Baked Eggs with Avocado

I am still in love with Baked Eggs. I made two new styles with avocado this weekend. I have been seeing all the pins on Pinterest about baking eggs in avocado halves. So why wouldn't avocados make a great baked eggs ingredients? Both styles were delicious! Very fresh tasting. The California style is veggie packed with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and creamy avocado. This one needs a bit more salt for some reason. So sprinkle to taste. It just helps to highlight all the fresh veggie flavor. The Bacon, Avocado & Tomato style was my favorite. It taste like a BLAT without the lettuce. It is so tasty! It has everything something fresh, crispy and creamy. Love it! The only con is the Avocado does brown little so the color is not as pretty as when it is first sliced. But I really like the warm creamy avocado. So you be the judge. Bake the avocado or add it as a garnish, just be sure to enjoy more avocado!

Cooking Method

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray ramekin with cooking spray. Place veggies, bacon if using and avocado around the edges of the ramekin. Creating a small well in the center of the ingredients. Crack 1 egg into the well. Season eggs with Krazy salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes for a running yolk; 12 minutes to set the yolk. Ovens vary so adjust time to cook eggs to your liking. Garnish and serve immediately.

Bacon, Avocado & Tomato Baked Eggs

8 or 10 grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 slice pre-cooked bacon, chopped

1 large egg

Jane's Krazy Salt and black pepper, to taste

California Baked Eggs

Handful of baby spinach leaves

6 grape tomatoes, halved

1 mushroom, sliced

1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped

1 large egg

Jane's Krazy Salt and black pepper, to taste

For more Baked Eggs check out this older post

Baked Eggs 8 Ways

Linking to:

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini Soup

Do you love spinach and artichoke dip? I do! Well here is one you can eat with a spoon. It is another "Souper Supper" tortellini soup. I love one pot, easy meals. You know the kind that you can make on a weeknight in less than 30 minutes. I also love the combination of spinach, artichokes and cheese. Whoever created spinach and artichoke dip was a genius. I usually make a copycat recipe for Houston's spinach and artichoke dip. It uses marinate artichokes, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese; this is where I pulled inspiration for this great soup. It is so easy. You start with a saute of onion, garlic and artichokes. Season with red pepper and Italian seasoning; adding some of those flavors you would find in marinated artichokes. Then you add chicken broth to boil the tortellini. Most of the cheesy goodness is in the spinach and cheese tortellini. When the pasta is almost cooked you add the fresh baby spinach. The finishing creamy touch is half and half. I did add some parm for a cheesy garnish. It is so so good! In fact I have made it twice. Dear sister loved it too. The second time she said, "This is even better than I remember." So you have to try it now. One more thing this soup is like all the other tortellini soups, they are great leftovers. The flavor seems to blend and really infuse the tortellini by the next day! All in all this is another delicious, speedy, dip-able, weeknight supper soup.

Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini Soup

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper (3 to 4 grinds)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
6 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken stock

9 oz. package spinach and cheese tortellini

5 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup half and half

Parmesan, shredded to garnish

Directions

Place 3-1/2 quart soup pot on medium high heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until onion is translucent and begins to brown. Add garlic, salt, peppers and Italian seasoning saute 1 minute. Add artichokes and saute 1 or 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini, simmer 4 minutes. Add spinach and continue to simmer 4 more minutes. Add half and half and taste for seasoning, adjust to taste. Do not let the soup simmer after adding the half and half. Keep warm on low heat. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Here is another restaurant copycat recipe. I tried this soup at Panera Bread recently and immediately wanted to make it at home. I tried a recipe I found on Pinterest and thought it was delicious but decided to make some adjustments of my own. First, I did not get fussy about measuring the veggies. I added more spinach and onion. I also added a clove of garlic too. I tried to chop the veggies really fine, just as small as I could. I wanted to be able to almost drink the soup without a spoon. I also decided to add a tempered egg to add body and silkiness to the broth. It also balances the lemon juice really well. It turned out delicious. I know it is summer and all that, but this soup is light and fresh. It made a great lunch for dear sister and I. We have to thank dear sister for being my hand model today. Without her you could not have seen all the goodies hidden below the surface of the soup. I told her I may need her services in the future. The last photo is my favorite. She really captured all the delicious ingredients in that one spoon. I hope it will tempt you enough to try this recipe for yourself.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

