Pepperoni Soup

It is cold and windy and I just felt like some soup.  Stinks is a super picky eater!  One of his favorite foods is pepperoni which means we always, and I mean ALWAYS, have some in the house.

~Hey, when the doc says at every appointment to add some weight to your child you pretty much stock up on anything he will eat.  And I have to believe that pepperoni will add more fat to his body than all the apples he eats so we roll with it!~

As you know by now, I like "in-house" recipes.  Who wants to run out to the store for that one weird ingredient when you finally settle on what to make?  Nothing drives me battier!  Well, thanks to Stinks weird and unnatural obsession with pepperoni, this is definitely an in-house recipe!

Pepperoni Soup

• 4 c Tomato Soup (You can use whatever kind you want - make some if you want!)
• 2-3 c Water (This is a preference thing, keep in mind it will dilute your soup so go with your gut)
• 1 1/2 c Small Shell Pasta, uncooked (or any other small pasta such as elbows etc)
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1/3 c Pepperoni, chopped
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 4 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 5 oz Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
• Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Spray the bottom of your pot with non-stick spray and sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add in the tomato soup, water, diced tomatoes, and seasonings.  Bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Add the pepperoni and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add in the pasta and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 3 minutes - or until the pasta is al dente - and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.  
5. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese and simmer until the cheese has melted and the soup thickens (only a couple of minutes).
6. Ladle one cup of soup into an oven safe crock and top with .5 oz of mozzarella cheese.  Place the crock under the broiler in your oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  
7. ENJOY!

The soup is simple, quick, and makes a wonderful meal.  We paired ours with a chunk of sourdough bread and some clementines, I was certainly content.  Be sure you don't skip the simmer time in steps two and three.  That is when the flavors of the pepperoni and seasonings really blend.  

The recipe makes about 10 cups (obviously dependent on the amount of water you went with) of soup. I have found the 1 cup servings are good for me so I divided the recipe into 10 servings.)  The calorie count is 152 calories per serving.  I need to point out that I use low sodium soup, low fat cheddar, and homemade mozzarella made with non-fat milk.  If you want to cut the calorie count down even more you could try using turkey pepperoni - but Stinks would NEVER go for that so I use regular.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

I am throwing this one out there after a VERY annoying day in the kitchen.  Nothing seemed to go right for me while making this soup.  I actually went through 2 whole batches before I decided the third and final one was palatable.  Though I might be willing to incorporate tomatoes into my previously tomato free life, I think tomato soup is still a few months off for me.  I did eat my whole bowl though so that says something!

First I should say that you will either need to make or buy some tomato basil soup for this recipe.  If you make the soup the calories are reduced by about 20 per serving if you use the homemade tomato basil soup recipe I listed below.  It is a lot more steps, and you end up with a LOT of soup, but if you wanted to make the Tomato Basil Soup recipe and freeze it in 2 cup quantities, you would have it for when you wanted to make this recipe.

So here are the two recipes:

Tomato Basil Soup

• 2 c Chicken Broth
• 28 oz Diced Tomatoes*
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 1 Celery Stalk, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 t Thyme
• 1/2 c Fresh Basil, chopped

1. Sauté onions, celery and garlic over medium heat until translucent.
2. Combine remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes. 
3. Either use a hand blender or transfer the soup to a blender and process till smooth.
4. Makes about 6 cups of Tomato Basil soup at about 60 calories per cup.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

• 2 c Tomato Basil Soup
• 3 c Chicken Broth
• 1 c Water
• 14 oz Diced Tomatoes*
• 8 oz Tomato Sauce*
• 4 oz Low Fat Cream Cheese
• 2 c Cheese Tortellini

1.  Combine all ingredients save the cream cheese and tortellini in a heavy stock pot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer.  
2. Scoop out about 1 cup of the soup mixture.  Whisk together the 1 cup of soup mixture and the 4 oz of cream cheese until smooth.  Add the mixture back into the soup.
3. Simmer on low/medium heat until well combined.  
4. Add the tortellini and cook until tender - about 10 minutes.
5. ENJOY

*I used canned but feel free to use homemade or freshly diced.

