Rainy Sunday Great Day For Making SOUP! Yum

Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup

I love to cook and until recently, I hardly ever made homemade soup!  It was not fattening enough I guess.  I have been searching for some wonderful recipes because I love soup in the winter time.  Quite frankly I refuse to pay what take out places want to charge for a bowl of soup or a cup for that matter.  I got a cup of vegetable soup at Panara a few weeks ago and it was $4.95 for one cup.  Outrageous I say.

My favorite soup has always been tomato since I was a little girl and mom would make it for me with grilled cheese.  There is still nothing better on a cold winter's day in my mind.  So I set out to make this incredible soup.  It turned out delicious, mouth watering if I do say so myself.

Creamy Tomato and Basil Bisque Soup

Ingredients

Butter, unsalted, 1 tbsp
Onions, 1 medium chopped
4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp
Celery, raw, 1 rib finely chopped
Garlic, 3 cloves minced
Whole wheat flour, 3 tablespoons
Chicken Broth, 4 cups
Canned tomatoes, (I used Fire Roasted w garlic) 14.5 oz 
2 cans
Tomato paste, 1 can
Granulated Sugar, (I use organic sugar) 1 tsp
Bay Leaves, 2 whole
Basil, 2 teaspoons
Light Cream 1/4 cup
Croutons and fresh Parmesan for topping
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and garlic.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Stir in flour over low heat.  Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, bay leaves and basil.  Turn heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  In a blender, carefully puree half of the soup.  Return to sauce pan, stir in cream and season with salt and pepper.  Top with croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  
Number of servings: 6
Nutrition info:  Calories 136  Fat 4.7g Carbs 11.0g  Protein 3.2g

Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup

My next soup would be Cream of Asparagus.  My absolutely favorite vegetable.  I thought well, I am going to give this one a try as well.

Asparagus Soup

It turned out really good too!  I was very impressed how easy and simple these soups are to prepare.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

2lbs of Asparagus
1 C chopped onion
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Directions

Wash asparagus and snip off the hard stems.  Separate the tips and save them to be added later.  Chop onions and garlic cloves, saute in a tsp of oil until transparent.  Boil asparagus in approx 2-3 cups of water and let it cool. Puree onions and asparagus together using a blender.  In dutch oven add a tsp of oil, saute the flour until golden brown, lower the heat and add the pureed mixture.  Add evaporated milk ( I used Half and Half) and let the soup come to a boil.  Now add asparagus tips and let it stay for a few minutes.  Serve hot and enjoy with croutons and parmesan cheese on top.

Servings: 6 1 cup servings

Nutrition:  Calories 156.9    Fat 7.4g  Carbs 17.3g  Protein 8.3g

Asparagus Soup

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

The last soup I made today was requested by Alan and Nichole. Broccoli Cheddar Soup they love it.


Broccoli Cheddar Soup


Ingredients


2 T olive oil
1 medium sweet onion chopped fine
2 stalks of celery chopped fine
2 C low sodium Chicken Broth (I use organic)
2 C half and half
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 C chopped broccoli florets
1/3 pound of chedder cheese, shredded about 1 1/3 C
Croutons for topping


Directions


Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, half and half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in the microwave and cook until fork tender.  When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to the blender.  Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let the steam escape.  Return the soup to the pot and thin with water if needed. Return to simmer over medium low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired.


Makes 6 servings


Nutrion:  Calories 524  Fat 34g  Cholesterol 97mg  Sodium 642  Carbs 50g  Fiber 8g  Protein 22g


This soup is fantastic, and it is pure comfort.

The last thing I made today was dinner.  Tonight it was "Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken"

This is an easy recipe to make and oh so mouth watering.  My family loves it!

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes, cut into wedges
2 lbs of chicken tenders cut into chunks
6 medium carrots, sliced into chunks
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Honey
3 Tablespoons mustard
1 teaspoon of rosemary
2 heads of garlic, peeled
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 in a shallow baking pan, toss potatoes and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Nestle peeled garlic cloves amongst the vegetables and scatter the rosemary on top.  Arrange the chicken among the vegetables and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, stir the mustard and honey together.  Remove the pan from the oven.  Carefully take the chicken from the pan to another and spread the honey mustard mixture over the chicken.  Stir the vegetables in the pan, return coated chicken to the pan, and place pan back into the oven.  Bake 10-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.


Nutrition:  Calories 356.7   Fat 8.9g  Carbs  39.4g  Protein 30.5g


Weight wise, Nichole and I swam this morning and I actually did 32 laps.  I was amazed, I am sore tonight.  My shoulders are tender.  


I also had an NSV, Alan was rubbing my sore shoulders and I was sitting on the floor in front of him.  When he was done I said thank you and just hopped up.  That is right, I just hopped up.  It was effortless.  Alan was like "WHOA" I have not seen you move that fast from the floor in 30 years.


It felt great!


Well 4am comes early for this Chick, and I am off to bed.

Kristin's Fabulous Low Cal Guacamole

Ingredients

3 - 4 Lg Avocados (flesh only)
1/2 Medium onion, chopped
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 Serrano pepper, chopped fine
1 Clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Lime, juiced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a masher until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with vegetables or baked tortilla chips.

