Warming Winter Soups & Stew
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Warming Winter Soups & Stew

One-pot wonders: Nutritious homemade soups and stew to warm your body and soul

Winter is the perfect time to cozy up to a warm bowl of soup or stew. As easy to make as they are to love, homemade soups are a delicious way to get your daily dose of fresh veggies and beans, all with much lower salt content than store-bought options.


Hearty Lentil & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup lentils, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz., no salt added)

6 cups vegetable broth

2 cups chopped kale or spinach

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in garlic, cumin, paprika, and thyme. Cook for another minute.

3. Add lentils, diced tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Stir in kale or spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve warm.

 

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup wild rice, rinsed

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or low-fat milk)

 

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Stir for another minute.

3. Pour in broth and add wild rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 35 minutes.

4. Add chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked.

5. Remove chicken, shred it, and return to the pot. Stir in almond milk

6. Serve warm.

 

Spiced Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 can black beans (15 oz., drained & rinsed)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)

4 cups vegetable broth

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro for garnish

 

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 3-4 minutes.

2. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Cook for 1 minute.

3. Add sweet potatoes, black beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft.

5. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

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Resuming Regular Care

So many important medical appointments were booked for March and April and canceled during the height of the pandemic. Now we are beginning to refocus on the fact that skipping appointments, even if you are feeling well now, could become harmful.

One important group of patients that we are eager to see are those with serious chronic conditions. These diseases require patients to see their primary care provider or a specialist at least once a year and sometimes far more frequently than that. Those with heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for instance, all require regular contact with your provider.

Another group of patients we'd like to see are those with new medical concerns. We know that new medical concerns don't stop during a pandemic. Some conditions, like depression and anxiety, are far more prevalent during a pandemic than before. In many cases, new conditions are easiest to treat when patients first notice symptoms, and delaying care for these conditions can be dangerous.

Even regular care for those who are healthy is as important as ever. Other diseases—cancer in particular—haven't gone away. So, if you would normally be getting a screening such as a colonoscopy or mammogram, it's time to schedule an appointment. Many cancers can be detected and treated early with better outcomes. We can only expect those good results, if people are screened.

For children, regular vaccines are very important. If a big portion of the population neglects to get important childhood vaccines on schedule, we may be susceptible to outbreaks of measles or whooping cough.

There are many steps we have taken to improve safety for those seeking medical care. The first one is the availability of telemedicine. If the condition you are seeking treatment for does not require diagnostics or a physical exam, your provider can meet you virtually using any Internet-enabled device or over the phone. See details here.

If you do need to come to the office, you will notice check-ins at entrances, where staff check patients and visitors for respiratory symptoms and ensure that all are masked. You'll also notice efforts to space the waiting rooms to improve social distancing.

So how do you get the care you need?

  • If you have a primary care provider, call in to see what you may have missed during the pandemic. Did you miss an appointment to manage a chronic condition? Also share any new health concerns you have and check that you and your family members are up to date on all of your screenings and vaccinations.
  • If you don’t have a regular doctor, it makes sense to get one now. Locally, call the find-a-provider line at 802-447-5007 for a directory of practices that are accepting new patients.
  • Those with time-sensitive medical needs can use ExpressCare, a walk-in clinic, on the hospital campus in Bennington. Be sure to call ahead to 802-440-4077 if you have respiratory symptoms.
  • For Emergency Care, always come directly to the SVMC Emergency Department.

Most off all, we want our patients to know that we are here for them. There is no longer a need to delay medical care, whether for known conditions, new concerns, or preventive care. In every step we take, we are protecting patients against COVID-19 and helping patients with all of their other medical needs, too.

Bob Schwartz, MD, is associate medical director of Dartmouth- Hitchcock Putnam Physicians at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington and a family medicine physician at SVMC Northshire Campus in Manchester.

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