The Tomato Tortellini soup makes about 13 cups.  I divided that into 8 servings of 1.5 cups (with a cup to spare).  The calorie count of this soup really depends on the tomato basil soup you decide to use.  If you use the homemade version then the calories come in at about 150 calories per serving.  If you decide to use canned soup you are looking at about 170 calorie per serving.  All in all not that bad.

I pared this soup tonight with some Peasant Bread, my new favorite bread recipe.  I actually ended up chunking the bread and throwing it right into the soup.  I know that this post hasn't been the most enthusiastic, but please try to remember that until 3 months ago I didn't even eat tomatoes so for me to actually finish my bowl of TOMATO SOUP is a huge deal.

Sorry for the horrible picture - as per usual I completely forgot about taking pictures until the plates were clean.

Taco Stew

I am using the term "stew" loosely here seeing I technically precooked the meat.  Names aside this dish surprised me.  I was expecting a very spicy Mexican soup that I wouldn't be able to take more than two bites of without crying for a glass of milk.  It wasn't bad at all - if this wimpy girl could handle it than I am sure everyone else can as well. I should point out that I did add half an avocado to my soup, and that did seem to help with the spiciness - but I took a good 5 spoonfuls before adding the avocado and didn't cry :-D.  It is also one of those recipes that contains all in-house ingredients, we all know how I love those!

Taco Stew

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 T Taco Seasoning*
• 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 3 1/2 c Water
• 1 Large Zucchini or 2 Small, cubed
• 1 can Black Beans, rinsed
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 c Corn
• 1 c Salsa
• 2 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded (optional, but I think it added that missing layer)

1. In a large pot, brown the beef with the onion and garlic over medium heat. 
2. Sprinkle taco seasoning over browned beef and cook for about 5 minutes. 
3. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, and stir to mix well.   Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Dispense into bowls and top each with some cheese.
5. Enjoy!

Isn't that simple?!  Now comes the good part - the recipe makes about 10 servings.  (I say about cause I don't really measure everything as well as I should - I am really more of an eye-ball cooker so the water might not have been exactly 3.5 cups.)  So 10 servings of 1.5 cups each and they are less than 170 calories a serving!  For something so full of flavor I really was happy with the calorie count.  We had it tonight with some chunks of peasant bread.  YUM.

*I know I have posted this before, however it bears repeating.  Don't forget you can throw together your own taco seasoning from all the standard seasonings you have in your cabinets.  Here is the "recipe" I use:

• 1 T Chili Powder
• 1/2 t Garlic
• 3/4 t Minced Onion
• 1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 t Oregano
• 1 1/2 t Cumin
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1 t Black Pepper

1. Mix all and use per taste preference!

As always, I completely forgot to snap a shot of the soup once I had it all ladled into bowls.  I thought about it while ladling, but once I actually sat down to eat it all thoughts of photography flew right out of my head.  I promise to update with a picture the next time I make it!

Cheeseburger Soup

Earlier this year we had taken a trip up to North Conway - like we are wont to do a ever three months or so.  This trip we stopped in at the Scarecrow Pub.  We were all very skeptical at first, but it turned into a great stop.  While we were deciding what to order the waitress informed us that the soup of the day was cheeseburger.  I was intrigued.  After years and years of eating nothing but chicken noodle I had recently developed a taste for soups.  A bowl was ordered and it was fantastic!  Every once in a while I will come across another cheeseburger soup - none have really stood up to that first taste.  So, like always, I set out to make a version of my own.

Cheeseburger Soup

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion
• 2 Celery Stalks
• 2 Carrots
• Basil, to taste
• Parsley, to taste
• 4 1/2 c Water
• 4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 2-3 Potatoes, cubed
• 3/4 c Milk
• 3 T Margarine or Butter
• 1/4 c Flour
• 2 c Shredded Cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and monterey jack)

1. Spray a large pot with non-stick spray and add beef, onion, celery, carrots, basil and parsley.  Cook until beef is browned and veggies are softened.  (If you are using high fat concentrated ground beef be sure to drain the fat out of the pot before proceeding.)
2. Add the water, potatoes and bouillon cubes to the meat and veggie mixture and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 
4. While the soup is simmering melt the butter.  Mix the flour into the melted butter. 
5. Once the potatoes are tender mix the butter/flour mixture into the soup and bring to a boil.  
6. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Slowly stir in the milk and simmer again for another 5-10 minutes.
7. Slowly stir in shredded cheese, mixing until it is melted.  Remove from heat and set aside for 5-10 minutes.  
8. ENJOY

