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Hearty Egg Drop Soup

I've been wanting to try making an egg drop soup for a while, but never got around to it. I've read a few different recipes, including this one and this one, and figured I would cobble together my own version. 

I knew I wanted to add meatballs to mine the way Brianna did in order to make this soup into a hearty meal, so I defrosted a pound of meatballs I had in the freezer. (Sausage meatballs would be amazing in this soup!) We've been eating as healthfully as possible lately, so I also decided to bulk the soup up with spinach. What I ended up with was a garlicky, flavorful, filling soup that really hit the spot on a cool, rainy night.

Hearty Egg Drop Soup

makes six servings

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. canola oil

4 c. chicken stock

2 c. water

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 large eggs, beaten

2 green onions, sliced

1 lb. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 lb. meatballs

1-1.5 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Heat canola oil in a large stockpot. Add garlic to the pot and saute until slightly softened (but not brown!). Add chicken stock, water, and soy sauce, bring to a boil. 

Stir the soup in a circular motion and slowly stream in the scrambled eggs. (I used a pourable measuring cup)

Step away from the pot and let the eggs cook (unstirred) for one to two minutes. 

Add the spinach and meatballs to the pot and simmer until meatballs are heated through. Add sesame oil to taste, if using. Serve with soy sauce and additional sesame oil.

This is a simple and delicious soup that reminds me of a cross between Italian wedding and egg drop - hey, think I can get away with calling this an Italian-Chinese fusion dish?  ;) 

Curried Pumpkin Soup

I'm in love with a new (to me) blog. Ezra Pound Cake. Rebecca is a fantastically funny writer, an occasional boozehound, and she cooks the yummiest things. I mean, the woman made me drool on my keyboard just reading about her Southern Comfort Carmel Apple Pie. One of the recipes I bookmarked (other than the pie and these luscious Kahlua lattes) was for a pumpkin soup. I love pumpkin, I love soup, and I REALLY love autumn dishes, so I was sure it would be a winner.

Last fall I was a victim of the pumpkin shortage and this year I was determined not to let it happen again. So I went to Wal-Mart last week planning to stock up and buy six big cans, only to find that...they were OUT. The two major grocery stores in my town...out. My pumpkin dreams were fading, but I refused to cross the soup off my meal plan for this week.

A mini miracle struck while visiting Andrew's grandparents, who live an hour and a half away.

Andrew and Grandpa hanging out at the marina

Grandma's close friend Amy (who shares both my name and my love of reading) had brought her a big can of pumpkin! I jumped up and down a little and wouldn't you know, Grandma gave it to me! She reassured me that since she knew she could get it in town, I could have this can. Hooray!

Grandma & Grandpa's adorable lab, Bear

Wouldn't you know, after that one act of kindness, it was like the angels started singing or something because while at the discount grocery store the next town over, I came across an entire endcap display of pumpkin! The clouds parted, a beam of radiant light shone down, and I snatched up four more cans.

The moral of the story is, I have tons of pumpkin now. No pumpkin shortage in this household!

This soup is flavorful, nutritious, and low in calories, coming in at just 230 calories per serving. Enjoy it for lunch or dinner totally guilt-free!


Curried Pumpkin Soup
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake
makes 6 servings

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz. mushrooms, diced
2 tbsp. AP flour
1 tsp. yellow curry powder
2 c. fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water
15 oz. (1 small can) solid-pack pumpkin
12 oz. (1 can) evaporated milk
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

 

Once the broth comes to a boil, stir in all this stuff:

 

At this point, the soup looks like this:

You can serve as is and it will be delish. Andrew isn't a huge fan of mushrooms - it's the texture he objects to, not the taste. 

 Heat through, stirring well. Serve immediately or keep warm over the lowest heat setting.

A lovely accompaniment to this soup is a 95 calorie snack that we love - six little bruschetta toasts smeared with one wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese.

You can top this soup with anything from dried bananas to slivered almonds to pumpernickel croutons. To be honest, you don't really need a topping - this soup is rich, creamy, velvety, and delicious all on its own.