Loaded Baked Potato Soup

     Soup weather is here! I don't know about you, but I think soup is the perfect supper. A big pot of soup simmering on the stove makes the house smell good, and holds promises of  a warm bowl of comfort on a chilly evening. Put on your warm wooly socks and snuggle up with a steaming bowl of goodness that'll warm you up from the inside out!

     This potato soup, from Cooking Light magazine, is a lightened version of the decadent loaded baked potato soup so popular in restaurants. Creamy texture? Check. Chunks of tender potato? Check. Melty cheese? Check. Crunchy bacon? Check. The only thing this isn't loaded with is calories. Pair it up with  a nice salad and you've got yourself a hearty, satisfying meal. It's surprisingly quick and easy to make, and if you hide some you're lucky, you'll have enough left over for tomorrow's lunch. :)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
recipe from Cooking Light magazine, Nov. 2012

Ingredients:
4 (6oz.) red potatoes
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I love onion in potato soup, so I used more)
1 1/4 cups (fat free, lower sodium) chicken broth
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt (or season to taste if salt intake is not an issue for you)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I love pepper, so I used more)
Garnishes: cooked and crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions or chives

Instructions:

• Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave at High for 13 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
• While potatoes are cooking, heat a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add broth to pan.
• Combine flour and 1/2 cup of the milk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to the pan with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk.
• Bring soup to boil, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute.
• Remove soup from heat. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
• Discard potato skins if desired. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. 
• Top soup with grated cheese, crumbled bacon and onions or chives.
• Makes 4 servings

Chicken and Oat Burgers

 I will be the first to admit that I am not a good juggler. Oh, I manage OK when I have a routine and nothing major happens to get it out of kilter. But when I add something new to to my ever-growing list of things to do, I always end up dropping my blog something. So what's new? Hubby and I joined the local YMCA and have been making use of its many opportunities this week. We've both been working out and coming home feeling great, but exhausted. Eventually I'll figure out how to keep everything up in the air.

 I found the recipe for these burgers posted on the bulletin board as I was leaving one evening, and picked up the ingredients on my way home. Quick and easy to put together, we both enjoyed them- and not just because we were both ravenous from working so hard! Instead of being dry like many chicken burgers I've tried, they were juicy and full of flavor. Low fat, heart healthy and delicious, I know I'll make them again. I think the next time I make them though, I'll make half of the recipe into meatballs. They'll be awesome with spaghetti!


Chicken (or Turkey) Oat Burgers
adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (or turkey) breast
1 cup regular (not quick) oats
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 egg whites from large eggs, lightly beaten
*Wheat germ (optional) * I added about 1/2 cup because my chicken mixture wasn't firm enough to make patties. (I think it's because I didn't drain my tomatoes enough.)
Directions:
Combine first seven ingredients. If mixture is not firm enough to form into burgers, add wheat germ. Heat grill pan or electric grill (I used a George Foreman) on medium high heat. Coat surface with cooking spray. Divide mixture into 9 or 10 patties. (If the mixture is too wet to make into firm patties, use an ice cream scoop to scoop a patty sized amount onto the grill pan.) Cook patties 6 minutes on each side, or until done. (I cooked mine about 6 minutes in the George Foreman Grill. The time will really depend on the size of your burgers and the heat setting.)
Serve on a whole wheat bun with your choice of toppings. They were really good with spinach, tomato, avocado, provolone cheese and a thin slice of red onion!

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread- Cooking Light

What happens when you have a bowlful of neglected bananas? You make banana bread, of course. Banana bread is the perfect choice when you need a treat that's simple, comforting and delicious. This loaf combines two favorites: chocolate and bananas. Spread with a bit of strawberry jam and you almost have a banana split!

""When they are flecked with brown and have a golden hue, bananas taste the best and are the best for you."    Chiquita Banana, 1944

For best flavor, use bananas that are generously flecked with brown spots. If ever you find yourself with a surfeit of over-ripe bananas and no time to make bread, just peel the bananas and freeze them in plastic bags. They'll be there for you when you need them, and trust me, you'll thank yourself when you bite into the chocolate-banana goodness that is this loaf.

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

from Cooking Light, Sept. 2003

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon  baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1/2 cup egg substitute (I used one whole egg plus 2 egg whites to equal 1/2 cup.)

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
• Beat sugar and butter together until well blended. Add mashed banana, eggs or egg substitute and yogurt. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture and blend together just until moist.
• Place chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on High for one minute, or until almost melted. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool slightly, then add 1 cup batter to the chocolate, stirring until well combined. 
• Spoon chocolate batter alternately with the plain batter into an 81/2 x 4 1/2 -inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan and finish cooling on wire rack. 
• Yield: 16 servings         Calories 183; Fat 4.7 g; Carbs; 33.4

White Pizza with Bacon, Mushrooms and Sugar Snap Peas

Pizza is good. Not always the healthiest option as take-out, but good nonetheless. This being the case, I often make pizza at home because I can easily control what goes in and on it. Since we've been trying to eat more healthful food around here, I rummaged through my old Cooking Light magazines and found a pizza recipe we could enjoy without guilt or hives. (No tomatoes- yay!) It's a thin crispy crust covered with creamy ricotta, flavorful sauteed onions, shiitake mushrooms and tender sugar snap peas, and topped with the savory goodness of bacon, mozzarella and parmesan. Yum.

I know you're wondering... "Peas on pizza? What's she thinking?" Well, the original recipe called for arugula but alas there was none in my refrigerator. (Confession: I'm not really fond of it anyway.) I did have some lovely fresh sugar snap peas that I picked the other day, so I chopped and added them instead.  I love sugar snaps so it worked. If you're not a fan of what my grandson calls "green balls" you may wish to substitute something more to your liking. As the recipe is written, each slice of pizza is only about 230 calories. I did add a bit of leftover chicken to mine that's not indicated in the recipe, and also a sprinkling of crushed red pepper for extra flavor. Feel free to personalize, cause that's what pizza is all about!

If you are reluctant to make it because you're intimidated by the yeast dough for the crust, please be assured that it's not difficult and takes only a little time to prep. There is a short rise for the dough, but if you use the time to have a cup of tea and watch a couple of Desperate Housewives reruns, the time passes very quickly. (Not that I'd know anything about that.)

White Pizza with Bacon, Mushrooms and Sugar Snaps (printable recipe here)
adapted from Cooking Light, Dec. 2007
Ingredients:
Crust: (Thin and crispy)
1 pkg. active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 1/2 cups flour (about 6 3/4 oz.) divided- I used a whole wheat/all-purpose mix
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
Topping:
2 slices center cut bacon
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion (I used red)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sliced sugar snap peas
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Directions:

• To prepare dough, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir 1 1/4 cups of the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1 Tablespoon olive oil into the yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands and surface.
• Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning dough to coat surface. Cover dough and let rise in a a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 14 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a pan covered with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal.  Pinch edges of dough to make a rim.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
• To prepare topping, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 1 teaspoon of bacon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, peas and mushrooms to pan; cook until tender and moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Drizzle 1 Tblsp. olive oil over dough; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Place pan on lowest rack in the oven and bake at 450 degrees for about 5 minutes. 
• Remove from oven. Spread ricotta evenly over crust. Arrange onion mixture evenly over the ricotta. Sprinkle with bacon, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges.
• Yield: 6 servings, about 230 calories each