35 Ways to Pimp Your Soup and Sauces

Posted 03/3/14 in [Nutrition "Nesaykwa"] | Comments Off on 35 Ways to Pimp Your Soup and Sauces

One of the joys of having teens in the house is that I can embarrass them by adopting their phraseology and use it indiscriminately against them. Ideally, this is at a track meet in front of their friends, but in this case I will settle for the small world of the Internet.

For those of you who aren’t aware of what “pimping” has become, it’s when you take a possession and stylize it lavishly and unconventionally. For instance, I saw an ad for a company that sells colorful slipcovers for tanning beds with many different themes of decoration using the slogan, “Pimp Your Bed.” Generally, the designs were over the top, which is also a characteristic of “pimping” something.

I’m all for realistically dealing with food and our eating. Sometimes, we’ll be in “perfection” mode and eat to the best of our knowledge. Sometimes, we’ll go to the other extreme and throw nutrition and any respect for what it does for our bodies out the window. And most times, we’re between the extremes. So, I’m a big fan of tweaking what you’re eating to supercharge–or, colloquially, pimping–your food.

Here are 35 great ways to pimp your soup or sauce. Consider adding them right before eating, but if you prefer flavors to blend this is definitely one of those times that, anything worth doing is worth doing poorly if not well. Add one or more as a garnish. By doing this, you will be exposing yourself to phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and/or more that wouldn’t otherwise be there. Of course, the more you add, the more your cells will smile!

1. chopped spinach or kale

2. baby carrots, sliced thin
3. flax meal
4. green tea
5. garlic powder or crushed garlic
6. minced onion
7. all-natural peanut butter or crushed peanuts
8. pecan meal
9. pureed broccoli or cauliflower
10. minced cabbage
11. TrueGreens Probiotics Greens Drink with antioxidants
12. cocoa powder
13. green onion tops
14. chives
15. clove (tip: a little goes a loooonnnnggg way)
16. ginger
17. V-8 juice (low sodium)
18. black or cayenne pepper
19. extra-virgin olive oil
20. any bits of veggies
21. dried or fresh basil
22. dried or fresh parsley
23. dried or fresh oregano
24. dried or fresh rosemary
25. sorghum flour
26. organic wheat germ
27. turmeric (and supercharge that with black pepper)
28. sesame seeds
29. curry powder
30. Old Bay® seasoning
31. cinnamon
32. chili powder
33. cooked quinoa
34. toasted, ground soybeans
35. poppy seeds

What about you? How do you pimp your soup, sauce, or other food?