Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is AMAZING and EASY . It uses only 6 canned ingredients, and taco seasoning. Serve with a few tortilla chips on top along with a little shredded medium cheddar cheese. For added flavor chop 1/4 bunch of Cilantro and add just when serving.

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (14.5 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth

1 (10-12 ounce) can chunk chicken

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes with jalapenos (or green chilies) with juice

3 teaspoons taco seasoning

Empty all cans into a large saucepan, add taco seasoning and stir. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Add chopped cilantro if desired, (I thought it was best this way), then top with a few shreds of cheddar cheese. If you really want a pretty presentation, put a tiny dollop of low fat sour cream. Yummmm Makes about 6 servings of 225 calories each.

Another Quick and Easy-Vegetable Beef Barley

Vegetable Beef Barley

Saute 12 ounces lean beef in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; drain fat.

Add 4 cups low-sodium beef broth, 1 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Cover; simmer 1 hour.

Add 1 cup frozen veggies, 1 can diced tomato, and 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley. Cover; simmer 15 minutes.

338 calories, 24g protein, 29g carbohydrate, 14g fat (4g saturated), 6g fiber.

White Bean Soup with Gremolata

Here is a new twist on your typical white bean soup from Cooking Light.  It is an easy addition and adds a fresh, flavorful twist to it.

White Bean Soup with Gremolata
4 Servings

Soup:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pancetta
1 cup prechopped onion
1/2 cup prechopped celery
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf

Gremolata:
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp minced garlic

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saute 2 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, and 2 teaspoons garlic; saute 3 minutes or until almost tender. Stir in in broth and next 4 ingredients (through bay leaf). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To prepare gremolata, combine parsley, rind and 1 teaspoon garlic. Sprinkle over soup.

Calories per serving: 227; Fat 7.6g; Protein 9.8g; Fiber 7.7g, Sodium 710mg

Healthified Italian Sausage Soup

I love soups and  I love going to Olive Garden for their soup, salad and breadsticks and their Zuppa Toscana is my favorite.  It isn't the healthiest so when I saw this recipe that is pretty much the same soup just much healthier I was excited!  Give this a try, it has great flavor and you won't even miss the calories.

Healthified Italian Sausage Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Servings: 10

2 slices bacon
1/2 pound lean Italian turkey sausage
2 large russet potatoes cut into cubes
1 large onion chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups water
3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
4 cups chopped fresh Kale or Swiss chard leaves
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat free half-and-half

In 4-quart nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon; set aside. Remove and discard drippings from saucepan.
 
In same saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain well on paper towels; set aside.
 
In same saucepan, mix potatoes, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, water and broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 
Stir in bacon, sausage, kale and beans. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and kale are tender. Stir in half-and-half; cook just until heated.

 

Chicken Chili from The Titanium Chef

Can you believe it is 2012?  I sure can't!  With the new year comes the opportunity to make some changes in the way that we eat.  So to start things off right here is a recipe for a warm and hearty chili that is full of flavor and is good for you!

Chicken Chili
Makes 2 servings
Prep 25 minutes
Cooks 5-6 hours on low or 2 1/2-3 hours on high

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 15 ounce can White Beans, Great Northern Beans or Canellini Beans
1 1/4 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1/2 of a jalapeno finely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T chopped tomato (optional)
2 T sliced green onion (optional)
2 T shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

In a medium skillet brown chicken.  In a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker combine chicken, drained beans, broth, onion, sweet pepper, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, white pepper and garlic.  Cook on high setting for 5-6 hours or on low setting for 2 1/2-3 hours.  If desired when done, sprinkle each serving with tomatoes, green onion and cheese. 

Per serving:  275 Calories, 2g Fat

Light Loaded Potato Soup from the Titanium Chef

Baked potato soup is delicious but with all the cream, butter and sour cream it isn't exactly healthy for you.  This recipe is adapted from "Cooking Light".  Give it a try, its very easy to throw together and is just as delicious as its fattier counterpart. 

