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FRENCH ONION SOUP
By Dana Harrison-Tidwell Photography by Marty Snortum Studio
I can’t think of anything more comforting in the winter than wrapping up in an old quilt on the couch and tucking into a bowl of steaming soup. Soups give me a warm-fuzzy that just can’t be replicated.
They remind me of my mother and grandmother canning huge pots of homemade soups and stews during summer and early fall when our garden harvest was in full swing – tomatoes, peas, onions, garlic, beans, corn, squash, and peppers. The jars would be dusted off and brought out of hiding in late winter when everyone was craving fresh vegetables. Served piping hot with chunks of fresh cornbread for sopping, there was absolutely no food I liked better, and I still carry on the soup traditions today (though I make much smaller batches).
One of my favorite soups (though I didn’t care for it until I was an adult) is French Onion. Who can resist the silky texture of the broth, the gentle “give” of the onions between your teeth, the bread soaking in all that richness, and the cheese wrapping its melty strands around everything in an ooey-gooey lusciousness? One problem with it though: most French Onion Soup recipes are WAY over the top in calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium. Almost not worth it when you weigh the idea of a heart attack waiting for you right there in the spoon.
Fortunately, thanks to modern science, it is really easy to make substitutions in your recipes that are both healthier for you and still taste as good as the originals. The key is just thinking in a healthier mode as you’re shopping for ingredients for your dishes. Now, let me express here that you should do a little Internet research on what will substitute well and what won’t substitute well. For example, it’s tempting to try and substitute heart-healthy spreads (like SmartBalance™) when a recipe calls for butter. I wouldn’t advise it. Spreads tend to be made from oil and a lot of water, and break down to some pretty nasty looking stuff when you melt them in a pan. If you’re revamping your old recipes into newer, healthier ones the time you spend in doing your homework on substitutions will be well worth it.
What I’ve done with my soup recipe is just an example, but the concept can be applied to almost everything you cook. Recipe calls for cheese? Buy low-fat, low-cholesterol cheese. Recipe calls for milk? Buy fat-free, or soy milk, which is even healthier. Recipe calls for oil? Use heart-healthier ones like extra virgin olive oil. Recipe calls for TONS of salt? Cut the stated amount by half and add a little more to taste after it’s cooked.
Here’s a “healthified” version of my favorite French Onion Soup. I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t have any calories or fat at all, but it is much less taxing on the waistline, the cholesterol levels and the heart than the original. Enjoy!
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