Caring is sharing with these homemade soups full of flavor and healthy ingredients
PHOTOS BY TAMI CHU
During this trying time, homemade soup is also a salve, perfect for delivering to a struggling family’s doorstep or having them over for a meal.
We tapped Bahar Mona Solasi, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Concierge Nutrition in Encino, for some healthful recipes you can share with your family and neighbors. They’re a meal on their own or rounded out with bread and a salad. Even better, these recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a whole crew.
GET SOCIAL WITH SOUP!
With homes lost and the future so uncertain, one way to brighten spirits is to invite friends and neighbors over for a Soup Social afternoon or evening. Best practices are whatever works for you, but here are some logistical basics: Location: To make it a regular thing, decide if you want to host regularly or share the hosting amongst other homes. Maybe it is an annual gathering, maybe monthly. Maybe your soups have themes. You decide!
Host Provides: Soup bowls, spoons, one or two soups, drinks and someplace to plug in Crock-Pots. Optionally, the host can provide some crusty bread or assign it to a trusted guest. (One idea is to purchase several bowls and spoons with co-hosts and keep them in a large basket/bin for easy transport to the different hosting locations.)
Guests*: When possible, each guest brings their own favorite soup including garnishes, (Crock-Pots are great for keeping soups warm), and a few to-go containers or jars in case of leftovers.
Note: It is recommended that each attendee provides a copy of (or link to) the recipe for others to snap a photo of in case they want to replicate it later.
*To help those displaced, invite guests who can provide soups and some who can’t. Provide recycleable takeout containers to provide nourishing meals that can be easily reheated.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Solasi is a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Concierge Nutrition in Encino. She has worked in several different settings, including hospitals, airlines and outpatient settings, helping many people with weight loss management programs and chronic diseases.
Her motto is “Let food be your medicine.” As a food lover, she strongly opposes depriving someone of their favorite food, she says. Her goal is to change someone’s eating habits gradually so they crave healthier food and adopt better lifestyle habits. To learn more, visit Concierge-Nutrition.com.
