Cream of Potato Soup

This is the best Cream of Potato Soup I've ever had. I got the recipe from a co-worker many years ago when she brought it to work for a lunch. It was so delicious, I just had to have the recipe! If you're looking for a low-cal soup you had better stop right here because this soup is loaded with calories, and that's probably why it tastes so good. I consider it worth every calorie!

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes (cut into bite sized pieces)
1/2 pound bacon, fried and crumbled (save the grease for cooking the onion and celery)
1 jumbo yellow onion, diced
1/4 bunch celery, diced (about 4 or 5 stalks)
1 quart milk
1 quart water
2 Tbs. chicken base (I use Better than Broth brand)
1 tsp. salt
1tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
1 cup whipping cream (for a less rich soup, substitute with half n half)
1 or 2 thick slices of ham, diced
toppings: grated colby or cheddar cheese, green onions

Directions

Boil cut up potatoes in salt water until tender and set aside. Fry up bacon in a large soup pot. Remove bacon and leave bacon fat. Put diced onion and celery in bacon fat and saute until tender (about 10 mins.). Add fried bacon to the onion and celery.
Add milk, water, chicken base, salt and pepper. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot, but not boiling. While soup is heating, melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat. Gradually stir in flour to make a roux. Mix well and let bubble, stirring constantly for about a minute.
Gradually add roux to soup, stirring constantly. Continue to cook at a low simmer until soup becomes thick and creamy.
Stir in cooked potatoes, parsley, ham and cream. Heat for about 5 mins. I like to make this soup the day ahead so the flavor has a chance to work its way through. If the soup gets thicker than I'd like, I add a little more milk and a little more chicken base. Top hot soup with cheese and onions and serve with a yummy bread.

Favorite Butternut Squash Soup Recipes

We had 26 butternut squash from our garden this year, so I was on a hunt for good recipes. I'm including my 3 favorite soups, at least for now...I'm sure I'll find more. All three of these soups taste yummy in a super easy bread bowl recipe I found that came along with one of the soup recipes. The first recipe was from a friend from church, and is fairly simple but good. I increase the amount of sherry, cream, and garlic from her original recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup (serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients

3 tbs. butter
2 tbs. olive oil
1cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2 to 2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seaded and cut into cubes
1/4 cup sherry
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 oz. pancetta chopped
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper

Instructions

Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage and saute one minute. Add squash cubes and saute 5 minutes. Add the sherry, broth, and cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry the pancetta in a little skillet until nicely crisped. Drain on a paper towel.

Puree soup, either with an immersion blender right in the pot, or transfer to a food processor or blender. Return to pot and stir in cream. season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with pancetta on top. I have this soup pictured above in bread bowls. Yummy!!!


The next recipe is a wonderful curry recipe that included the super easy bread bowls. My guests loved this recipe!

Curried Butternut Squash Broccoli, Cheddar, Goat Cheese Soup

http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/curried-butternut-squash-broccoli-cheddar-goat-cheese-soup/


Here is the recipe for the bread bowls I've been raving about. I hate baking, but these are so ridiculously easy and good, I've made them a couple of times already.

Super Easy No Knead Bread Bowls

http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/super-easy-crusty-knead-pumpkin-bread-bowls

This is the final recipe that I've included by Emril Lagasse. It reminds me a bit of corn chowder in butternut squash form.

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Wild Rice Soup 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smoked-sausage-butternut-squash-and-wild-rice-soup-3645132 

 

White Chicken Chili

This is a yummy healthy chili recipe I got from my sister who lived in Superior, WI. I'm heading  up to Duluth, MN to visit my son and his family, and he requested I bring this soup.


Ingredients
1 lb. great northern beans
6 c. chicken stock
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2- 4 oz. cans chopped green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. dried, crumbled oregano
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 c. cubed, cooked chicken breast (about 2 to 3 chicken breasts)
1 to 2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese, Mexican Blend cheese, or Taco cheese
sour cream for topping
taco chips for dipping

Directions

(Night before you make the soup) Rinse beans, put in large pot; cover with water, 3 inches over beans; soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Put beans and stock in a big pot; bring to boil. Simmer uncovered for about 2-2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally especially near the end of cooking time, until beans are very soft, add water as needed. (I probably add at least 4 cups of water, little by little) In fry pan, cook onions in oil until translucent; stir in garlic, chilies, and everything else EXCEPT chicken and cheese. Cook 2 minutes, then put in beans (with stock) add chicken, and stir. Put a cup of cheese in the soup immediately before serving. Top with extra cheese if you'd like and a dollop of sour cream when dishing up. Serve with taco chips.

Roasted Portobello Egg Cup

I picked up a couple of portobello mushrooms the other day, and decided to try them out as an egg bake. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked! It made the perfect breakfast, yum!