8 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 ounces)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large celery stalk, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chopped spinach, chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano, leaves only
1 sprig fresh basil (6 to 8 leaves), chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup dry orzo
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1 egg, beaten
Lemon slices (optional garnish)
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions

Place all of the ingredients except the lemon juice, egg and garnishes in a 4-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the orzo is cooked al dente.

Remove the chicken breast from the soup, dice into 1/2” inch pieces, and return to the pot. Add the lemon juice to beaten egg, whisking to combine. Slowly drizzle in a ladle of broth from soup into egg mixture whisking as you go. Add two more ladles of broth continuing to whisk. Add egg, lemon and broth mixture to soup pot stirring to combine. 

To serve, remove and discard the bay leaf. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with lemon slice and/or Parmesan cheese (optional).

Print It

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Soup

Hummus Power Bowls

I can't believe how excited I have become over this "no recipe" recipe. I mean it is just a salad really? It was funny how I came to learn about the Hummus Power Bowls, one day a co-worker ordered it at Panera for lunch. Then the very next day someone posted pics and a list of ingredients for a homemade version on My Fitness Pal. Immediately I was making my own at home. Now I am addicted. I have made them for lunch and dinner. They are so quick and easy. I have used deli turkey, can tuna and chicken; all delicious! I think what I love is that the hummus and lemon juice creates a creamy dressing for all the fresh ingredients. I even bought the ingredients and delivered them to my Mom. I also made my dear sister try one with tuna, she doesn't even like canned tuna. See I told you I was a little too excited. There are just so many flavor combinations you could make. Just change the hummus flavor, protein or veggies and you have a completely different bowl. Just you wait and see what I come up with next. Lots of ideas rolling around up there. In the mean time give this basic bowl a try and please comment leaving any combinations you try.

Hummus Power Bowls
Serves 1

Ingredients

Baby spinach
Sliced red onion
Halved grape tomatoes or diced tomato
Sliced cucumber
2 Tbsp. cilantro jalapeno hummus or any flavor you like
Sliced chicken, turkey, ham or flaked tuna
Fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

To build a bowl start with baby spinach, top with red onion, tomato, cucumber, hummus and chicken. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

Here are some Hummus recipes for inspiration.

Best Ever 5 Minute Microwave Hummus

Honey Roasted Garlic Hummus

Smoky Three Pepper Hummus

Spicy Tomato and Olive Oil Hummus

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus

Traditional Hummus

Wasabi Hummus

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party

Edamame Broth Bowl

Dear sister is to thank for this delicious recipe. She was the one who introduced me to the Broth Bowls at Panera Bread. They were so good! It inspired me to try to make them at home. I looked at the ingredient list and just experimented with the quantities. The mushroom mixture was very easy. The broth relatively easy too. It just needs time to infuse the garlic and ginger into the broth. I also thought that straight veggie broth was too much. I like thinning it out with a little water. It was lighter and let the garlic, ginger and miso to be more prominent. The edamame blend however was a little more challenging. I wanted the smoky fire roasted flavor but it really dries out the edamame. I found that if you cook the edamame first and broil to get the fire roasted dark bits they are not as tough. I also found placing them hot from the broiler into a bowl and covering them helps them steam a little bit. I have made both the chicken broth bowl and the edamame broth bowl now. I find the edamame broth bowl has a wonderful smoky flavor. Just delicious! They are so easy and you could definitely make as a make ahead meal. Just make all the components one day and assemble and re-heat the next. Or take it for lunch. The leftovers re-heat well. I will definitely be making these bowls over and over again. Next time I will make the chicken version and share the Thai Seasoning Blend I made with you. So check back soon. In the meantime enjoy this make at home copycat meal. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did.

