Cooking Matters® Stretching Your Food Budget
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Soup is a great choice for a meal that warms the body, fills the family up on nutrient dense foods, and makes use of any old/wilting produce in the fridge. Many ingredients commonly used in soups, like carrots, garlic, and onions, are in season in Connecticut through early winter, so they can still be bought fresh while being budget friendly. Using canned or frozen produce works just as well. All the ingredients are cost-effective because they can be used in so many different types of recipes such as casseroles, pasta dishes, salads, stir-fry, and chili. This is an important consideration for many people faced with choosing which groceries to buy right now, as food prices have increased. This soup recipe calls for apples, which are versatile and in season locally into the winter months. One serving of this Black Bean & Vegetable Soup is low in fat and contains about 40% of the fiber recommended for a whole day.
The water and sodium from the broth help us meet our water goals to stay hydrated, which people often forget about in the colder weather months. Vegetables also provide water and potassium, another important electrolyte affecting hydration and other body functions. For ideas on how to use leftover ingredients, avoid wasting food, and other budget-friendly hacks, visit https://cookingmatters.org/tips/#budget-hacks. Type any of these foods into the Recipe Finder search bar on the Cooking Matters website to find several other dishes where they can be used in entirely different ways to avoid repetition. Add or substitute any other type of vegetables, beans, or broth to suit your taste preferences and use what is already in your pantry.
For the Black Bean & Vegetable Soup recipe, click here.
HUSKY Health Community Partner Newsletter Page 5 Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc. ® (CHNCT) is the State of Connecticut’s Medical Administrative Services Organization for the HUSKY Health program.
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