Light Loaded Potato Soup

Makes 4 servings (about 1 1/4 cup each)

4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
2 tdp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 cups fat free, lower sodium chicken broth
3 T flour
2 cups low fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 bacon slices, halved
1/3 cup shredded cheese
4 tsp thinly sliced green onions

Scrub and dry potatoes, prick them all over with a fork.  Place potatoes on a plate and microwave them on high, about 13 mintues.  Potatoes should be tender.  Cut them in half, set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add onion, and saute for 3 minutes.  Add broth.

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup milk.  Add the mixture to the pan wit 1 1/2 cups milk.  Bring to  a boil, stirring frequently.  Cook for 1 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat.  Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Place a paper towel on a microwave safe plate.  Arrange bacon halves on paper towel, cover them with a second paper towel.  Microwave on high for 4 minutes.  Crumble bacon.  Set aside. 

Scoop the potato pulp out of the skins, and mash the pulp into the soup.  Discard skins.

Garnish each serving of soup with cheese, green onions and crumbled bacon.  Serve immediately.

Peasant Stew from the Titanium Chef

Winter seems to be in full swing and all I want to eat is soup.  This soup has a lot of great flavors in it and is very low in calories and fat.  You can even make it healthier by making it vegetarian and leaving the chicken thighs out.  There are two kinds of beans in the soup so you will still get lots of great protein without the chicken.  This is a great crockpot recipe, try it out!

Peasant Stew
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 chicken thighs, skinned (about 1.5 pounds)
1 cup chopped onion
1 can Mexican style tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup low fat sour cream

Combine cumin, salt and pepper; sprinkle over chicken.  Throw chicken, onion, tomatoes, chiles and beans into crockpot and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8.  Check chicken to make sure it is cooked through. 
Place 1 chicken thigh each in 6 bowls.  Ladle 1 1/4 cups stew into each bowl.  Top with 2 tsp cilantro and 2 tsp sour cream. 

Garbanzo and Green Chile Stew-From Jamie the Titanium Chef

Spring is here so it is not really "soup season" anymore...but I love eating great soups all year round!  This one can be made with or without meat and you will still get a lot of great protein from the garbanzo beans.  It is really easy and quick to make and has a lot of great flavor. Hope you enjoy!

Garbanzo and Green Chile Stew

3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (14 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
3 cups water
1 (18 ounce) can Garbanzo Beans, with liquid

Season the pork tenderloin pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat a 2-quart sauce pot over high heat.  Add the oil and the raw pork tenderloin.  Cook on high until the pork is brown all over, but still raw in the center.  Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.  Place the pan back on the burner over medium head; add onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cook for 5 minutes.  Add the enchilada sauce and water; bring to a simmer.  Add the beans and the liquid , let cook for 10 minutes.  Add the pork to the pan and let simmer until the pork is cooked to medium.  Serve with corn tortillas, fresh tomato salsa, avocado and cilantro, if desired. 
This stew would also work great in the crock pot.  Put all the ingredients in on your way to work in the morning and let it cook all day.  A delicious and healthy dinner is ready when you get home!

Healthy Minestrone Soup

This delicious recipe gets a 4 spoon rating from our test kitchen!

8 oz lite kielbasa or turkey sausage, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups carrots diced
1 cup celery diced
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup dry farfalle (bowtie) pasta

Directions:
Brown sausage in bottom of soup pot. Remove and set aside. Add olive oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic to same pot, stirring to scrape up any brown bits from pot. (This deglazes the pan and will add great flavor) Cook on medium heat until onion and green pepper are tender. Add water, bouillon cubes, carrots and celery to pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 8-10 minutes or until carrots and celery begin to get tender. In a seperate saucepan bring water to boil for pasta. Salt water, add pasta and cook for about 5-7 minutes. You still want pasta to be somewhat firm, it will finish cooking in the soup. Add tomatoes and sausage to soup and reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add beans and pasta and simmer for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Soup is even better reheated the next day!