Edamame Broth Bowl

Makes 4 large servings

Ingredients

12 to 16 oz. bag frozen edamame

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small carrot, julienned or small dice

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil (divided)
kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced (divided)

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

4 cups unsalted vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp. low sodium Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seed oil

1 Tbsp. garlic chili sauce

2 Tbsp. miso paste (I used a mixed style)
8 oz. dry soba noodles (or 4 min. Chinese egg noodles)

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup coleslaw mix

1/2 head of radicchio, shredded

4 to 6 Tbsp. cilantro, torn
Sesame seeds to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the edamame, carrot, red pepper and 1 clove minced garlic in a microwave safe dish. Microwave cover on high for 4 minutes. Let stand 3 minutes; add 1 tsp. olive oil, salt and peppers then pour out onto a large baking sheet. Set oven to broil. Place on the middle rack of the oven and broil for 10 to 12 minutes, just until the edamame begins to brown. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl and cover. Set aside until ready to assemble bowls.

Add 2 tsp. olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, sauté’ until onion begins to get translucent. Add sliced mushrooms continue to sauté until mushrooms are soft and begin to brown. Season with salt and peppers and remove from pot and set aside.

Add more olive oil to the pot if necessary; add remaining 2 cloves minced garlic and ginger, sauté until fragrant. Add broth, water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce simmer on low for 30 minutes. Mean while prepare noodles to package directions. Remove broth from heat and whisk in sesame oil, garlic chili sauce and miso paste.

To serve add a few spinach leaves to 4 large bowls, add some coleslaw, radicchio and 1/4 of the prepared soba noodles. Then add steaming broth over the top. Garnish with 1/4 of the mushrooms, edamame mixture, cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve with a soup spoon and chop sticks.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Ms. en Place: See Ya in the Gumbo

Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays

Back to the Basics: Tuesdays with a Twist

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Creative K Kids: The Ultimate Party on Google+

Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday

Low Sodium Italian Sausage Soup

Here is another experiment in eliminating sodium from a tried and true soup recipe. I borrowed the spice mix from my Low Sodium Italian Sausage recipe and used it to make turkey Italian sausage. It works perfectly and reduced the sodium in this favorite Italian Sausage Soup. I also used unsalted chicken stock and no salt tomatoes. But I kept the Parmesan for a garnish. It was really really good! Maybe a little spicier than the original, but I liked it. Definitely a soup that adapts well to a low sodium diet.

Low Sodium Italian Sausage Soup

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil

19.2 oz. 93% lean ground turkey

1 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 Tbsp. fennel seeds, crushed

3/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. paprika
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
2 (14.5-oz) cans no salt added diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 cup uncooked small shell pasta
4 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, turkey, garlic and seasonings to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil. 

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday

Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
My Pinterventures: Souper Bowl 2015 Party

Asian Style Vegetable Soup

In the pursuit of low sodium recipes for my family I have found soups a little difficult. Of the five recipes I tried, two were a disaster and three were great. This one falls in the great category. It is a little dark in color for my taste but so delicious who cares what it looks like. I may try chicken stock next time? Or make my own veggie stock. We will see? This soup has a wonderful sweet flavor. But my absolute favorite thing about it is the sesame oil. It is so different and rich tasting. I tried it with added salt, some low sodium soy sauce and even Sriracha. But honestly it is great as is. No need for those extras, but they are delicious too if you just need variety. This is truly a delicious healthy soup.

