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After a brutally hot summer, we finally can welcome a chill in the air.

While people in some places dread the approach of winter, Floridians tend to get excited about breaking out their cold-weather clothing and stoking wood in their fire pits again.

Winter also is a time of year for certain meals to find their ways back onto menus, and that’s especially true for soups.

A comfort food in the colder months, soups also are a great option for the days you’re sick — and, we all know the flu season coincides with the colder months.  

While all of that coughing and blowing your nose can make you dehydrated, soups provide a great way to rehydrate and replenish electrolytes.

At the same time, you can get some sinus relief from the steam, and benefit from the nutrient-dense vegetables, which provide needed vitamins and minerals.  

While soup won’t cure a cold, it seems to be just what the nose, lungs and throat need on a sick day.  

As with any food, it’s important to pay attention to what you are consuming.

For instance, canned soups are high in sodium, with some having as much as 50% or more of the day’s sodium recommendation.  

Cream-based soups have more calories and saturated fat, so broth-based soups are a healthier alternative.

There are many ways to prepare soup, but the University of New Hampshire Extension offers a basic formula to simplify the process. It recommends choosing an item from each of these categories:  

• A fat to heat in a large pot (oil — olive, canola, etc., butter or margarine)
• 3 cups of chopped vegetables in addition to 1 onion (celery, carrots, zucchini, squash, kale, etc.), can be fresh, canned or frozen
• A protein (canned or fresh beef, chicken, ham, sausage, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, etc.)
• A starch (diced potatoes, noodles, rice, barley)
• Broth Broth (crushed or diced tomatoes, chicken/beef/vegetable bouillon or broth, etc.)
• Dried seasoning (basil, rosemary, bay leaves, pepper) during the cooking process, or fresh herbs to add at the end.

What’s the difference between broth and stock?
Stock is made with the bones of chicken or beef, for example, while broth is made from the chicken or beef meat itself.

Broth is typically lighter, and stock is thicker due to the bone marrow and collagen released from boiling the bones.  

Stock has bones, water and aromatic vegetables simmered for 2 hours to 6 hours, with added herbs and spices. Broth contains meat, vegetables and salt — and possibly seasoning — and is simmered for under 2 hours.  

Stock typically has more calories, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Essentially, there’s no such thing as a true vegetable stock because vegetables don’t have bones.

So, if a brand offers vegetable stock and vegetable broth, the label is likely related to marketing.

Soup is a staple in many cultures.

Choices include miso, pasta fagioli, matzo ball, French onion and, of course, a favorite among many Americans — classic chicken noodle soup.

With so many ways to mix and match soups, it’s easy to see why it’s never a boring menu option.

It’s also affordable.

Making a double or triple batch to get a second dinner, several lunches, or both can be accomplished without having to spend a fortune on the extra ingredients.  

I love Iowa State Extension’s website for recipes, they have more than 20 soup recipes, with many that cost less than a dollar per serving. Check out some of those recipes, which accompany this column.

Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County. Pasco County Extension 

Soup recipes (Courtesy of Iowa State Extension)

Winter Black Bean Soup
Serving size: 1 ¼ cups; serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 cups black beans, cooked
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped (about 1/2 medium onion)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1 can (14.5 ounces) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice (optional)
Nonfat yogurt or low-fat sour cream and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Prepare beans as directed.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion and cook.
Stir until onion begins to soften (about 2 to 3 minutes).
Add chili powder.
Add cumin, if desired. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, beans and water.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes (covered).
Remove from heat and stir in lime or lemon juice, if desired.
Garnish before serving.

Mexican Chicken Soup
Serving size: 1 cup, serves 8

Ingredients:
2 cans (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (Mexican-style)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups frozen corn or 1 can (15 ounces) corn (drained and rinsed)
1 can (14.5 ounces) low sodium chicken broth OR 2 cups homemade chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
|1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast
Optional ingredients: baked tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, sliced or chopped avocado, light sour cream, shredded cheese

Instructions:
Add tomatoes, beans, corn, broth, garlic, chili powder, cumin (if desired) and pepper to large saucepan.
Remove and discard any visible fat from chicken.
Cut chicken into large chunks and add to the saucepan.
Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender.
Remove the chicken and place on a plate.
Use forks to shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to soup.
Serve with choice of optional ingredients.

Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Serving size: 1.5 cups, serves: 5

Ingredients:
1/2 pound dried black-eyed peas
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
6 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning (basil, dried oregano, rosemary, or sage

Instructions:
Rinse and sort black-eyed peas to remove any dirt or debris.
Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and mix.
Cook on low for 8 hours.

Published December 06, 2023