Obrigewitch started Souptacular after having her third son, and was looking for a creative outlet. She’s loved healthy cooking ever since her mom taught her at a young age, and her husband was finishing up his culinary degree at NAIT. They started layering beans, peas and lentils until one day Al asked her, “Why wouldn’t you add something to them so that you could just cook it and eat it?” And it was like a lightbulb went on.

It was a lovely article about how we got started, and where we are now. Read the rest on EDifyedmonton.com!

In this particular fishing spot, the lake freezes over for 7 months of the year, so residents here usually drive across the lake to get to their homes. In early June, there is a small window of time that is ideal for fishing, because the ice has just left, and the fish are hungry. Residents here need to have boats at shore so they can reach their homes on the lake.

It looks as though these homes are floating on the water, but our guides explained that this is not always the case. Many of the houses are on steel posts and concrete slabs, drilled right into the base of the shallow lake. They say they have to watch out when it freezes to prevent uneven freezing, or else their homes could be tilted for seven months of winter!

Fishing up here is truly world-class: people come from all over the world to experience the Yellowknife fishing season. Fishers use professional guides, who provide good boats and recommend the best fishing practices.  Our boys had a blast fishing for pike and trout, and caught over 100 fish!

Most of the fishing is catch and release, but they did set up a camping-style picnic to enjoy lunch. Fish was filleted, battered and deep fried for the fishing group – so fresh and delicious!

When they got home, I got to play with a recipe for chowder using our Lentil Lovers soup and some of the Yellowknife catch. I love cooking fish pan-fried or in the BBQ, and add it to soups. In fact, I also love to fish, but not everyone could leave town at the same time for this trip! I will go on the next fishing adventure and catch my own trout next time, but in the meantime, here is my recommendation for adding fish to one of our soups for a quick, healthy, and delicious chowder.

Fish Chowder Soup with Souptaculars Lentil Lovers soup

Cook Souptacular’s Lentil Lovers soup according to directions with:

• 4 cup of water
• 4-6 cup fish broth/stock (or use chicken stock)

Once almost cooked, whisk for a smooth texture!  This will be your base for your chowder.  Then add:

• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen corn

Cook until vegetables are tender. Then add:

• cooked pan-fried boneless fish (cut into 2 cm pieces)
• 1 can of clam chowder, condensed soup base or cream of potato soup

Stir and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Garnish with bacon bits, dill, and green onions. This is delicious, easy, and truly Souptacular!

Which plants contain the most complete proteins?

Lentils: Our Saskatchewan-grown lentils are nutritious and delicious. Each cup of cooked lentils contains 18 grams of protein, and lots of other vital nutrients. These cook down and disintegrate into your soup, and if you blend with an immersion blender, they become even more creamy in texture.

Beans: We add several different types of beans to our soups, including kidney, pink beans, and chickpeas. On average, beans provide health benefits from 12-15 grams of protein per cup. Some beans hold their shape when cooked, and others break apart to thicken the soup base. We select just the right bean mixture for each soup flavour to deliver the best nutrition, flavour, and texture in each soup. (Like our lentils, our beans are also homegrown on the Canadian Prairies!)

Split Peas: These tasty legumes are a classic ingredient in soups, and although they are not the highest in protein, they still contain 8 grams of protein per cooked cup. They also provide 16 grams of fibre in a nutrient-dense serving – so don’t neglect this healthy legume when you are planning your meals!

Rice: The combination of beans and rice is said to provide a healthy complete protein when paired with beans because the complementary essential amino acids provide nutrients similar to those found in animal protein. Several of our soups contain a combination of beans and rice, making them a great option for dieters seeking plant based proteins.

Plant Proteins for Nutrition

Diets low in carbohydrates and high in fats and protein are in favour at the moment, as health-conscious consumers follow nutritional advice to reduce carb intake for improved health. The goal is to stimulate less of an insulin response after each meal, store fewer calories as fat, and feel more satisfied between meals.

How Souptacular can help: Our soups are packed with all the nutrients you need to get started with a plant based diet, without the need for expensive protein powders. Our soups are naturally great sources of protein, including the wonderful lentil, which is the legume of choice when you need a plant source that is high in protein.

Souptacular soups are nutrient-dense, and high in fibre. This means that even the carbohydrate component of our soups functions to reduce the insulin impact of your meal, aid in digestion, and keep you feeling satisfied for longer.

