Creamy Tomato Soup

I love cream of tomato soup. I love the acidity of the tomatoes and the richness of the cream. Of course, that doesn’t bode well when you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight. I found a great recipe for tomato soup in a cookbook, and I adapted it for a lighter lifestyle and for a “creamy” feel and finish. I hope you like it!

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp (dried) fennel seeds
• Cooking spray 
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 – 14oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 – 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups broth (I used chicken)
• 1 tbsp. sugar (I used Splenda) or to taste
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 can fat-free evaporated milk
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped basil

Preparation

Crush the dried herbs until the are aromatic. Spray heavy soup pot with cooking spray or heat and add oil. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until nicely translucent and browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and combine. Slowly stir in white wine until incorporated and no lumps of tomato paste remain.

Add the tomatoes, broth and sugar. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to a slow simmer (just bubbling) and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add cinnamon and stir to blend. Add basil and evaporated milk. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, cinnamon and sugar. Serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

(Note: I will have to calculate the nutritional information and append later)

Recipe: Butternut Squash Three Bean Soup

Need something quick and easy but are at a loss for what to make?  Look in your pantry.  I often grab what I have and make something easy and delicious with it.  The trick is to have a variety of goods in your pantry to choose from.  Here’s what I made last night:

Ingredients

• 2 packages (1 quart each) Trader Joe’s Organic Butternut Squash Soup (Low Sodium)
• 1 can (14 ounces) small white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14 ounces) pinquintos or small red beans, drained
• 1 can (14 ounces) cut green beans, drained
• 1 small can mushrooms
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
• 4 ounces (4 slices) honey roasted turkey deli meat, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Place the first 5 ingredients to a boil.  Add the frozen spinach and turkey meat and cook until the spinach has thawed and incorporated into the soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Was that easy, or what?

Makes 10 servings, 1 cup each.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 152 Calories; 1g Fat (3.3% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 271mg Sodium.

WW Points Estimate: 2

Recipe: Turkey Burgers

I love burgers.  They’re warm, satisfying and delicious.  They’re also full of fat and calories–and a small burger that I could have from a fast food place just doesn’t cut it.  I was watching a food show the other day, and they made turkey burgers.  I liked the way they added ingredients to keep the meat moist and juicy.  I liked that they made individual patties that could be frozen for later use.  But I found the recipe to be too fatty the way it was, so I lightened it.  The result?  A wonderful and low point burger OR meatball.  Yum!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey, 7% fat, 7% fat, 2 packages Jennie-O
• 4 slices Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat Bread, cubed
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (you can also substitute 4 tablespoons of Trader Joe’s Eggplant Hummus for 1/4 cup of the sour cream for a different flavor with little impact on the nutritional value)
• 2 tablespoons seasonings (I like Schilling Garlic Patch salt free seasoning for this)

Preparation

Cut the bread into small cubes.  Mix all ingredients together.  Form into 10 patties–about 5 ounces each (weight them).  Wrap each patty in plastic wrap.  Freeze or refrigerate.  Thaw before cooking.

To cook, heat a pan to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Cook for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Serve each patty on 2 slices of Sara Lee Delightful bread and condiments.

Serves 10.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (Burgers Only): 198 Calories; 8g Fat (38.3% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber

Per Serving – 2 slices Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat Bread: 90 Calories; 0g fat; 6g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber

WW Points Estimate: 4 for the burger, 1 for the 2 slices of bread

(c)2008 by M. Donnelly.  All rights reserved.

Recipe: Turkey Sausage and Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Mmmmm…pasta. I love pasta. But pasta has about 200 calories per 2 ounce serving, and 2 ounces are just not enough sometimes. I had been wanting to try spaghetti squash as a substitute and I also was having a jonesing for some sausage, so voila, a new recipe. It’s very yummy.

Spaghetti squash isn’t pasta, but it is quite nice. It has a little bit of a vegetable crunch to it, but it’s still nice in sauce. The lean turkey sausage was tasty and really curbed my cravings. This is a keeper.
Ingredients

• 2 pieces lean fresh Italian-style turkey sausage, sweet or hot
• 1 spray non-stick cooking spray
• 1/4 large onion, chopped
• 20 ounces tomato sauce
• 4 ounces water
• 1/2 ounce sun-dried tomatoes (dried, NOT in oil)
• 1/2 cup mushroom, canned
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons Splenda, or to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded (about a 2-pound squash).

Preparation

Spray cooking spray in a deep-sided skillet or saucepan. Heat on medium-high heat and add whole sausages. Brown sausages on both sides. Add onions, and sautee until soft and translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the spaghetti squash. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, rinse off the whole spaghetti squash. Pierce it all over with a fork. Place on a plate and into the microwave. Microwave on high for 5 to 6 minutes per pound. The squash should be softened on the outside when done. Let stand 5 minutes, cut in half and scoop out the seeds with two spoons. Then use a fork and twirl the strands of squash (like twirling pasta on a fork) onto your serving plates. Add a piece of sausage and sauce on top and serve.

Serves 2.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 324 Calories; 12g Fat (29.9% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 70mg Cholesterol; 2691mg Sodium.

WW Points Estimate = 6.5 to 7.

(c)2008 by M Donnelly. All rights reserved.

Recipe: Most Excellent Vegetarian Four Bean Chili

When we visited the KnowFat Lifestyle Grill, we had a very flavorful three-bean chili. I wanted to create something as flavorful, low in fat and ultimately satisfying. I liked the KnowFat Grill’s approach–if you wanted some sort of meat protein, cook it separately and add it when serving…giving you the greatest amount of flexibility.

