Lighten Up with Italian Egg Drop Soup

I love all the wonderful food and confections that go along with the Christmas season, but round about now, the waistband of my jeans is begging for mercy. According to my somewhat schitzy scale, I gained 70 pounds in the last week. Clearly, my scale is malfunctioning, but I definitely overindulged this holiday season. Time to get back on the wagon, my friends!

In the warmer weather, I love eating salads for lunch....cucumber and tomato salads are my favorite. However, in the winter, I find it difficult to get excited about salad. I crave warmth in the colder months, and soup always hits the spot. It makes a perfect light lunch or starter to dinner. I make all sorts of soups, but one of my favorites is a simple egg drop. Egg drop soup is most commonly associated with Chinese cuisine, but the Italians also have a version of egg drop soup called "stracciatella" which means "torn apart". This describes the way the egg forms ribbons, resmbling torn cloth, in the broth. What I like about this soup is that it is delicious, nutritious, and extremely simple to prepare. The best part? At 89 calories per 1.5 cup serving, you can start to amend for all that fudge you ate over the holidays!

Italian Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 small cloves of garlic, smashed

1 egg

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf (Italian)parsley

Place the broth and garlic cloves in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the olive oil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and while whisking, slowly pour the egg mixture over the top of the soup. The egg will cook in ribbons within the hot broth.

Finally, add chopped parsley and serve hot.

Nutritional info: Calories-89, Total fat-5g, Saturated fat-1g, Carbohydrates-5g, Cholesterol-53mg, Sodium-127 mg, Dietary fiber-0g, Sugars-1g, Protein-9g

Note: This soup will have a thinner consistency than what is usually found in Chinese restaurants. If you happen to like your egg drop thicker, simply whisk together a tablespoon of corn starch together with a tablespoon of water to form a "slurry", and then whisk that mixture into the soup.

Photo above by VForguson.