If you are looking for a healthy, low-cal soup favorite, this dish has what you need. I have never been on a diet in my life, nor have I ever been one to really count calories. Lately though I have been more cognizant of my calorie intake as I have been having difficulty fitting into some of my favorite clothes and zipping up my beloved pantalones! I am too cheap and too lazy to buy a new wardrobe to fit my insatiable appetite, so I figured cutting down my portions here and there would not be a bad idea. With that in mind, you’ll see why I chose this meal to prepare for my homework for the Natural Kitchen Cooking School. We all got Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas in our goodie bag this month. I already owned the book and was familiar with some of the recipes, so decided to try out a couple I hadn’t made yet, including this Minestrone soup, which is only 130 calories per serving!

The traditional minestrone soup is heavy with pasta and could easily be double or triple the calories. This recipe uses protein-packed chickpeas in its place and also has other tasty veggies such as peas, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Delish! We rounded out the meal with a mixed green salad from our CSA topped with local lentil sprouts. Crunchy and good for the system!

Overall, we’d rate this meal as 3 1/2 carrots out of 5 on the veganlicious scale!