Asian Style Vegetable Soup
Serves 12; generous 1 cup serving

Ingredients

14 dried shiitake mushrooms (or substitute fresh shiitake mushrooms)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1” ginger, peeled and minced
6 green onions, divided and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
6 cups Napa or Savoy cabbage, chopped
8 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1/4 tsp white pepper, or to taste
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar

Optional garnishes:
Sriracha

Directions

If using dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and reserve soaking liquid. Cut or discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the mushroom caps and add to a soup pot. Add garlic, ginger, 4 green onions, carrots, corn and cabbage. Cover vegetables with vegetable stock and mushroom soaking liquid. Be careful not to add the sediment at the bottom of the mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Turn off heat add spinach, sesame oil and sherry vinegar. Serve garnished with remaining green onion.

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist

Creamy Tomato Soup with Spinach and Sausage

The first time I made this soup it was nothing more than a raid of the pantry and frig. I had 3 turkey Italian sausage links and some spinach in the freezer. There was garden vegetable pasta sauce, chicken stock and egg noodles in the pantry. I had a little half and half about to expire. And what goes great with spinach and cream? Nutmeg! It all came together so easy and was amazingly delicious. Right away I knew I wanted to use bow-tie pasta the next time. But I really loved the garden vegetable pasta sauce. It has little pieces of veggie like onion, carrot and zucchini. Call them bonus veggies you don't have to chop. It was so good I knew I wanted to try to make it low sodium. There was so much flavor in this recipe we could lose a little salt. So by all means if you or family do not need to watch your sodium intake use your favorite brands. But if you would like to limit the sodium in your diet this post is for you. 

First things first I made my own Low Sodium Italian Sausage. I found unsalted chicken stock and low sodium marinara sauce. That is it! Very simple. If you have the sausage pre-made. This soup can be on the table in 30 minutes. It was delicious even without the added sodium. What I did miss was the little pieces of bonus veggies. I thought about adding some but I like the simplicity of the recipe. I love the nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Dear sister did not pick out the nutmeg she said it was well balanced. She had more questions about the Italian sausage meatballs. So be sure to check out that recipe too. I made a double batch tonight. I have some put away for my sodium restricted family member. I can't wait to see what they think.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Sausage and Spinach
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray
12 oz. Low Sodium Italian Sausage (click here for recipe)
4 cups unsalted fat free chicken stock
25 oz. jar low sodium marinara sauce
10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Pinch (1/16 tsp.) ground nutmeg
Pinch (1/16 tsp.) red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups bow-tie pasta, dry
1/2 cup half and half (fat free)

Directions

Using a tablespoon measure, scoop sausage into small meatballs. Spray a 4 qt. soup pot or Dutch oven with olive oil cooking spray; add sausage and brown over medium high heat. Add chicken stock; deglazing pot, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any brown bits. Add marinara sauce, spinach, nutmeg, red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Add pasta, reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer 12 minutes until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat, stir in half and half and serve.

Nutrition information per serving*: (calculated on 5 servings) Calories 310.1, Total Fat 10.5 g, Saturated Fat 3.1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g, Monounsaturated Fat 2.7 g, Cholesterol 48.4 mg, Sodium 338.6 mg, Potassium 412.5 mg, Total Carbohydrate 30.4 g, Dietary Fiber 2.5 g, Sugars 7.6 g, Protein 22.7 g.
WW P+ 8

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Kneaded Creations: Tuesdays With A Twist
My Pinterventures: Souper Bowl 2015 Party

Light Spinach Dip

I was first served Knorr Spinach Dip when I was in college. A fellow interior design student made it and served it with Bugles. I was hooked. I started making it for my family and friends. It is still one of my favorite cold dips.

Recently I saw a spinach dip recipe on Pinterest that used cottage cheese instead of sour cream and mayo. I thought I have to try that. But I could not get the Knorr dip out of my mind. I just knew if I made it, I would be disappointed it was not the Knorr dip. So I decided to borrow the technique and modify the spinach dip I craved into a light spinach dip. It worked great. It is a thick, delicious, loaded spinach dip. I love the crunch from the water chestnuts and green onions. It is so thick it will break a wimpy chip. Dear sister and I tried it with corn chips first. It was really good. But my favorite was the veggies. I did not have Bugles on hand this time. But I will next time I make it. The cottage cheese was a great substitute for the sour cream. I think I liked it better than light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. It has more dairy flavor and is less tangy than the others. I look forward to trying it in other dips and dressings. It did not get completely smooth in the blender. There were a few curds left, but they were hardly noticeable in this dip recipe. This was a great experiment, one for the recipe box.

