MILANO SOUP

I decided to make a soup that my friend from Italy used to make for me. I asked for the name of it, but he just calls it “Milano Soup”. It is quite easy to make, all you need is a potato, carrot, chicken stock bouillon cube and a leek; you can add salt and pepper for some extra taste if you would like. I had never cooked with leek before, and I don’t think many Americans use it, but it adds good flavor. The taste of the soup is great! It’s not over-powering and fills you up. You chop everything up (make sure the potato has been skinned) and boil everything together then place into a blender and mix until it is the consistency that you like. If you think it’s too thick, just add more water. I like it best on bread, so I decided to put it into a bread bowl. Nutritionally speaking, none of the ingredients have any negative affect on the body since it is mainly vegetables. This recipe is low in protein, so one could add meat on the side to compliment the recipe. I find it goes well with salmon. Usually with soups you don’t need much to drink, but adding a glass of milk would help you in the calcium category. It takes about 20 minutes to make, so it is a fairly quick meal. It is lacking in fruits; and with more of a savory taste, I would recommend a fruit that’s not too sweet, so it doesn’t ruin the taste of the soup. The bread you choose is up to you, but getting a multi-grain bread would be the healthiest choice. Multi-grain bread is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of dietary fiber and Selenium.

I really like this meal, because it is simple and fills me up. It brings back memories of my friend that I spent a few months with overseas. He is kind of a health nut, so I learned a lot from him. I usually don’t have many vegetables throughout the day, so this helps me get the nutrition that vegetables have to offer. You can always experiment with other vegetables, but the potato is important to give it that creamy substance for the soup; but you can add whatever you’d like. 

LiveScience reports that a single medium-sized potato weighing 5.3 ounces contains 110 calories, 620 milligrams of potassium; is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamins C and B6 and has 3 grams of sugar.

According to the nutrition label, carrots are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Also, they are a good source of thiamin, niacin, folate and manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and only has 6 grams of sugar.

According to the nutrition label, leek (lower bulb) is low in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, and with only 3 grams of sugar. All of these ingredients are in the vegetable food group.

The chicken stock is the worst, nutritionally speaking, out of the ingredients needed in the recipe, but it is a good source of riboflavin, and a very good source of niacin. It is high in sodium. It has a total of 3 grams of fats and 4 grams of sugar.

All nutritional facts were obtained from: http://nutritiondata.self.com/