Ingredients
2 large portobello mushrooms with stems removed
1/4 cup olive oil (I used a garlic olive oil for extra flavor)
4 large eggs, beaten
Swiss cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese, or any cheese of your choosing (enough to sprinkle on top of 2 mushroom cups)
About 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 green onion sliced (include the green portion)
Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the mushrooms inside and out with olive oil. Season the mushrooms inside and out with salt and fresh ground pepper. Turn the mushrooms smooth side up and sprinkle with half the thyme leaves, then turn over and sprinkle the rest of the thyme into the cups of the mushrooms. Divide the sliced green onion between the 2 mushrooms. Pour beaten eggs into both mushroom cups, just to the top. You may have a little egg left, depending on the size of your mushrooms. Top with cheese and put into oven for 25 to 30 mins. until egg is cooked through.

I used Swiss cheese this time, but would love to try it with feta or goat cheese. I could also see chopped basil replacing the thyme for another time...pun intended.

Taco Stuffed Yellow Squash/ Zucchini Boats

One of my favorite bloggers for healthy lower calorie dishes is skinnytaste.com. She's very creative with her ingredients when coming up with great low cal. healthy recipes. I've made a few adjustments in the seasonings in this recipe because I thought it needed a bit more flavor. Seasonings don't cost you calories, but okay I added more cheese...  I'm using yellow squash instead of  zucchini, only because we have a bumper crop of yellow squash. 


Ingredients

• 4 medium (32 oz.) zucchini or yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup mild salsa or salsa to your liking
• 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
• 1&1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1&1/2 tsp.cumin    
• 1&1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 1 tsp. chili powder 
• 1 tsp. paparika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 tbsp bell pepper, minced
• 4 oz. can tomato sauce (I used a med. *homemade salsa instead)
• 1/4 cup water (I used *tomato juice instead)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese or more if you're a cheese lover like me

*sliced whole scallions, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, or any of your favorite taco toppings

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1/4 cup of salsa in the bottom of a large baking dish.

Using a small spoon, hollow out the center of the zucchini or yellow squash halves, leaving about a 1/4-inch thick shell on each half. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini or squash in small pieces and set aside about 3/4 to 1 cup to add to the taco filling. Drop zucchini/squash halves in boiling water and cook 1 to 2 minutes and remove from water.

Brown turkey in a large skillet, breaking up while it cooks. When no longer pink, add the spices and mix well. Add onion, bell pepper, reserved zucchini/squash, *salsa, and *tomato juice. Saute for an additional three minutes and cover, simmer on low for about 20 minutes. After cooking, I add a little cheese to the mixture to make it thicker, yummier, and easier to put in the cavity of the squash.

Fill the hollowed zucchini/squash boats, dividing the taco meat equally, about 1/3 cup in each. Top each with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and squash/zucchini is cooked through. *Top with toppings of your liking.

 Original recipe

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/07/taco-stuffed-zucchini-boats.html?_ziplist=disable

Dutch Apple Pie

 I love to cook but I'm not too keen on baking. I will make the effort when making my mom's Dutch Apple Pie because it's one of my favorite desserts. I have to say, using an "apple peeler, corer, slicer" sure makes the process easier.

I would have to rank this pie as my all time favorite, I love the crumbled topping. My mom made her own pie crust, and would take the extra crust, role it out, and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon and bake it along with the pie for an extra treat. I must admit that I no longer make my crust from scratch.

 *I use Pillsbury's crust, but role it out thinner between floured waxed paper.

Ingredients:

*One pie crust, homemade or store bought
7 to 8 apples (I usually use more because of the size of the pan I use)
3 Tbs. butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping 
3/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)  
1/3 cup butter (somewhat softened)

preheat oven to 450 degrees
*Prepare pie crust, peel and slice apples to fill the pan. Dot with 3 Tbs. butter. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp.cinnamon. 

Prepare topping by combining topping ingredients using a pastry cutter if available, otherwise use a fork. You can also use a food processor, but I'd rather not have the hassle of getting it out and washing it later.

Sprinkle topping over pie and place in the oven at 450 degrees for the first 20 mins., and 325 degrees for the remaining 30 minutes. Allow to cool for about an hour before cutting and serving.

 This pie just isn't the same unless it is warmed and topped off with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream! Deeeeeelicious!

One-Pan Harvest Pasta

Now that all the vegetables are coming in, I was excited to find this recipe in Midwest Living magazine. It makes use of a lot of what is ripe in our garden...eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil... It's one of those dishes where you cook everything in one, including the pasta.

Prep 20 mins. cook time14 mins.

Ingredients
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
2 tomatoes or 4 roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped (1to1&1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chopped red onion (I would use 2/3 to 3/4 cups)
2 cloves of garlic, minced ( I would use 3)
1 19-oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney beans) rinsed and drained
1& 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked whole wheat pasta (regular pasta is fine)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used about 1/2 Tbs. diced jalapeno pepper because we have some in our garden)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Snipped fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used plenty)

Directions 

1. In a very large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, red onion and garlic (and jalapeno if you're not using red pepper). Cook, uncovered 7 to 10 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally.

 

2. Add beans, broth, pasta and crushed red pepper (if not using jalapeno). Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and  simmer 7 to 10 minutes more or until vegetables and pasta are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, serve topped with basil and Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional facts per serving:

357 cal, 10 g fat, 4 mg chol, 52 g carbo, 14 g fiber 16 g pro.