Selection and Nutrition Tips for Superstar Soup Recipes

Hearty Lentil Soup

• Look for 1-pound bags of lentils near the dried beans. Choose green or brown lentils, as red lentils take much longer to cook.
• Substitute 1 ½ cups fresh diced tomato if you don’t have a can of diced tomatoes on hand.
• Any leafy green works in this soup – collards, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens or spinach.
• Small but mighty, lentils are a nutrition powerhouse. Packed with protein, fiber and dozens of vitamins and minerals, they’re also known for being an excellent source of folate, a B vitamin important for all women of child-bearing age to help prevent neural tube defects in infants.
• One small sweet potato provides over 100 percent of your daily vitamin A needs along with fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants to boost immunity and help reduce risk of many cancers and heart disease.
• All leafy greens are relatively low in calories but rich in numerous phytonutrients as well as vitamins A, C and K – important for healthy eyes, skin and bones plus boosting immunity.