Light Spinach Dip

Makes 3 cups; Serves 12 (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients

16 oz. light cottage cheese

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 package Knorr vegetable soup and recipe mix

1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions

Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Combine cottage cheese, mayonnaise, recipe mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Stir until well combined. Add spinach mixing well until all combined. Chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite veggies, corn chips or Bugles.

Nutritional Information per serving*: Calories 58.0, Total Fat 1.5 g, Saturated Fat 0.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Cholesterol 5.7 mg, Sodium 418.6 mg, Potassium 78.8 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6.5 g, Dietary Fiber 0.9 g, Sugars 1.8 g, Protein 5.1 g.

WW P+ 1

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Or as sister and I named it today Sweet Sister’s Vinaigrette. For lunch today dear sister came over and made lunch while I worked from home. She made gnocchi with a carbonara sauce both from World Market. She also had spinach and mushrooms for a salad. She asked me to walk her through making a vinaigrette. That is when it happened. She asked if she could use walnut oil instead of olive oil. I said why not? I suggested using white balsamic instead of balsamic vinegar. And so it is that Sweet Sister’s Vinaigrette was born. It is so so good. I actually stopped my work to post this. Shhh! Don't tell on me. I guess that is a perk of working from home. Anyway, the dressing is deliciously sweet from the white balsamic and the honey. Sister said it reminded her of sweet vidalia onion dressing. She said she wants to try replacing the garlic with onion very soon. I love it just as is. I think this is my new go to dressing for spinach salads. You just have to try this one.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

aka Sweet Sister’s Vinaigrette

Makes approx. 1/2 cup

Ingredients

3 oz walnut oil

1 oz white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced (approx. 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp honey

1/8 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Mix vinaigrette ingredients in a small mason jar. Secure with lid and shake until emulsified. Store remaining dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week. Great over a spinach and mushroom salad.

Linking to:
It's Your Life: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
My Kitchen Escapades: Super Saturday Link Party
My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup
Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Here is another veggie soup to warm you. This recipe is my low carb, low fat version of peasant soup. My favorite person in the world and his family makes a peasant soup with potatoes, leeks and other veggies including spinach. It is absolutely delicious but has a lot of butter and cream. I decided to make it using cauliflower instead of potatoes. I also added chicken broth and eliminated most of the butter and cream. Here I garnished with cream but I find it delicious without. This is a great starter soup. It makes a lot, I love having it around for a warm snack. I love the fresh vegetable flavor and the white pepper. The white pepper is another unique flavor my soup has in common with peasant soup. Delicious!

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 quarts, Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 Leeks, cleaned and sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 medium heads of Cauliflower, chopped

1 Carrot, peeled and chopped

1 Celery rib, chopped

4 cups low sodium, fat free Chicken Broth

Water to cover

2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp White Pepper, or to taste

3 Tbsp. of light Butter

2 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

Cover first five ingredients with chicken broth and water. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Chop spinach. Add butter and spinach to veggies. Blend with a stick blender until creamy but so that you still see bits of spinach. You can use a blender too, just blend in batches. Serve hot, but it is not bad cold.

Nutritional Information per serving*: Calories 90.4, Total Fat 2.3 g, Saturated Fat 0.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g, Cholesterol 1.9 mg, Sodium 565 mg, Potassium 569.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 14.4 g, Dietary Fiber 5.0 g, Sugars 2.6 g, Protein 5.3 g.

WW P+ 2

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
It's Your Life: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday