Bowl of Bliss

In our quest for healthy alternatives, I have been depending a lot on people who write cookbooks with lower fat/calorie recipes. Often these recipes lack flavour and we are left disappointed. I can however always rely on Rose Reisman, Moosewood or the Podleski sisters to ramp up a recipe without compromising taste.

I normally use my own soup creations when cooking up a big batch of comfort, but really felt like a bowl of creamy indulgence today so I looked to these folks in particular for a version of something delish. With a few of my own revisions this adaptation of a Looneyspoons soup was packed with flavour.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
5 dashes of Tabasco sauce

4 sprays non-stick spray to large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and celery. Cook and stir over medium heat until veggies begins to soften. Add broth, 3 cups of the broccoli and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for 15 mins.

While soup is simmering steam the rest of the broccoli for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Transfer soup to a blender, and pulse on and off until soup is almost pureed. Return soup to pot over low heat.

Add steamed broccoli, and remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth. Serve with a dollop of low-fat sour cream.

Serves 4

Souped

Feeling in the need for some soup and trying to think of something to go with the stuffed peppers I am making tonight, I thought what better than a tomato cream?

A variation on the Rebar Tomato Cream, this soup was quick and easy, made the kitchen smell wonderful and tasted divine if I do say so myself.  My apologies to the purists but I used canned tomato as opposed to fresh (cause their not really fresh…..) and it was good use for the numerous cans in my cupboard.

Tomato Cream Soup

(makes 6-8 servings generous bowls)

6 cups chicken broth

1 large onion chopped                    

2 tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic chopped

2 tsp chili flakes

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 tsp salt

2  28 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup of whole milk

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Warm the broth and keep warm. In large soup pot saute the onion in olive oil until transparent. Add garlic, chili flakes, 1/2 of the basil and 1 tsp salt, stir for 2 minutes and then add broth and tomatoes. Bring to boil cook for 10 minutes, turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cream and milk, the rest of the basil and salt. Serve.

There are lots of ways you can adjust to your preference, use other fresh herbs, use vegetable broth instead of chicken etc. Just enjoy!

Potage Parmentier (My Version)

I feel like I have committed a crime. This past weekend I took a favourite Julia Child recipe and put my own spin on it (I can see the purists cringing now, give me a break I am off caffeine and having some issues…).

I love leeks, I love the smell of them cooking in butter on top of the stove. I love potato and leek together, but the addition of chicken stock, a couple of cloves of garlic, crumbled bacon and cheese make them fabulous!

Julia’s Recipe:

Ingredients
3-4 cups of diced peeled potatoes (1 lb.)
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, including the tender greens
2 quarts water
1 Tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream or 3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons minced chives or parsley

Directions
Simmer vegetables, salt, and water together, partially covered for 40 minutes in a 3-4 quart saucepan. Mash the vegetables into the soup with a fork or pass through a food mill. Julia Child did not like the texture of soup pureed in a blender, I use one of those hand mixers and leave a few bits. Adjust salt and pepper. You can stop at this point. When ready to serve, bring soup back to simmering. Then off the heat, stir in the cream or butter (I use cream) and top with chopped chives or parsley. Delish! Makes 6-8 servings.

So, I replaced the water with chicken stock and added two garlic cubes to the simmering vegetables, and at the end threw in some crumbled bacon and topped it off with some good cheddar. I served it with a French stick from Richtree and my family loved it!

****Do not forget the salt.