Note: Some serrano peppers are very spicy, some milder. Add half, taste, and than add more if desired. Remove seeds first if you want a mild guac. Remember to keep your hands away from your eyes when handling and chopping peppers.

Number of Servings: 10

This is an incredible dish.  I use it on top of veggie burgers, with eggs, and you name it.  I never knew how good it was till about 4 years ago.


Enjoy!

Baked Chicken with Garlic and Sun Dried Tomatoes

I simply love to cook there is no doubt about it.  I have not changed simply because I can no longer eat some of the comfort foods that I have prepared for so many years.

I have tried to alter some of those recipes to make them healthier alternatives.  I will share one of them today :

This recipe has over 20 cloves of garlic in it which become sweet and mild when roasted.  I think Garlic is my favorite spice by far!  I love it roasted and any other way as well.  

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, cut into 4 oz portions
1 oz vegetable or olive oil
20 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow or white onion, cut in half root to tip then sliced thin
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped, (not packed in oil)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2-3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
white pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and pat dry. Crush two of the 20 garlic cloves.

Place an ovenproof skillet over moderate heat. Once warm add oil. Once oil is hot, add crushed garlic to pan then place chicken in the pan on top of the garlic. Toss in remaining garlic cloves.

Cook chicken for about 8 minutes or until it will release itself easily from the pan then flip to cook the other side. Continue to cook for 4 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet. Set aside.

Place onions and tomatoes over the caramelized garlic. Allow the onions and tomatoes to sweat in the pan for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat and add wine. With a spoon stir the pan to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This deglazing technique will remove the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan and release it to the vegetables.

Add chicken back to the skillet. Add stock just until the liquid level reaches halfway up the sides of the chicken. Add oregano and pepper to taste. Cover with tight fitting lid and place in oven. Bake 30 minutes.
If you purchase stock it usually does not contain salt. Broth does contain salt. If you choose stock you may want to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt with the herbs and spices.

Wondra, a superfine flour, is a great pantry item. It is a sauce thickener. If you would prefer a sauce with the dish; remove the meat and vegetables from the skillet. Combine 1 tablespoon of Wondra with 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk mixture into skillet over heat. Whisk until sauce thickens.


Number of Servings: 4

                                        

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

This recipe sings of the early fall and winter harvest!  I like to take advantage of the Farmers Market as much as I can when it is open.  You can buy whatever root vegetables that they have.  I like a little bite to the vegetables so I drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar over the vegetables while they are still hot.  This makes a great side dish and it is a wonderful way to get in your veggie servings for the day.

1 T olive oil 1 red onion, sliced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 turnip, peeled and diced 1 yam or sweet potato, peeled and diced 2 parsnips, peeled and diced 

1 t dried rosemary 1 t dried thyme 1 pinch salt 1/2 t black pepper 1 T balsamic vinegar, optional

 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; toss to combine. Place mixture on a sheet pan. Bake 30 minutes, turning vegetables every 10 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly browned. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving.
Makes 8 servings (1/2 cup).

 

I love to cook and I am always looking to find ways to add the most bang for my buck.  When you can only eat a small portion of food the more you can get in that small amount the better.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! 

I love To Cook

I love to cook it is really that simple.  Problem is that I always cooked comfort foods.  You know the ones, the high calorie ones.  Those are so yummy and fun.  When I was banded I had to come up with some new and exciting foods that would be band friendly and healthy.  This is a life style adjustment, so a whole knew kind of thinking about cooking had to evolve for me.

I thought that I would share some of my Recipes with you that I have found along the way.  These will be easy, affordable meals that even your children will enjoy.

Today is  "Don't Miss Your Fried" Chicken Bites

Ingredients: 

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins

1 C low fat buttermilk

1 box of whole wheat crackers ( I use Triscut Low Fat)

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.) Take each chicken tenderloin and cut into bite sized pieces.  Salt and pepper chicken pieces.  Place all chicken pieces into a large bowl and pour buttermilk over. Marinate for 10 minutes.

3.) Meanwhile, pulverize box of crackers in a food processor or blender until crumbly (you  can also use a zip lock bag and a rolling pin to crush the crackers).  Pour the cracker crumbs onto a plate or bowl.  Take each chicken piece out of buttermilk and coat in the cracker mixture.  Repeat for the rest of the chicken.

4.) Lay cracker covered chicken pieces on to a baking sheet coated in nonstick cooking spray, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top.

5.) Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until juices run clear.  If desired, turn to low broil for 1-2 minutes to toast top of chicken bites.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Serve warm with "Your Veggies Will Love This" Ranch Dip below.

I will tell you my family loves this recipe.  The boys ate it really well.  It was just like chicken nuggets but healthy ones.

"Your Veggies Will Love This" Ranch Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups low fat cottage cheese or fat free cottage cheese

1-2 Tablespoons of skim milk

1 packet of ranch seasoning mix (I like the Fiesta Ranch by Hidden Valley)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) Put all ingredients in your blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve with the chicken or any veggies that you can think of.  Fresh zucchini, cucumber, and yellow squash!  

I hope you love these recipes as much as we do.  Alan actually said when I asked him if he like the chicken, yes please make more next time (smiling).

There will be more to come!