Healthy Potato Soup

I'm getting a cold, yet again, this winter, so soup was simply a requirement.  This is a wonderfully easy crockpot recipe, and really serves as a base for a little kitchen creativity.  Even if you're a novice in the kitchen, this one is hard to screw up.

My recommendations for add-ins/themes: make it kick with cayenne and other spices*, make it hearty with ham or beef bits*, or make it a good old baked potato with some sour cream, cheese, and chives.

Potato Soup
2 1/2 lbs redskin potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 Spanish onion (really, any yellow onion will do, I just really love the flavor in a Spanish onion)
3 stalks celery
2 carrots, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups non-fat milk
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Dice celery and onions, place in crockpot.  Add in carrots, garlic, and potatoes, and chicken broth.
2. Slow cook on high for 8 hours.
3. After 8 hours, whisk together flour and nonfat milk.  Add mixture into the crockpot, and stir well.  Cook on high for another 35 minutes, or until the crockpot contents are boiling.
4. Dump crockpot contents into large bowl (be careful of the heat!) and mix with a blender until you have a chunky soup consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Top with any desired garnish.  We used parsley and Parmesan cheese.

*If adding meats or additional spices, add them in during step 1.  If you do not want the meat or spice flavor to be a central taste, and just want it as an accent, then add it in step 3 (make sure meat is already cooked, though!)

Baked Yam Fries and Citrus Dip

With the wedding coming later this year, we're making a bit of an effort to be a bit healthier.  Still, we refuse to go on some sort of crazy diet or ignore the fact that dessert is simply a must.

To start off on a healthy but tasty note, I whipped up some homemade fries and a citrus dip in honor of the college bowl games yesterday.  It was a huge hit, and we'll probably be making this quite frequently.

Here, I approximated one yam per person, so adjust as needed.  The dip is quite plentiful, though, so this recipe would work for up to six people without any adjustment needed.

Baked Yam Fries and Citrus Dip
2 yams
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 limes
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small container fat free vanilla greek yogurt (you can use plain, as well, depending on your preference for sweetness)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease baking sheet.
2. Throroughly clean yams.  Slice into sticks, lengthwise.  They can be as fat or thin as you like, though cutting them very thick will require longer baking time.
3. Place sliced yam pieces into a bowl.  Add in salt and olive oil, and mix well.  I also added a bit of Italian seasoning for fun.  Once coated, place yams on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 40 minutes.
5. When yams are about half way done, make the dip.  Start by jucing the lemon and limes into a new bowl.  Add some of the rind from each, as well.
6.  Add cilantro and yogurt to the citrus and blend well.  For best results, pulse in a food processor.

Enjoy!



Tasty, Healthy Breakfast for the New Year

I made this for breakfast, but I have a feeling Chuck will be finishing it off for dessert tonight.  It's absolutely delicious and relatively healthy, and a perfect breakfast for company or a chilly morning.

Fruit Breakfast Crisp
4 peeled and diced pears (I used a combination of types of pears, but Barletts are always fine)
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup pomegranate seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup shredded coconut
4 tablespoons cold butter, in pieces
3/4 cup oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie pan (can also be made in a square).
2. Combine all fruit, the nutmeg, and 1/2 of the cinnamon in a large bowl.  Pour into prepared pan.
3. Comine remaining cinnamon, brown sugar, coconut, butter, oats, flour, and nuts in a large bowl.  Mix until it sticks into small crumbles.
4. Pour mixture over fruit combination in pan.
5. Bake for 35 minutes.  Cover top with foil to stop nuts and crumble from burning, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Happy New Year!