My recipe made about 11 cups.  (I think it actually made more like 12, but I ran out of room in my container so Selph got the left overs - and greatly enjoyed them!)  I also need to mention that all the recipes I had found online during my research called for sour cream to be mixed in as well.  In a soup recipe this size I would say 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup of sour cream would be about right.  I didn't have any sour cream in the house - not to mention I am not a fan - so therefore my soup doesn't have any in this time around.  I will probably add some next time just to see if it makes a difference.

Calorie wise, the soup isn't all that bad considering the ingredients.  For a one cup serving you are looking at about 190-195 calories.  I had a cup along with a salad the other night and it filled me right up.  I do think that the soup needs to be eaten with some crackers or bread - but that might just be me.  What do you think?

*Apparently I completely spaced on taking pictures - sorry.  I will take/upload some soon!

Cheesy Veggie Soup

I am back on my soup kick.  I really don't understand this, I have never been a huge soup fan but I can't seem to get enough lately.

Today's challenge was creating a nice broccoli/cheese soup that isn't 300+ calories.  If you are looking for a straight broccoli and cheese soup, however, this one is not for you.  I have added in carrots, onions and celery to round out the soup (read: more substance for less calories).  Seeing I have only made this soup once I am going to post the recipe with the changes that I plan on making next time - don't be scared.  I ate it as is, I just have a few tweaks for future batches.  I also apologize in advance, I have a tendency to just pour my water without measuring.  Therefore you will notice I give you a range - I normally air on the high side of the range, but create to your personal tastes!

Cheesy Veggie Soup

• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 2-3 Carrots, chopped
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped
• 1/2 T Garlic, minced (originally I used 1T - I LOVE garlic and it was too much!)
• 4-5 c Water
• 4-5 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (you can use Veggie as well)
• 1 T Cornstarch
• 1/4-1/2 c Water
• 2/3 c Milk
• 5 c Broccoli, chopped (I originally used whole florets - they need to be chopped!)
• 2 c Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Potatoes, cubed (** I did NOT put potatoes in my original recipe, I plan on adding them in future ones.)

I used a hunk of our aged cheddar from Harman's.
If you are ever in Sugar Hill, NH you have to check them out!

1. In a large pot, sprayed with non-stick spray, sauté the onion, carrot, garlic and celery until onion is soft.
2. Add the water, bouillon cubes and cubed potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook till potatoes are just shy of tender.
3. Create a slurry with the cornstarch and water.  Pour the slurry into the soup and bring to a rapid boil while stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to simmer until soup thickens.
4. Once the soup thickens add in the milk and chopped broccoli.  Heat until broccoli is warmed through.
5. Finally stir in the cheese until melted.  (Serve with a hunk of crusty bread or turn the crusty bread into bread bowls!  I had mine with a piece of crusty bread - perfect for dipping!)
6. ENJOY

The soup is REALLY easy to make and it creates a LOT.  My pot produced 13+ cups of soup (again remember that I don't actually measure).  I calculated the calories based upon 12 cups being made into 8 servings.  For a cup and a half serving the calories come in around 183/serving.  If you want to omit the potatoes the calories per serving come in at about 177.  I think it is pretty good - very flavorful!  it isn't as thick as, say, Panera's Broccoli Cheese but it is half the calories so I can ok with a thinner soup.  I will post an update the next time I make it so I can tell you how the changes turned out.  In the meantime, if you make it, let me know what you think!

Lasagna Soup

Paula Deen makes a soup called Tastes Like Lasagna, I have never had it as it is over 600 calories for ONE CUP of soup - crazy huh?  The Deen Brothers made a lighter version of the soup that I have tasted and it is on that, which I based my recipe.  The very first time I made this soup I overloaded the meat and I was NOT a fan.  I cut it back - decided on either chicken sausage OR ground beef, instead of both.  It made a huge difference.  I am now a big fan of this soup, it will most likely become a staple during the cold winter months.

