Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day [Hardcover]

Judith Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 1998

There is no better way to tap into today's soup craze than with this glorious cookbook, filled with more than 100 deliciously low-fat soup recipes. Author Judith Barrett lost pounds and inches using these mouthwatering recipes, each of which contains less than three grams of fat per serving. And cutting the fat posed no bar to creating soups with incredible flavor -- Black Mushroom and Spinach Wonton Soup and Creamy Fennel Soup with Shrimp both contain only one gram of fat.

Barrett offers soups to be savored for every season. In the fall, Creamy Carrot Soup or Roasted Beet Borscht will delight you. Winter Squash Soup with Thyme or Real Gumbo with Okra and Chicken is sure to take the edge off the cold during the snowy months. Come springtime, there is Vidalia Onion Soup or Arugula Vichyssoise, and to beat the summertime heat, make a batch of Cool Cucumber and Yogurt Soup or Creamy Tomato Bisque with Shallots and Tarragon. You have a veritable calendar full of soup's pleasures at your fingertips. Soups "from the sea," like Mediterranean Fish Stew and New York Red Clam Chowder, will leave a briny tingle on your palate. If it's legumes you crave, try one of the unbeatable bean soups: Lentil and Portobello Mushroom Soup, Miami Black Bean Soup, Lemony Chickpea and Escarole Soup. Or experiment with the variety of international soup recipes that are offered, from Japanese Dashi with Soba and Scallions to Chinese Cabbage Soup with Cellophane Noodles to Italian Minestra of Swiss Chard and Rice.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Soup seems to revive the spirit even as it contents the stomach. In Judith Barrett's case, it also helped her lose 10 pounds. These low-fat and reasonably low-calorie soups, she claims, provided filling comfort as she cut back on calories and on the overall quantity she ate, helping her lose weight and keep it off.

The 100-plus recipes in Saved by Soup contain, at maximum, three grams of fat per three-quarter-cup portion. (Most of us eat more than that, and in restaurants a serving is at least a full cup.)

Barrett explains how to de-fat homemade stocks and store-bought broth. Her recipes start with a light, clear consommé graced with angel hair pasta and fine strips of fresh spinach, then progress to hefty Pasta e Fagioli, a section on chowders, chicken soups both thick and thin--including one with fluffy matzoh balls--and verdant spring soups like Creamy Watercress. There are rustic Italian minestre and chilled soups for summer. Perhaps best of all are chili-spiked Racy Red Lentil and clever, chunky Summer Fruit "Minestrone," a melange of fruit cut up in mint-perfumed orange juice.

The nutritional analysis provided for each recipe proves Barrett's point--that soups can be both lean and flavorful. Glorious color photos show that they can also be eye filling. --Dana Jacobi

From Publishers Weekly

There isn't a single soup in Barrett's collection that doesn't sound delectable?and this is quite impressive considering none of her recipes contains more than three grams of fat. Looking for a way to lighten up family meals, Barrett (coauthor of Risotto) discovered that soup was not only fun to make but, with a few tricks, could be conveniently dietetic. Her homemade, de-fatted stocks?chicken, fish and roasted vegetable?provide the backbone for everything from Vidalia Onion Soup to Pasta e Fagioli. Substituting buttermilk for cream doesn't detract from the richness of New England Lobster and Corn Chowder, and doesn't add the fat, and pureed vegetables make Leek and Celery Root Soup with Fresh Crabmeat and Dill far more luxurious than its 2.9 grams of fat would indicate. Nutritional analyses follow each recipe; it's encouraging to note that cooks need not cut out potatoes, pasta, legumes, rice or cheese to achieve dietetic acceptability. After an introduction to making stocks, the book moves on to recipes that incorporate beans, seafood and chicken, to assorted ethnic and seasonal soups, finishing with refreshing fruit combinations (Honeydew and Lime Soup, for example). These diet-friendly selections should be just the ticket for post-holiday calorie counters. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; 1 edition (December 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688153003
• ISBN-13: 978-0688153007
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals > Soups & Stews
  • #45 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Fat

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, health and great flavor too!, December 28, 2000

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day (Hardcover)

This is a must for your kitchen cookbook library. "Saved by Soup" should not be confused as a seasonal cookbook. I love cooking soup during the blustery winter days, and from fall to spring this compact cookbook seldom goes back into the rack. The summer section in this book is also very good. You must try Judith Barrett's `Best Gazpacho' and `Chilled Corn Vichyssoise' summer recipes.

My girlfriend is delighted over this cookbook, and she does not often cook. She jumped in and made some very good soups -- try `Real Gumbo with Okra and Chicken' . Together, we have yet to find a recipe that is not very pleasing. Many, like the `Ligurian Minestrone', are excellent (this is the best Minestrone we have eaten).

Now, even though these recipes are easy to follow, and the great color photographs make them more enticing, they are not the "20 minute" type. Many of them call for fresh herbs and fresh ingredients, but don't despair, Barrett will reward you with outstanding taste almost every time and I guarantee that your guests will clamor for more. OK, with that having been said, don't forget that most of her recipes are low fat -- less than 3 grams of fat per serving. Wow, health and great flavor too! Highly Recommended

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-catching and user-friendly cookbook makes dieting easy!, February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day (Hardcover)

I won't lie... I was Saved by Soup. I buy low-fat, low-calorie cookbooks all the time, but the sad truth is that most of them end up on the same never-touched shelf in my kitchen. I just don't have that much time to cook, and it never feels worth it to me when the food always ends up tasting bland and never fills me up. However, when I noticed that some of that holiday season weight gain had long outlasted the decorations on my tree, I decided to take the low-fat, low-cal cookbook plunge one last time. I swear, this book changed my life. The recipies are so easy even I can do them, and are such that I can cook whenever I have time (and it never takes much) and then re-heat or complete the finishing touches on the soup when I'm ready to eat! The soups, unlike most "diet foods" are delicious, filling, and just plain yummy, and I always get that (new for me) feeling of "oh my gosh I actually made that beautiful tasty dish!" Oh, and the best part? I've had the book for a month now and already the pounds are slipping away. I honestly have nothing negative to say...you're just absolutely crazy if you don't buy this book.

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saved by Soup, March 9, 2000

By 

Micheline Lozner - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saved By Soup: More Than 100 Delicious Low-Fat Soups To Eat And Enjoy Every Day (Hardcover)

I have never felt more of a need to comment on any book. I have over 800 cookbooks and this is a daily user. I have made over half of the soups and the book is simply amazing. ALL of the recipes rate 5 stars. A MUST BOOK in all homes.