Contributed by Stephie Predmore, blogger and recipe developer
There is nothing more satisfying than warm soup on a cold day. Here are recipes for two wonderfully warm and tasty soups to enjoy during the cold days of winter.
This Cooking Light recipe lightens up a traditional baked potato soup, and is particularly excellent served with brown soda bread. The original recipe serves 4-5, but this recipe has been adapted to make 2-3 servings.
Figure-Friendly Baked Potato Soup
Adapted from Cooking Light
Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
• 3 baking potatoes
• ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups 2% or skim milk
• ⅔ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ⅔ cup reduced-fat or non-fat sour cream
Optional toppings:
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Diced green onion OR minced chives
• Cooked, crumbled bacon
Instructions
1. Bake potatoes as desired. Allow them to cook, then peel and coarsely mash them. Set aside.
2. Place flour in a large Dutch oven. Gradually add milk, whisking until the flour is blended. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until it is thick and bubbly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the mashed potatoes, most of the cheese, salt and pepper. Heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through; do not boil.
4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish as desired with cheese, green onions or chives and bacon
This recipe posted on Stephie Cooks, http://stephiecooks.com/2011/12/27/figure-friendly-baked-potato-soup/
Roasting fruits and vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, gives them a bit of a caramelized flavor, and makes your house smell outstanding. If there was an air freshener that smelled like roasted tomatoes, it would probably fly off the shelves!
Recently my momma went on a tomato-buying binge. She hit up our local produce stand (literally, a table set out in my former pre-calculus teacher’s front yard – I love small towns) and bought 12 pounds of Roma tomatoes for $8. And then she did it again. And, if I am correct, a third time. What the heck did she do with all of those tomatoes? Well, she roasted them up and stocked the extra freezer with about a million jars tomato sauce and this tomato soup. She also kindly gave me several pounds of the ruby-red jewels so that I could do the same.
Roasted Tomato Soup
Recipe adapted from Joy the Baker.
Yield: About 8 cups of soup
Ingredients
• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for roasting tomatoes
• I medium red onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• ½ large red pepper, diced
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart chicken broth
• ½ cup milk
• Salt and pepper
Instructions
Roast the tomatoes:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
2. Quarter tomatoes. Toss with a few drizzles of olive oil and spread in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes or until caramelized and luscious.
Make the soup:
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and red pepper. Cook until onion is translucent and carrots are getting soft, about 7-8 minutes. Add vinegar and cook for another minute, while stirring.
2. Turn flame to low and add flour, stirring into the vegetables. Add tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add bay leaf and tomatoes. Boost the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf. Puree using an immersion blender (if using a standard blender, allow to cool slightly before blending, and only do about ⅓ of the soup at a time so as to avoid burns!) until the soup is your desired consistency. Return soup to the pot (if using a standard blender) and add the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If not serving immediately, cool to room temperature before storing in airtight containers and freezing.
Notes
Use almond milk to make this soup vegan, or whole milk to make it extra rich and creamy.
This recipe is posted on Stephie Cooks http://stephiecooks.com/2013/09/23/roasted-tomato-soup/
Visit Stephie’s blog at
http://stephiecooks.com/about/
for more great recipes!
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Cindy Chafin, M.Ed., MCHES is new to Unconditionally Her, serving as project director for Unconditionally Her and the Women Survivors Alliance since December 2015. Cindy has been involved in multiple cancer activities and projects since 2000 and is excited to include articles from our many Unconditionally Her contributors. Please e-mail Cindy if you would like to be considered as a Unconditionally Her contributor. Professional writers are welcomed, though being a professional writer is NOT a requirement! The magazine is FOR survivors BY survivors, so let us hear from you!