Lasagna Soup

• 3 links Chicken Sausage (I used Italian flavored) -OR- 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Pepper, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic (or equivalent in minced/powder)
• 4-5 c Water
• 4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (or enough to make 4 cups of broth)
• 1 can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (14 oz) Diced Tomatoes
• 4 oz Lasagna Noodles, broken
• 4 T Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 c Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• Basil, to taste
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

I sautéd my meat and veggies in a separate pan only to
ensure I would get an OK picture, I normally sauté right
in the pot

1. Spray a large pot with non-stick spray.  Combine the meat of your choice (if you are using chicken sausage be sure to remove the casing so you will be able to crumble it) with the onion, pepper and garlic.  Sauté until meat is browned and vegetables are cooked through.
2. Add the tomato sauce, water, bouillon cubes and tomatoes to the pot.  Bring to a boil.
3. Once you have brought the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the flavors combine.
4. Add the broken noodles and bring to a boil again.  
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the noodles are soft and the soup thickens.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and basil.  
7. ENJOY!

It is one of the more step intensive soups but I promise that the result is completely worth it.  Serve it up with some crusty bread and you have a wonderful meal!  The recipe, as is, makes 8-9 cups.  You can either have 6 servings of 1 1/4 c each for 240 calories/serving OR you can have 8 servings of 1 cup each for 180 calories/serving.  Either way you choose it is a big difference to the 600+ of the original Paula Deen recipe.

Adding in the yummy cheese!

The finished product!!  

I have made this soup with both sausage and ground beef, with just ground beef, and with just sausage. I prefer it with just sausage.  As a matter of fact that is why I am posting the recipe now, I have decided it is wonderful with the sausage and I will be proud to share!!  If you try it out let me know what configuration you prefer!

Slow Cooker Beef/Veggie Soup

By popular demand (ok it was just my mother and aunt, but that counts as popular right?) I am posting my slow cooker beef veggie soup recipe.  I stumbled upon a beef/vegetable soup recipe a while back, and in case you don't already know - I am normally not a tomato person.  In addition to the tomatoes there were a few beans (I am NOT a bean person unless they are refried :-D) that made me quite skeptical.  Yet, being determined to shed some pounds has turned me into a "I will try anything once" person.  As well as a "I'm on a giant soup kick" person.  This soup had it's first try and I decided if it was to remain in my arsenal tweaks needed to be made.  I dropped out the beans and changed the tomatoes.  With the changes I will keep the recipe around for easy (read: lazy) day meals or lunches for the week.

Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetable Soup

• 1 lb of Ground Beef (browned and drained) 
• 2 c Beef Broth
• 2 c Water*
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes (I use cans that have onion and garlic added - or even green chilies)
• 1 packet Onion Soup Mix (dry)
• 1 Bag (10-12 oz) Frozen Mixed Veggies (pick your favorite)

1. Brown and drain the ground beef.
2. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.  Give them a mix.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
4. ENJOY

The second time I made this soup I brought some to my mother - to say it was a big hit was an understatement.  I recently doubled the recipe for a family party - what better way to ward off the chills of a new fall day? 
The recipe makes about 6-7 servings (depending on the amount of water and veggies) of 1.75-2 cups each.  I have it calculated at about 95-100 calories per serving.   I enjoy the low calorie count of the soup (probably due to the lack of noodles), and boy does it smell DELICIOUS while cooking!!  

I apologize for the horrible photo - I wasn't planning on posting this recipe yet and therefore had to dig up an old photo for the post.

*I normally add 2 1/2 - 3 cups of water, however I have done just two as well - choose your preference.  

Chicken Pot Pie SOUP

There really is nothing like a good chicken pot pie.  I am partial to homemade pot pies (shocking I know), however Willow Tree, Lucky's and Davenport's all know how to make good pies if you are strapped on time.  Seeing I am not a huge fan of pie crust (though I am always in the mood for the wonderful flakiness of Lucky's crust - seriously if you are in the Seekonk/East Providence area you need to stop in and try their pot pie) this pot pie soup recipe seemed just the thing for me.  I couldn't wait to try it.  As a matter of fact, it jumped right to the top of the "to try" list and thus was simmering away on the stove this very afternoon.

The recipe is very simple, although I do have a disclaimer:  The chicken is precooked.  For me this is not an issue, seeing I have a tendency to boil up some chicken at the beginning of the week for salads and what have you.  (Of course it is very easy to just poach some chicken in boiling water.)

