Cheesy Veggie Soup

I know, another soup recipe.  What can I say, I like soup!  I’ve been trying out several recipes that remind me of fall.  I wanted a cheesy, broccoli soup and there are so many recipes out there for this.  But so many of them use a lot of cream and honestly, besides the calories and fat, I don’t actually like it to be too cheesy.  So I looked and looked and finally settled on adapting a recipe from this one at Lulu the Baker.  As you can see, it’s mostly the same, but I used almond milk and less cheese.  I think next time I would do as her recipe suggests and add a little chicken bouillon. (I’ve recently discovered how yummy that addition can be - more to come in a later blog).  But I felt the cheesiness was just right for my taste.  Also, it doesn’t freeze all that well - I find most cheesy soups don’t - but it’ll do.

6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter
½ cup Chopped Onion
1 cup diced Carrot
2 stalks Celery, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 large Baking Potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp Flour
½ cup Water
⅔ cup Almond Milk
2 cups Chopped Broccoli
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

Russian Cabbage Soup

Several weeks ago, Elena at Eat Cake and Lose Weight posted this yummy sounding recipe for Russian Meat and Cabbage Pie.  I love cabbage and I love turkey and I love anything in a pie shell, so I definitely want to try this recipe.  However, when she posted it, I was really looking for a soup recipe to try, so I decided to turn it into a soup.  I was really happy with how it turned out.  I took out the egg and pie shell (obviously) and added chicken stock.  It made a lot of soup, which I love because I can freeze it and I don’t have to think about soup for awhile.  I think when I make it again I will try adding some more herbs (oregano and bay and sage come to mind) and chicken bouillon to bump up the flavor a bit since the addition of the stock kind of waters the flavors down a bit.  Also, I may try smoked sausage.  I’m in love with smoked sausage right now and I think it would go well with the cabbage.  And the addition of yummy croutons on top would not be a bad thing either!  :)

Yield: 8 Cups

Ingredients:
1 pound Lean Ground Turkey
1 head Cabbage, finely chopped
1 Sweet Onion, finely chopped
4 cups Chicken Stock
6 ounces No-Sodium Added Tomato Sauce

Directions:
Thoroughly brown turkey meat.  Add the cabbage and onion in small bunches at a time in order to fit everything in the pot.  Cook until everything is soft - about 15-20 minutes

Add chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer for about 20 more min until all flavors have combined.

Add dollop of greek yogurt right before serving if desired.

Nutrition Facts for Cabbage Soup

Turkey Chili

Each fall we have a chili cook-off at work.  Last year I came up with what I termed an “Italian Chili” - bacon, ground pork, italian sausage, chili beans, tomatoes, italian spices, and some other yummy ingredients.  Our team didn’t win, but I was pretty happy with my recipe and have since made it a couple of times.  However, I know it’s not low-cal, so I recently decided to adjust it to make it a little more healthy.  I started out by sauteing the onions and garlic in water because I didn’t need the extra oil.  I took out the bacon and changed the meat to ground turkey thigh.  I also decreased the amount of meat a bit.  I used Azuki Beans because that’s what I had on hand and I ended up loving the flavor they added to the dish - they are meaty and taste a bit like a pinto bean which I think worked well with the Italian flavors.  I ended up with something that is about 220 cals per serving and I really love the flavor!  It’s perfect for fall - warm and cozy and rich.  I like to turn mine into a frito pie, but I think it would be good by itself, as a sandwich, or to use with lettuce wraps.

Italian Turkey Chili
Servings: 4-8 (I had 8 servings)

Ingredients:
¼ cup Water
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, chopped (1 ½ tablespoons)
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Bay Leaf
1 ½ tsp Dried Oregano
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 ¼ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
1 pound Ground Turkey Thigh
1 cup Water
1 can Beans, undrained
1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (Low Sodium), undrained
4 Tbsp Fine Cornmeal, or masa harina
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar, or other vinegar

Directions:
Add ¼ cup of water to dutch oven and heat on high.  Once hot, add onion and cook for 3-4 mins.  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add paprika, bay leaf, oregano, cayenne, salt, pepper, and ground turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, and breaking up the meat with the side of the spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Stir in water, beans, tomatoes, cornmeal, and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens and flavors blend, about 45 minutes. It may be necessary to add a little water to thin the chili. Serve hot, garnished with desired toppings.