Colder months can make you feel frustrated owing to myriads of reasons. But one positive aspect is that you can have the delicacy of soups during winter that will not only fulfill the nutrient deficiency in your body but also make you all the more happy and fit.

• Beef vegetable soup

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
• ½ cup barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 4 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers).
• Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.
• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender.
• Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

• Chicken potato soup

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 pinch seasoned salt, or to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 large russet potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste (Optional)

Directions

• Heat vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the center, for about 5 minutes.
• Add onion to pot and cook until almost translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until slightly browned, for about 2 minutes more.
• Stir broth, water, celery, carrots, and potatoes into the pot. Cook until carrots and potatoes are tender, for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

(The writer is a food connoisseur and acknowledges the source – all recipes – he has used while preparing this recipe.)