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

• 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 c water
• 4 c milk
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 small onion
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 bag frozen veggies (of your choice, I used mixed corn, peas, carrots, green beans and lima beans.  I also added a cup of broccoli seeing broccoli makes everything better :-D)
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Make a slurry with the flour and 1/4 cup of the water.
2. Combine the remaining water, milk, and bouillon in a pan.  Bring to a rolling boil.
3. Reduce heat and add all the veggies.  Bring to a rolling boil again, then reduce heat to simmer until veggies are softened.
4. Add potatoes.  Cook until tender.
5. Add chicken
6. Stir in slurry, mix well
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste
8. ENJOY

The recipe made about 6 servings of 1 1/2 cups.  Each serving is 244 calories - not bad, it is very filling!  I also made some wonderful crusty bread (how have I never blogged about the crusty bread?!) to accompany the soup.  (Brian requested a bread bowl, but I didn't even want to CONTEMPLATE the amount of calories that would be so I put him off for a little bit.)  If you are a fan of pot pie then I say give this a try!  It really was wonderful.  (Don't mind the super large chunks of chicken in the picture- that will teach me to be lazy and not cut down my chicken.  Check out that wonderfully yummy crusty bread!!)

Hibachi Soup

OH DEAR GOODNESS THIS IS GOOD!

Alright, now that I have that out of my system I can tell you about the soup.  Ever been to a Japanese steak restaurant and sat at the tepanyaki tables?  You know how they bring you a little bowl of salad with wonderfully yummy ginger dressing (which we will tackle in another post seeing I have a few recipes for that as well) and that oh so yummy soup?  Calling it soup might be a bit of a stretch.  It is normally a nice small bowl of broth with some mushrooms, scallions and french fried onions.  It has both beefy and chicken flavorings that is all underscored with just the right amount of ginger.

Now some restaurants do this soup to perfection (Sakura Tokyo in Worcester, MA) and some have a just OK recipe (Osaka falls into this category for me).  I have been trying to perfect this recipe since the very first time Brian brought me to Sakura; and I realized that I spent 18 years of my life saying I didn't like a food genre that I, in fact, LOVE.  I have tried mixes (I know, I know), I have tried cans from specialty stores, heck I have even gone so far as to order it different places in the hopes of getting something CLOSE to Sakura's.

THE SEARCH IS OVER.
Today I made Hibachi Soup - a recipe that I of course found on Pinterest.  (Perhaps one of these days I should blog about my horrible horrible Pinterest obsession.)  Right from the very beginning I knew this one would be different.  Not only does it have been and chicken bouillon, but it also has celery, carrots and garlic - all of which are flavors that I could pick out in the soup even if they weren't present.  (I always chalked that up to a veggie broth but I was wrong.)  This is the easiest recipe ever.  Throw everything into a pot and basically walk away.  I am thinking that I will experiment with making it in the crockpot - I will keep you posted.  Let me tell you it is a dead ringer for Sakura's soup - I am thrilled!

Hibachi Soup

• 1 stalk Celery
• 2 medium Carrots
• 1 small Onion
• 4 oz sliced Mushrooms (I didn't have fresh on hand so I used canned)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 5 Beef Bouillon Cubes*
• 4 Chicken Bouillon Cubes*
• 9 cups Water
• Ginger per discretion  (I didn't have fresh so I used powdered.  I used 3/4 of a teaspoon)
• French's Fried Onions 
• Scallions
• Salt and Pepper

These are instructions based on how I prepared the soup, the recipe calls for different veggie preparation.  I will explain after.  (* The original recipe called for 2.5 tablespoons of chicken bouillon granules and 3 tablespoons of beef bouillon granules.  That was just TOO MUCH for me to handle - I am thinking it would have been WAY to salty.  Therefore I scaled back to the 4 and 5 cubes respectively.  1 bouillon cube = 1 teaspoon of granules   3 bouillon cubes = 1 tablespoon of granules)

1. Wash, peel, slice (onion), and chop all the veggies and garlic.  Place in pot.
2. Add ginger.
3. Add 9 cups of water.
4. Bring the soup to a rolling boil
5. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes.  You can let it sit longer, just be sure to replenish evaporating water of the soup will be very salty.
6. When ready to serve, garnish each bowl with a tablespoon of French's Fried Onions and some scallions.  

