Hearty Potato Soup

Recipe Courtesy of Southern Living 1998

Ingredients

• 6  potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 1/2 pounds)
• 2  medium onions, diced
• 2  carrots, thinly sliced
• 2  celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2  (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1  teaspoon  dried basil
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free half-and-half
• Italian Bread Bowls

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 4 1/2-quart slow cooker.

Cook, covered, at HIGH 3 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Stir together flour and half-and-half; stir into soup. Cover and cook 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve in Italian Bread Bowls, and garnish, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

207

Fat:

0.3g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Sodium:

365mg

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Spicy Kobacha Pumpkin Soup with Spaghetti Squash

Recipe Courtesy of Stella Ortega

This recipe was given to me by my mom who made it one time for everyone at work.  It was given rave reviews.

Olive oil ,   4 Tbsp butter,    2 medium onions, chopped ,      3 tsp minced garlic,  1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes,     2-3 tsp curry powder,      1/2 tsp coriander,    1 tsp thyme,      2 bay leaves,        2 tsp parsley,               1 tsp sage,    1/2 tsp cinnamon,    1/2 tsp nutmeg,    1/2 tsp allspice,    1/2 cup brown sugar,     2 cups milk,          1/2 cup heavy cream,   juice from 1 lemon,  pinch cayenne pepper,   salt and pepper to taste,   5 cups chicken or vegetable broth,  1 large Kabacha pumpkin (green round pumpkin),    1 spaghetti squash


Cut pumpkin and spaghetti squash in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper and olive oil.  cover with foil.  Cook in oven at 400 degrees for about 1 hour until soft.  Squash and pumpkin are done when you can push in softly.
After pumpkin is done, cool and scoop out, and set aside.  When spaghetti squash is done, cool and scape with a fork from top to bottom, so that the squash comes out stringy. Set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan, add onions and garlic and cook until soft.  Add curry, coriander, thyme, parsley, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice for 1 minute.  Add pumpkin and broth and stir well.  Add bay leaf, cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Transfer soup, in batches to the blender or food processor.  Fill half way with soup and pulse a few times and then blend.  Return soup to saucepan.

With soup on low, add brown sugar and mix slowly, add milk while stirring to soup.  Add heavy cream and lemon.  If soup is too spicy, add more cream.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  Add spaghetti squash and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Cold Avocado Soup

Recipe courtesy of the Joy of Cooking

This recipe is a favorite of my husband's.  It is a very simple soup to make and perfect for those summer evenings and literally made in minutes.

Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth:


2 ripe Hass avocados (about 1 lb), peeled and pitted
1 small clove garlic, chopped

Stir in:

2 cups buttermilk
4 tesp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
Pinch of ground red pepper

Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.  Thin, if necessary, with:
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk or water.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and garnish with:
Salsa Fresca, sour cream, fresh lump crabmeat or cooked shrimp