Monday, January 26, 2009

2 food things

The veggie/bean soup I made is so freakin' BLAND.
I'm food $ budgeted out.. so I can't run to the store to get anything to enhance it

What are so ways, if any, to make a bland soup more flavorful.

I added salt/pepper/oregeno/basil to the soup when cooking.. only used water, no broth.. which I think was my first mistake but boullion cubes are too salty and buying stock in a box seems rediculous.. any thoughts on how to add some flavor would be appreciated!

Second thing..
Grapes are freaking SWEET... as in 'wholy crap.. it tastes like i'm eating sugar'
Yes.. I know its fructose.. but I don't think I've ever really realized how sugary they taste... maybe my taste buds are waking up!

5 comments:

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

Grapes can be very definitely sweet, definitely feel like candy. :)

I spike up soups with just about any powdered herb handy (or fresh, if I have it). Bean soups I also drizzle olive oil on top. But for bean soups, I mostly like to spike (the bland ones in cans or takeout) with onion and garlic powder and, depending on the ethnic qualit of the soup, a suitable blend--Mexican, curry blend, soy sauce, etc. Definitely try onion and garlic powder (which should be staples in your panty!) If that doesn't cut it, add some salsa or some tomato paste/sauce. Or chop up some veggies (tomatoes, peppers, onions, for example) and let them cook in the soup until soft. Those help, too.

If you have ham or Canadian bacon or turkey bacon or turkey sausage or veggie sausage or bacon, those tend to really spruce up bean soup very well.

Good luck.

Princess Dieter aka Mir said...

saute the ham/bacon/etc first, though. Forgot to say that. Don't add them raw.

Rebecca said...

I find low sodium bouillion cubes are the way to go. For a large pot of soup you need about 3 or 4. They are cheap and really work to make it flavorful.

Shrink to Fit said...

If you have a can of diced tomatoes you can add that to your soup. Or Salsa, that will spice it up some. If you have any chicken, boil a piece to make your own broth and add.

The onion and garlic powder is a good idea, too.

Jeanne said...

I agree with all the ideas posted. I also like to add a small amount of red pepper flakes to soups, sauces, and casseroles. It gives it a little punch of heat.