I made some guesses and read a bunch of recipes, and came up with my version of vegetarian chili.  This chili is just awesome. I tend to like things on the spicy and sweet side, but you can adjust the heat and sweetness by omitting the salsa (or using mild)  to tone it down or adding chiles to make it hotter, and adding or subtracting Splenda to adjust the sweetness to your taste.  The sweet corn also adds its own sweetness.

Why is this a four-bean chili versus a three bean? Because that’s what I had in my pantry. Note that I didn’t use kidney beans…hubby doesn’t like them much, so I don’t have them on hand.  Improvise your own chili by using what you have on hand…I’m sure yours will turn out great!

Please do NOT copy this recipe and post it elsewhere. I’d appreciate it if you’d just point people here. Thanks!

Ingredients

• 1 serving cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 3 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup salsa, hot
• 14 ounces fat-free vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, canned, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups canned white beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned, fresh or frozen corn, drained if canned
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1/4 cup Splenda
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Saute onions in a deep dutch oven using the non-stick cooking spray. Cook onions until translucent and browned. Add carrots and celery. Cook to soften. Add bell pepper. Add a bit of the cumin and sautée a few minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, salsa and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add the beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, Splenda and Worcestershire. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 2 hours (can also be cooked in a crock pot), stirring occasionally. Adjust for salt, pepper, sweetness and heat at the end of cooking.

Serve with a 1Tbsp dollop of fat-free sour cream (zero points). Yum!

Makes 15 servings, 1 cup each.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (excluding unknown items and not including the fat free sour cream): 199 Calories; 2g Fat (7.7% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 11g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1139mg Sodium.

WW Points Estimate: 3

(c) 2008 by M. Donnelly. All rights reserved.

Recipe: Boca Burger Pasta Marinara

I had left-over ingredients from the Bubble Up Pizza Casserole that I made this week that I wanted to make into something else. Here it is!

Ingredients

• 1 serving cooking spray
• 4 Boca Original Meatless Burger, microwaved and cut into large cubes
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (soft dehydrated–NOT in oil)
• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons (or 2 packets) Splenda, optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 ounces Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Wide Noodles

Preparation

Heat the Boca Burgers in the microwave until cooked. Cut into small cubes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a bit of salt and noodles. Cook until al-dente.

While the water is coming to a boil, begin making the sauce. Spray large skillet/saute pan with non-stick spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli. Add salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms soften and release their liquid. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add marinara, tomato paste and chicken stock and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. Add the Boca Burgers. When the noodles are almost done, add the fat-free half-and-half. Bring back to a simmer and taste the sauce. If it’s too thick, add a bit more chicken stock. Add the Splenda if the sauce is too acidic. Adjust salt and pepper.

Drain the noodles and add to the pot. Simmer and mix the noodles in. Take off the heat and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings, 2 cups each.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 295 Calories; 4g Fat (10.2% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1004mg Sodium

WW Points Estimate: 5

Recipe: Easy Turkey, Spinach and Pasta Soup

This is a modified version of a soup recipe given to me by a friend. The original recipe used creamed spinach, olive oil and chicken boullion–lots of fat and sodium. It’s a hearty, fast and easy soup.

Ingredients

• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 spray cooking spray
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced, or 1/2 cup canned mushrooms, drained
• 6 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 15 ounces diced tomatoes
• 4 ounces smoked or roasted turkey breast, cubed
• 1 cup gemelli, rotini or other pasta
• 10 oz frozen spinach
• 15 ounces canned great northern beans or small white beans, drained
• 1/4 cup fat free half-and-half
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Sauté onions in a pot coated with non-stick cooking spray until soft. Add mushrooms and sautee 5 minutes or until mushrooms soften. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and turkey and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 5 minutes. Add spinach and green beans and cook until spinach has thawed. Stir in the white beans and fat-free half-and-half and heat to serving temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 servings, approximately 2 cups each.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 237 Calories; 2g Fat (7.9% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 804mg Sodium

WW Points Estimate: 4

Recipe: Cream of Asparagus Soup

I went grocery shopping today and found some very lovely fresh asparagus on sale. I could envision a wonderful soup that would bring out the flavor of this beautiful ingredient. So I bought a couple of pounds and searched the Internet for a good recipe. I found one, but it was full of fat…1/2 a cup of heavy cream? 3 tablespoons of butter? NOT! Here’s my take on Cream of Asparagus Soup, a modified version of a Gourmet Magazine recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green asparagus stalks, woody ends removed
• 1 medium onion, minced
• Olive oil or Canola oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 5 cups chicken stock (low fat/low sodium–home made if possible)
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Cut the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Mince the onion. Spray the bottom of a heavy dutch oven with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and a little salt and pepper. Saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and thyme and saute another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the asparagus has begun to soften.

Add the chicken stock. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the asparagus is very tender. Add lemon juice.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until desired texture is achieved (I like my soup to have a few small chunks). Stir in sour cream. If the soup is a little too thick, add a bit more chicken stock until you reach the desired thickness. Taste, add salt and pepper as desired, and serve.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each.

Nutritional Information

1 serving = 96 calories, 2 grams fat, 3 grams fiber

WW Points Estimate: 2

Note: Some people have commented that using leeks instead of onions brings additional flavor to the dish. Just make sure to clean your leeks well and soften them thoroughly before adding additional ingredients.