My favorite cooking website is Allrecipes. I love that they not only provide nutritional information, but they also have reviews from people who have tried the recipes. I find this is a great way to see if there is a common theme, like "I only added 1 tsp. of salt, instead of the recommended 2 tsp." If 15 people are saying the same thing, its a good indication not to add too much salt!
Another new featured I've discovered recently is the ingredient list. So you can type in up to 4 ingredients that you do want, and up to 4 ingredients that you don't want. As of yet, I've never had it come back without a good selection of recipes. This is great if you really want to try out yams or leeks or eggplant, but want to try something a little different.
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 C. Sliced Leeks
! Cup Onion, chopped
1 2/3 C. Chicken Broth
6 Potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Celery Salt
2 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1 C. Sliced Leeks
! Cup Onion, chopped
1 2/3 C. Chicken Broth
6 Potatoes, quartered and thinly sliced
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Celery Salt
2 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the leeks and onions in the butter for 5 minutes, or until tender. Pour in the broth and and mix well.
*At this point I added in my thinly sliced potatoes. The original reciped called for potato flakes, but being the old fashioned gal I am, I figured why the heck not use real potatoes? (Not to mention, a so-called 'potato flake' has never entered my home...). So using real potatoes required a longer cook time, but I think it was well worth it.
2. Stir in the salt, celery salt, and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until all ingredients are tender.
3. Once tender, blend 'er up, and serve. Sprinkle with a little shredded Cheddar. Or ooh, even some low fat sour cream would be divine!
*At this point I also strayed from the original recipe in that I used my handy dandy hand blender and blended 'er up. I think this is why I was able to not use the recommended 4 Cups of milk, and what made the soup so thick. The potato skins became basically non-existant, and actually made it look like there were bacon bits in the soup.
The end result???
A thick, creamy soup. Using no milk (and you could likely take out the butter if there were dairy allergies), and honestly it was so delicious! I even got a "Dang, that's good" from the Hubby which I've only gotten perhaps 2 or 3 times in our marriage. Not bad!
A thick, creamy soup. Using no milk (and you could likely take out the butter if there were dairy allergies), and honestly it was so delicious! I even got a "Dang, that's good" from the Hubby which I've only gotten perhaps 2 or 3 times in our marriage. Not bad!
Nutritional Info:*
*(Which I think would be altered due to the lack of milk (AKA, lower). As well, the sodium is off the charts, but I personally only use my own homemade stock + 1 bouillon cube, so again, that number would be lower)
Calories: 275
Total Fat: 11.2g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 1231mg
Total Carbs: 31.8g
Dietary Fibre: 2.3g
Protein: 12.4g
The next recipe is also a soup. Seriously, I love soup. I think I could do soup every day. So much variety. Although I'm a hearty soup kind of gal. Take for example yesterday. I made a beef vegetable barley soup. It was thickening up beautifully, over about an hour or so. In walks the Husband who decides its looking a little too thick, so he...gasp...adds 4 CUPS OF WATER! Oh my word. I nearly lost it. He says he doesn't like to eat soup paste, I say I don't like to east watered down soup. So there you have it. The new rule is that he must get the cook's permission before adding anything, especially water, to my soups!
Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Med. Onion, chopped
1 Cup chopped celery
4 Cups, slicked Fresh Mushrooms
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 C. Chopped Carrots
5 Cups Diced Potatoes
3 Cups Chopped Cooked Chicken
2 1/2 Quarts Chicken Broth
1 Cup Barley (Pearl or Pot)
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
S & P to taste
*(Which I think would be altered due to the lack of milk (AKA, lower). As well, the sodium is off the charts, but I personally only use my own homemade stock + 1 bouillon cube, so again, that number would be lower)
Calories: 275
Total Fat: 11.2g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 1231mg
Total Carbs: 31.8g
Dietary Fibre: 2.3g
Protein: 12.4g
The next recipe is also a soup. Seriously, I love soup. I think I could do soup every day. So much variety. Although I'm a hearty soup kind of gal. Take for example yesterday. I made a beef vegetable barley soup. It was thickening up beautifully, over about an hour or so. In walks the Husband who decides its looking a little too thick, so he...gasp...adds 4 CUPS OF WATER! Oh my word. I nearly lost it. He says he doesn't like to eat soup paste, I say I don't like to east watered down soup. So there you have it. The new rule is that he must get the cook's permission before adding anything, especially water, to my soups!
Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Med. Onion, chopped
1 Cup chopped celery
4 Cups, slicked Fresh Mushrooms
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 C. Chopped Carrots
5 Cups Diced Potatoes
3 Cups Chopped Cooked Chicken
2 1/2 Quarts Chicken Broth
1 Cup Barley (Pearl or Pot)
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
S & P to taste
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until onions are tender.
2. Stir in carrots, potatoes, chicken pieces and broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in barley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and parsley. Season with S&P.
*Two things about this recipe. I had no mushrooms, although I wish I did because I think they would be a fab addition. Secondly, it also called for 1 Cup of slivered almonds. Again, no luck. It would definitely be an interesting addition. Directions on roasting the almonds is included in the original recipe.
1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until onions are tender.
2. Stir in carrots, potatoes, chicken pieces and broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in barley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and parsley. Season with S&P.
*Two things about this recipe. I had no mushrooms, although I wish I did because I think they would be a fab addition. Secondly, it also called for 1 Cup of slivered almonds. Again, no luck. It would definitely be an interesting addition. Directions on roasting the almonds is included in the original recipe. Nutritional Info:
Calories: 235
Total Fat: 7.9g
Cholesterol: 36mg
Sodium: 1036mg
Total Carbs: 26.3
Dietary Fibre: 4.8g
Protein: 15.1g
Calories: 235
Total Fat: 7.9g
Cholesterol: 36mg
Sodium: 1036mg
Total Carbs: 26.3
Dietary Fibre: 4.8g
Protein: 15.1g
There you have it folks. Some new recipes to try out that are lower in fat, and super delicious!
Holly, both soups sound yummy. The leek soup is basically how I make all "cream" soups, although I do often put in garlic. Try it with cauliflower (roast it first and it's even better) or broccoli. The chicken barley one sounds good too - I may give that a try today.
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