all believe that the slop presented in these oh so convenient cans is full of freshness, flavor, and decadent textures. PEOPLE, WAKE UP, IT’S A LIE. It’s winter, lets open a hearty can of heart disease for dinner to keep us nice and toasty. SAID NO ONE EVER! High sodium intake, i.e. regularly eating canned soups, contributes to risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke!

Making soup at home allows you the freedom of knowing exactly what ingredients are in your bowl. It doesn’t have to take a long time to make and is often 1,000 times more delicious. Soup isn’t meant to be a filler dish. Contrary to popular belief you can have a meal with soup as the main course and leave feeling full afterwards. You don’t have to rely on crappy rolls saturated in soup juice either. Its simply learning how to properly pack your soups full of protein, hearty veggies, and nutrient dense ingredients.

During the Great Depression the term “soup kitchen” was first used as a term to describe the relief centers where men, women, and children could go to find a free meal. The idea of a soup kitchen was introduced in America by Irish immigrants who had lived through the potato famine in Ireland. These farmers would use any homegrown vegetables, potatoes, meat scraps, whatever they could find and use it to feed a mass amount of starving workers.

When soup was used for similar relief in the U.S. it began to catch momentum quickly. It became an inexpensive way to feed a large group of people. During the great depression many people donated their freshly grown vegetables, spare flour for rolls, and animal scraps to local soup kitchens. Many people could not afford to cook in the shacks they were calling homes, let alone purchase fresh ingredients to make meals. They relied heavily on soup kitchens to fuel them for their full time manual labor intensive jobs.

Boy oh boy has soup evolved since then. I love learning about the humble origins of food. It can be such a nice reminder to simplify, simplify, simplify. Don’t waste your time and money on garbage products with no true nutritional value. In the spirit of practicing what I preach, I attached our broccoli, potato, cheddar soup recipe below.

Broccoli, Potato, Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

• 1 chopped onion

• 1 medium carrot

• 1 celery stalk

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

• 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced

• 1 cup almond milk

• 4 cups chopped broccoli

• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• dash of salt (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot sauté chopped vegetables in olive oil until soft. (About 5 minutes).

2. Add whole wheat flour and stir until smooth.

3. Add broth, milk, and potatoes and set on high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Add broccoli and nutritional yeast. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes to soften broccoli.

5. Add cheddar cheese and remove from heat.

6. Remove 1 cup of soup and blend in a blender. return it back to to soup mixture. (This will help thicken the soup).

Tip: I topped our soup with homemade croutons. Cut up whatever type of bread you have on hand into small pieces and toast in the oven for 10 minutes on 400 degrees.

References

Campbells Food Service. (2019). Campbell's Classic Soups - Campbells Food Service. [online] Available at: https://www.campbellsfoodservice.com/brands/campbells-classic-soups/ [Accessed 14 Dec. 2019].

Chicagotribune.com. (2019). Chicago Tribune - We are currently unavailable in your region. [online] Available at: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-01-17-9101050668-story.html [Accessed 14 Dec. 2019].

Richmen, P. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/03/26/soup-kitchens-feed-a-growing-need/a6c78c50-9a74-4cd3-b375-49f0c6324704/ [Accessed 14 Dec. 2019].