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

Bacon, Linguine and Tomato Toss

Are you one of those people who can walk into a tomato patch, pick a red ripe tomato, and eat it right there with warm tomato juice dripping off your elbow? I have to confess I'm not one of those people. I do love tomato sauce and even salsa to some extent, but I really can't say I'm a tomato lover. I think I was traumatized by a tomato worm at a tender age. The only exception is in late June or early July when the tomatoes first start ripening. That's when I crave a tomato and bacon sandwich with mayo- on soft white bread no less.

But I digress. Last weekend I went to a Pampered Chef party where the consultant whipped up this pasta dish to showcase some of her products. It was delicious! Bacon and tomatoes in a creamy sauce- it was like a BLT,  only pasta style.  I think it might just tide me over until I have that sandwich.

Quick, easy and tasty, I think it's a great meal to serve after a harried day at work when you don't have much time or energy. I chose to use high fiber whole wheat pasta and low fat cream cheese when I made it for dinner tonight. Do you think that made up for the extra bacon I threw in?

Bacon, Linguine and Tomato Toss

adapted from Pampered Chef

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon (I have to confess I used more than this)

1 qt. chicken broth

3 cups (or 2 small cans) diced tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 oz. cream cheese (low fat is fine)

12 oz. linguine (I used whole wheat)

1 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (or another 1 cup diced tomatoes)

Directions

• Dice bacon. Fry until crisp, remove from skillet and set aside. Pour all but about a tablespoon of bacon grease out of the skillet.
• In the bacon grease left in the pan, cook the onion and garlic until onion is tender.
• Add the 3 cups (or cans) of tomatoes and all of the broth to the onion mixture, and simmer until tomatoes are heated through.
• Add the linguine, cover and simmer about 9-10 minutes.
• Break or cut cream cheese into pieces. Stir into linguine-tomato mixture until melted.
• Stir in the Parmesan cheese, reserved bacon and grape tomatoes.
  
• Garnish with fresh basil if desired.