The recipe makes about 8-9 cups of soup.  Each serving is 1.5 cups.  That is a total of 37 calories per serving of soup!  Let me say that again - THIRTY-SEVEN calories per ONE AND A HALF CUPS of YUMMINESS!  (It is a good thing you guys know I am crazy or this probably would have tipped the scales :-D)

Now earlier I had explained that those were my instructions and not the recipe's.  The recipe calls for all the same ingredients (save the scallions) and a very similar process.  The main exception is that the original recipe does not want you to chop all veggies into nice small pieces.  As a matter of fact, it says to cut the celery and carrots in half as well as the onion.  It does this because you are supposed to strain the vegetables out of the soup prior to serving - and just garnish with fried onions.  As I read the recipe I said to myself: What a waste.  All those wonderful vegetables gave the soup it's great taste - plus if I keep them in it will be more filling.  So I broke from the recipe and made my hibachi soup into hibachi VEGGIE FILLED soup.  

If you like the soup served at Sakura (or your choice of Japanese Steak House) then please try this.  It is wonderfully delicious, smells great while cooking and is EASY!  Plus, like all the recipes I tend to favor, it is made with kitchen staples.  No weird ingredients here.   If you try it, let me know what you think.  

Corn, potato and BACON chowder

Prior to this recipe I had never ever heard of cooking "baked potatoes" in the microwave- I know, I live a sheltered life!!  I have always shied away from corn chowders for the very reason that if I am going to waste the time making a baked potato, I want a STEAK with it!  (The picture shows you how easily the potatoes peel after you cook them in the microwave - just be sure to let them cool a little or you will DEFINITELY burn your fingers.)

Seriously who in their right mind wouldn't want to eat that?!

In my quest to eat new and *hopefully* nutritional food I stumbled upon a recipe for Corn, Potato and Bacon Chowder - from WeightWatchers of all places.  (I should probably put in a disclaimer here that I am slightly addicted to FoodGawker and Pinterest so it is very possible that the recipe came off of one of them.  However I am equally as addicted to cookbooks so one never knows.)  After reading the recipe I decided to give it a whirl - I mean who doesn't want to try a recipe when they have all the ingredients readily available (which was yet another thing I LOVE about this recipe).

Everything is better with local milk

I made the chowder on a night when there was already a WONDERFUL pizza in the making so the chowder was just a thought for lunch the next day.  After I was done, and before the pizza came out of the oven, I gave Brian a little bowl - it was a HIT.  It isn't exactly a low calorie food, but it is super filling, and I can handle spending 180 of my calories on a serving of this chowder!!

CORN, POTATO and BACON CHOWDER

• 1 medium potato 
• 2 cups corn
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup broccoli (or veggie of choice)
• 2 cups milk
• 4 oz canadian bacon (chopped)
• salt and pepper to taste

Aren't our little soup bowls adorable?!

1. Cook potato in the microwave (be sure to wash and puncture then just stick it in the microwave for 4 minutes each side)  Once done, set aside to cool.
2. Sauté your vegetables in your saucepan or stock pot until tender and slightly browned (I just spray the pot with pam, but I think you are supposed to use some oil)
3. Once your potato is cool, peel and discard the peel (or if you are like me eat it cause that is the best part of the potato).  Then mash the potato.
4. Once vetegables are sautéd, add milk, mashed potato and uncooked canadian bacon.  
5. Blend all ingrediants well - make sure you mix the mashed potato in well so there are no clumps
6. Turn down burner to a simmer, cover your pot and let simmer for 10 or so minutes.  DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.  

The recipe as is makes 4 servings at about 180 calories each (or for those of you doing WW: 6 points per serving).  The very first time I made the recipe I didn't have any defrosted canadian bacon, and I was simply to rushed to wait for it to defrost so I ended up using the caloric equivalent of crumbled regular bacon.  The chowder is wonderful both ways.  I have found that now I double the recipe seeing Brian will eat at least two servings if we have it for dinner and he likes taking it for lunch so we want leftovers!   Give it a whirl and let me know what you think :-D