Creamy Potato Soup

I made this recipe in our slow cooker yesterday because I've been craving potato soup, and it was delicious. Very simple to put together also. I made it vegan by using unsweetented soy milk, but if you don't have that on hand, you could use something else.

Creamy Potato Soup
Adapted from Healthy Slow Cooking

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled & diced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup unsweetened soy milk

In slow cooker, combine all ingredients except soy milk. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in milk and puree with an immersion blender or mash potatoes with a potato masher before serving.

I topped the bowl in the photo with McCormick Bac'n Bits* and chopped scallions (no-count). You could also add fat free cheddar cheese or vegan cheddar cheese*.

Smoky Split Pea Soup

It turns out, you really don't need ham to make a hearty, smoky soup! The important part is the salty, smoky flavor, as is demonstrated in this vegan soup that's perfect for a cold winter's day. It's really important that you use smoked paprika, not regular paprika, for this recipe. McCormick makes it in their gourmet line. (It's also fun to substitute it for regular paprika in other recipes to change the flavor up a bit.)

Smoky Split Pea Soup
Adapted from the book Appetite for Reduction

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
4 cloves garlic, minced
A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/4 cups dried split peas (rinsed)
6 cups vegetable broth (I used low sodium)
(The original recipe also called for 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, which I omitted.)

In a 4-qt saucepan or stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, salt & pepper, and saute one minute more. Add paprika and thyme and stir constantly for about 15 minutes to toast spices. Add carrots, split peas, and broth, cover, and bring to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 40 minutes or until peas are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving for maximum flavor.

Note: It took my peas about an hour to get tender...and they still weren't as tender as I would have liked, but we were hungry and wanted to eat. Next time I may adapt this to the slow cooker so I can be sure the peas all get really tender.

This recipe makes 5 servings of 1 1/2 cups each.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

I love my slow cooker, because you can "set it and forget it." Dinner is ready whenever you are, and the cooking is already done...so it's great for busy evenings. This recipe does call for some skillet-cooking of vegetables ahead of time, but I think it would probably be fine if you didn't do that, as long as you cook it the full 8 hours. You could also leave out the oil if you did it that way. As usual, I have backed down on the spices in my version because I'm not a fan of things that are really hot. If you want it hot, add the 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper back into the recipe.

Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans black beans, rinsed & drained
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, and minced garlic, stir, cover, and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, in slow cooker, add beans, tomatoes, and spices and stir together. When vegetables are done, add them to the cooker. Pour broth over top, stir, and add the bay leaves. Cook on low for 8 hours. Before serving, remove bay leaves and use an immersion blender for a few seconds to puree a small portion of the soup, just enough to thicken. You can also remove 2 cups of soup from the cooker and puree in a blender, and add back to the soup.

This recipe makes 6 servings of 1 1/2 cups each.

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

If you're looking for an easy recipe that you can toss in the slow cooker before work or a busy day and come home to a warm, homemade dinner, this one is perfect. You can dice your own potatoes and onions if you prefer, or you can use refrigerated, prepared diced potatoes with onions. (Be sure to check the ingredients list for added sugar or oil.) I apologize that this recipe doesn't have a photo -- I forgot to take it and the leftovers were gone before I could get one, but I wanted to share the recipe anyhow.

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

5 potatoes, peeled & diced
1 large onion, diced
(or 2 bags prepared diced potatoes with onions)
2 cups diced ham
3 stalks celery, chopped
15.25 oz can corn (not drained)
2 cubes chicken bouillon*
2 tbsp Blue Bonnet light margarine*
water
12 oz can fat free evaporated milk

Add potatoes, onion, ham, celery, corn, bouillon cubes, and margarine to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add water to cover. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Stir in evaporated milk and cook 30 minutes more.

This recipe makes 10 2-cup servings.

Creamy White Chili

A friend of mine shared this recipe on Facebook and said it was great. When I saw how easily it could be made healthier, I knew I had to give it a try. She was right; it is delicious!

Creamy White Chili
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cans (15.5 oz) great northern beans, rinsed & drained
14.5 oz chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup fat free half & half

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, chicken, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and half & half.

Note: I left out the second can of green chiles and cayenne pepper to calm down the heat for my personal tastes.

Quick & Easy Chili

I love easy recipes, and when it gets cool outside, I love chili. This recipe brings them both together in a simple but tasty chili that is ready in less than 30 minutes. It's very flexible and versatile -- you can add extra veggies (like green peppers), sub veggie burger crumbles for the ground beef, use ground turkey or ground chicken, use a different kind of beans, whatever suits your fancy! It's more of a sweet chili than a spicy one, so if you want extra spice, sub out a can of Mexican-style diced tomatoes for one of the cans of diced tomatoes, add a can of diced green chiles, or add some cumin or cayenne. This recipe is also very easily pared down for fewer servings -- I usually make a half batch for dinner, and end up with one bowl left over for lunch the next day.

Quick & Easy Chili

1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (not drained)
2 14.5 oz cans kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
2 tbsp chili powder

Brown ground beef with onion in a large pot. When beef is done, drain excess fat and add remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve topped with fat free cheddar cheese and sour cream. Makes 6 servings of about 1 1/2 cups each.

Sweet Potato & Chipotle Soup

Time for another of Martha's recipes! :) This soup was a delicious way to enjoy the nutrition of a sweet potato, with a slight heat and smoky flavor. With its bright orange color, it seems perfect for fall! I served it with slices of a multigrain loaf from Walmart's bakery (counting points for that) and a dollop of fat free sour cream stirred into each bowl. I also cut the original recipe in half to size it down for my two-person family. ;)

Sweet Potato & Chipotle Soup

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped
1/2 or 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
3 1/2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
Salt & pepper
Fat free sour cream, for serving

In a medium to large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt & pepper, and cook until edges of onion start to brown, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer rapidly until potatoes can be easily mashed with the back of a spoon (about 20-25 minutes). Let cool slightly, then puree carefully in batches in a blender. Pour back into pot and rewarm over low heat. Stir a dollop of fat free sour cream into each bowl.

Makes 3 servings of 2 cups each, with 1 tsp of healthy oils per serving.

Minestrone with White Beans & Collard Greens

A friend of mine recently recommended an excellent collection of 60 quick and easy soups on the Martha Stewart web site. You'll probably be seeing quite a few of them on this blog in the fall and winter months. ;) I chose this soup for tonight because I had a bag of collard greens in the fridge I purchased for another meal that I ended up not making. Not wanting to waste them (or the many cans of Great Northern beans I discovered in my pantry last week), I decided to give it a try.

Minestrone with Collard Greens and White Beans

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
coarse salt & ground black pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb bag pre-chopped collard greens, or 2 bunches, chopped (discard stems)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cans (15.5 oz each) great northern beans
14.5 oz can diced Italian style tomatoes in juice

Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, rinse & drain beans in colander. Take 1/4th of beans and place in bowl; mash with back of spoon. Add tomato paste to onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is coated. Add greens, thyme, and pepper flakes. Cook and stir 2-4 minutes, until greens start to wilt. Add all beans to the pot, along with tomatoes and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until greens are tender.

Makes 8 servings of 1 1/2 cups each, with 1/2 tsp of your healthy oil in each serving.