If you are not cutting meat from your diet, you can add meats, including roast or cooked ground beef, chicken, turkey, ham, or any other meat you are cooking that day. Add a small amount to complement the protein already in the soup mix, or use the soup to serve up your leftover meats in a delicious new format.

If you are following a vegan diet, our soups are not only vegan, but they also provide an excellent source of plant based protein to help you stay healthy! It’s not just what we keep out of our recipes, but what we pack in there that really makes a difference in your daily life.

No matter your reason for choosing plant protein in your diet, Souptacular is a great choice to simplify your cooking, and keep you and your family healthy and satisfied.

One Soup-er Fan, Dave Foley, calls our Mulligatawny “Mulliganawhatsit” soup! He started a large batch of bone broth, and then split it into two to make two different flavours of soup. He explains:

As I make my own bone broth, finding Souptacular soup mix as the jumping off point makes it all so easy!

After about an hour of cooking, I split my batch of broth in two. I put half of the Mulliganawhatsit seasoning in the one half, (saved the rest), then used the other half of the batch as a jumping off point for my own chicken vegetable soup.

The Mulliganawhatsit soup that I made was, as you said, mildly spicy. I quite like it! That said, it would have probably been just a bit too much for Mom.

The other half got mixed for a chicken veg soup. I added another carton of store bought no-salt-added chicken broth, 3 cups of mixed frozen vegetables, and a can of Cauliflower soup that I got from Costco. OMG, it is SO good! A bit of salt, Hy’s Seasoned salt, more pepper, and a bit of Turmeric, and it all just works!

Recipe: How To Make Bone Broth

You don’t have to use bone broth to make an amazing Souptacular soup! You can follow the instructions on the package and JUST ADD WATER, or you can use store bought organic broth for a different flavour profile.

However, we notice that lots of our Soup-er fans are using bone broth for the extra nutrition. You can use bones from your leftover roast ham, chicken, beef or lamb, or ask your butcher for some fresh bones. If you buy fresh/frozen, we like to roast them in the oven until they are cooked and the fat has rendered from them.

If you are interested in trying a bone broth yourself, here’s our simple recipe and method:

You need:

• bones (your choice)
• carrots
• celery
• onion
  garlic
• bay leaf
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

Method:

Use a large pot, or your slow cooker. Add your bones to the pot, then clean, roughly cut your vegetables and add them. Cover your bones and vegetables with water, and then cook on low (gentle boil) with the lid on for 8 or more hours.

If your water is evaporating too much, make sure to add more so the bones and veggies are covered. A slow cooker is very convenient for this process, as the liquid stays longer and you don’t have to watch it as carefully.

When you are satisfied with your broth, strain it (carefully! It’s hot.) and discard the bones and vegetables. Skim any fat you don’t want and discard. Then use the broth to continue making your Souptacular soup!

Fundraising Opportunities

Here are some of the comments we received from organizer Rob Semeniuk afterwards (Thank you for sending this along, Rob!). Rob wrote:

I wanted to let you know how crazy good the response was to the soup you so generously provided! As predicted, the weather was a bit chilly and everyone was thrilled to be able to partake in a bowl of wonderful Souptacular soup! Here are some anecdotal quips I heard while serving:

“I can’t believe how good this is!”

“Where can I find this?”

“Are there any samples I can take home?”

“I’m MAKING this!”

“How did you make this?”

“It smells SO GOOD!”

I believe your sponsorship of this event will mean a lot more people will be looking and asking their grocer for Souptacular.

Thanks again for participating and providing the opportunity for us to provide a delicious lunch to our show participants.

Sincerely,

Rob Semeniuk
Spring Fling Society

Why Add Butternut Squash To Your Soup

Butternut squash is a healthy addition to your diet at any time of the year. It is a tasty alternative carbohydrate that can break the boredom of eating potatoes all the time. Nutritional benefits for 1 cup of butternut squash include:

• 7 g fibre – great for regularity in the gut
• assorted vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, C, manganese, iron, folate, zinc)
• 100 calories (26g carbs)

In addition, cooking butternut squash is easier than you might think, especially if you are adding it to your weekly pot of soup. Butternut squash soup is rich and creamy without being very fatty. When it is blended, it makes a flavourful soup that is easy to digest, and appealing to all family members, including children, vegetarians, and vegans. It really is a Souptacular soup you should try!

