This steaming bowl of Chicken Vegetable Soup has less than 100 mg of sodium and virtually no fat per generous 16 oz jar!
How did the Low Sodium Queen deliver such delicious soup realness? By controlling the sodium that went in, she controls the sodium in each portion! It's simple math!
So here's how she did it:
She started with 3 quarts of the chicken stock she made the day before, along with the chicken meat she had saved from the process. Thigh meat works great for soup as is has a bit more flavor than the white meat. She made the stock with no salt, so it is sodium free.
She brought the broth and meat to a boil, and to it she added about a cup of baby carrots (the kind you buy at the grocery to snack on for lunch), 3 fresh tomatoes, peeled and quartered, 2 large zucchini squash, sliced lengthwise and then chopped into 1/4 thick "half moons", and about 5 yellow squash, cut the same way. That's it! You can add additional seasoning if you need it! TLSQ added 1/4 teaspoon salt.
The chicken is already cooked, and the vegetables cook quickly, so before she put the soup on, she cleaned her jars and put them on to boil so she could can this soup for later!
Once the soup was cooked and simmering, and the jars had boiled 10 minutes, the rest it easy! Each jar is lifted from the boiling water and drained, and filled about 1/2 full of vegetables and meat, using a slotted spoon. Then, a ladle is used to fill the jar with liquid, leaving 1" of headspace at the top of each jar. Once the jars are properly filled, wipe the rims with a clean, damp paper towel, apply the lids and rings, and they are ready to process!
Fill the canner with about 3" of water and allow it to come to a boil while you fill the jars. (Be sure to follow the instructions for your canner if they are different!) Place the jars on the rack in the bottom of the canner, attach the lid, and let the canner heat for 10 minutes while a stready stream of steam escapes the vent pipe. This ensures there are no air bubbles in the canner that would prevent it from pressurizing evenly.
After the canner has vented 10 minutes, place the pressure regulator onto the vent pipe. If your canner has variable pressure settings (indicated by 3 different holes with numbers) use the 10 pound setting at normal altitudes. If you are more than 2,000 ft above sea level, see the USDA guidelines for proper pressure settings and times. Once the weight is in place, the canner will begin to pressurize.
The regulator does it job of maintaining pressure in the vessel by closing off the vent pipe when the pressure is below the set point, and rising on the column of steam when the pressure rises above the set point to allow steam to escape and reduce the pressure. The gauge does nothing to control the pressure (some canners don't even have a gauge) but simply confirms that the unit is pressurized.
Once the canner has reach the set pressure level with the stove set on high, the regulator will rise slightly, and "rattle" or "dance" steadily. While the regulator weight will keep the pot safely within the desired pressure range, the constant escape of steam can cause it to boil dry prematurely. So, when the pressure reaches the desired level and the regulator begins to rise, lower the temperature gradually until the regulator "dances" about every 15 seconds- 4 times a minute. This video clip shows what it sounds like.
You may also freeze this recipe in plastic freezer containers.
Oh, and here's the math:
From 3 quarts of stock + vegetables and meat, we yielded 4 quarts of soup = 8 pint jars.
1/4 teaspoon salt= 800 mg sodium / 8 jars = 100 mg per jar!
Most soup cans give nutritional values in 1 cup servings, so if you used that convention for comparison, this soup would have 50mg sodium per 8oz serving!!
Is anyone else old enough to remember that Lipton commercial where the little girl keeps asking her mother: "is it soup yet?" No? Well, Queen Ginger is! The Queen Mum wasn't big on Lipton soup packets- she gave us Campbells, in a can. But that was only for quick lunches. This Queen can't eat any of that stuff now- packaged and canned soups are some of the saltiest foods on the market! Check the labels!
At least once a year in the fall, Momma G made a big pot of homemade Vegetable Beef soup, and froze the the leftovers for later. She wasn't big on Chicken Soup- as a matter of fact, I never remember her making it. Of course, in South Louisiana there was always gumbo. But that's a different blog!
ANYWAY, as this Low Salt Queen moves forward with this reduced sodium lifestyle, she is learning to use her weekends to make large batches of sodium-controlled foods to help her keep as many days healthy as possible. By starting with simple recipes that make large batches, anyone can reduce their overall sodium intake by preparing and packaging their own "make ahead" meals that are healthy, nutritious, and delicious! Notice the use of the phrase "sodium controlled"; even folks without heart disease would be well served to reduce their sodium intake below what a diet of packaged soups, frozen dinners, restaurant meals, and fast food can provide. By preparing foods at home, you are in complete control of the amount of salt and seasonings that go into each dish!
Got a big pot and a freezer? Then you have all the tools you need to make delicious, healthful soups at home? Just pick up some plastic freezer containers at the grocery and you're ready to go!
Tight on freezer space? With readily available home canning jars and their special lids and seals, it is possible to shelf-stable soup recipes at home. Because soups and stocks are low acid foods, safe canning requires the use of a pressure canner, but lets face it, we are stuck with the low-sodium lifestyle for the rest of our lives, so the investment may be reasonable if intend to stick with this!
Right now, there are 3 big pots of stock simmering on the Queens burners. Once the stock is ready, she'll show you how she created it, how she'll save it, and what she'll make with it!