Overview: How To Make Butternut Squash Soup

You can roast the butternut squash with your carrots in olive oil and spices. (Detailed instructions are below.)

Once the butternut and carrot is perfectly roasted, add into a pot and sauté onions, garlic and spices together.

Rinse your Souptacular legume mixture and add it into your pot with your squash, carrots and onions and spices.

Then add your vegetable broth and water and lightly boil for 2-21/2 hours or add into and instant pot and click Soup/Broth button.

Tip: You can chop your butternut squash before roasting it, as our instructions detail below, or you can simply cut in half and roast until the vegetable is tender. When it is cooked, you can separate the husk from the flesh with a knife or spoon, and then add it to your soup.

How to Blend Roasted Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

I love using an immersion blender to create a creamy smooth texture to my base. Alternatively, you can also use your kitchen aid with whisk attachment, or Vitamix blender.

Add in your can of coconut cream for a thick and rich taste and texture but coconut milk will also work.

Recipe: Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Lentil Lovers

First you will need:

• Souptacular’s Lentil Lovers soup mix
• 1 small butternut squash, pealed, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes (approx. 2 cups)
• 2-3 large peeled carrots cut into 1 inch cubes (approx. 2 cups)
• 10 cups Low in sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 can coconut cream

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Toss your squash and carrot mixture with olive oil and salt and pepper And spread out on the prepared baking sheet
4. Roast for 40 minutes, just until they get slightly browned
5. In a pot on the stove pan fry your onion garlic, with olive oil, until the onions have caramelized
6. Once the squash and carrots are done cooking, add them into the onion and garlic mixture.
7. Rinse your Souptacular lentil lovers legume mixture and add into the pot.
8. Add in the Souptacular seasoning packet vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer partially covered for two hours stirring occasionally
9. Once cooked and the lentils and split pea’s have started to disintegrated (breakdown) use your immersion blender or hand blender to purée the soup and vegetables into a smooth creamy texture.
10. Add in your can of coconut cream stir and serve.

Soup For Special Occasions

I always think of Easter as a wonderful time to try something different with squash and root vegetables. They are such a healthy add in! Adding squash or turnips to soups is easy to do! With this recipe, you can also garnished your vegan butternut squash lentil soup with chives or some fresh herbs such as thyme or sage, to add a little bit of earthiness to the soup. You are sure to impress your Easter dinner guests, with very little effort.

Souptacular is your shortcut to gourmet every time, because it is:

• easy
• healthy
• comfort food
• gourmet
• creamy
• colorful

Enjoy a delightful vegan butternut soup with Souptacular this week!

Sincerely,

Maureen

In 2017, we purchased Souptacular soup mixes for our employees as a corporate appreciation gift. Our key criteria when looking for employee gift items is that they are made in Alberta. As an Alberta-based organization, we like to support local business. We also wanted a food item that was healthy as wellness is integral to our company. Souptacular was an easy choice as it fulfilled all of our criteria. With ingredients sourced in Alberta and Saskatchewan and packaged in St. Albert, the soup mixes are not only a healthy food choice but provide a meal for a family in one small bag. Souptacular staff were wonderful to talk to, provided samples for us to try and accommodated every request. Souptacular was easy to deal with, helped us out with the customized order and met our delivery timeline.

–Alberta Blue Cross

We were proud to have the opportunity of working with the Alberta Blue Cross, and look forward to many similarly rewarding engagements with them and other organizations in the future.

Area: St.Albert and Edmonton
Minimum order of 10 soups.
Delivered in 1 business day.

Try Free Delivery Today!

St.Albert, Ab. Indie Handmade April 13-15
RedDeer, Ab. Our Best To You April 20-22
Regina, Sask. Our Best To You April 27-29
Edmonton, Ab. Butterdome Spring Show May 4-6

We love this time of year, when Spring Craft Shows start to “Spring” up, and we get to enjoy a new shopping season with fantastic local arts, crafts, and foods.

Spring Craft Shows are ideal for gift shopping, Easter menu ideas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts, and just stocking up on the artisanal items you love.

When you come out to the spring shows this year, look for our NEW packaging! We have developed our packaging to better display and protect our product. Inside, you’ll find the same great soups you have come to rely on!

Same recipe – NEW packaging!

See you at the shows!