BF Top 5: Soup for the Weight Loss Surgery Soul

Baby, it's cold outside! I hear it even snowed in Southern California. Wow.

Cold times, in my mind at least, call for SOUP!

I get asked about soup a lot. Technically soup sort of violates the whole "no eating and drinking together" rule. I tend to eat the "guts" out of soup (the meat and veggies) and leave the broth or I sip the broth then eat the chunky stuff.

For those of you who don't know why that's a rule, it's mainly a rule for gastric bypass patients who don't have the "trap door," so to speak, between the stomach and the intestines. So when you drink on top of food it pushes food through the stomach too quickly, putting you at risk of getting hungry again too fast. Here's a video by my friend Rob Portinga, of Former Fat Dudes, that explains it WAY better than I can.

Anyhoo here are a few soup recipes from the BF coffers. Most of them are easy to make (some are even 30 minute meals), warm and comforting.

Comforting Cabbage Soup

Cheesy Broccoli Puree Soup

Curried Fish Stew

Kale & Quinoa Soup

Sausage & Lentil Stew

These soups will all warm your body while giving you veggies, protein and nutrients! 

For those who live in warmer temps, I'm giving you the stinkeye count your blessings. For the rest of us, bundle up! And play with your food!

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

Show here with two Parmesan crisps. To make, simply bake small heaps of Parmesan cheese in a 350 degree oven until they harden, about 12 minutes.

I like this soup. A LOT.

What I like best about it is its versatility. For newer post-ops this soup is quick, comforting and gives you something that is not sweet. For longer-term folks this is a great base to a bajillion other things!

Let’s get right to the recipe. This is a “semi-homemade” sort of deal. The recipe resulted from an overage of roasted red pepper bruschetta topping I made for a baby shower. So I decided to make it into a soup.

I’ll let you know both the semi-homemade and the for-real homemade versions of this. Here we go!

Nik's Roasted Red Pepper Puree Soup

• 1 medium yellow onion quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Any other random veggies you have hanging out (the above had zucchini, yellow squash, spinach and a bit of eggplant I had hanging out in the fridge)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 (12 oz.) jars of roasted red peppers, preferably in oil (you can get any kind you like – in my store I saw it with garlic and one that was spicy. I chose the spicy one) Here's what they look like BUT don't buy online, get it from the grocery store!
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 1/2 c. water
• ½ c. fat-free half and half or milk
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the quartered onion, garlic cloves and any veggies you use (except spinach or other greens). Spray them generously with non-stick cooking spray and roast for about 20 minutes or until onions begin to caramelize (brown). Roast the vegetables before proceeding to the next step.

In a colander, drain jarred red peppers of the excess oil but do not rinse (if you buy peppers packed in water, you'll probably want to use a little oil - a teaspoon or so - in the next step).

Spray a small pot with non-stick cooking spray and allow it get hot. Place red peppers in the pot, along with any leafy greens (like spinach), olives, your roasted veggies and spices. If the mixture lacks moisture (there should be a little bit of liquid in there) add some water. After stirring, add your milk or half and half.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then drop the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes. Add half and half. Then, using an immersion blender OR working in batches with a regular blender, puree the soup. Allow it to simmer an additional 10 minutes.

TO MAKE COMPLETELY HOMEMADE: When you roast the rest of your veggies, roast about 5 or 6 red peppers as well. When the peppers are done roasting you’ll need to let them cool so you can remove their skins. Because you are pureeing the soup you don’t need to slice them unless you want to. Instead of using non-stick in the pot with your veggies after roasting, heat 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil then add the veggies in to cook along with any water you use. That’s it!

So you can eat this soup straight up but it’s a bit rich. I didn’t take pics of all the ways I used mine (I had a big batch) but here are some things I did:

• For my vegetarian daughter I tossed some spinach/cheese ravioli and that became her dinner one night
• I added some jumbo shrimp and ate some over zoodles (noodles made with zucchini using a vegetable spiralizer)

One day for a quick lunch I combined some leftover cheesy mashed cauliflower with the soup and a few left over mini-crab cakes (from an event I attended) and made a super yummy lunch (picture below)

In my humble opinion this soup would also go very well with frying cheese. Never heard of it? It’s a cheese that’s sold in some supermarkets (Trader Joe’s sells it as do a lot of ethnic supermarkets). It’s a mild, buttery cheese that comes in big blocks. When you throw it in a pan, it crisps on the outside and gets soft on the inside just like…a grilled cheese sandwich! I think a hunk of frying cheese would go great with this as a dipper.

Any way you decide to have it, though, it’s gonna be GOOD!

#PWMF Recipe Contest Dinner Winner: Erin's Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup

 

 

(Heh...Dinner Winner...ok...moving along...)

 

Dinner! I don’t know about you but it’s always been a challenging meal for me.

I think it’s the finality of it all. Like dinner. It means you’re, like, done. With food. For the rest of the day. (In my head.)

My issues aside, a good, WLS-friendly dinner the entire family can eat is worth its weight in gold. It means you don’t have to play short-order cook to your family and you can all sit down and eat the same thing at the same time (theoretically). That’s important.

Hillery, our dinner judge, is a working girl. She manages to pack a lot into her day and now she’s having a baby! So she was looking for a good dinner that doesn’t take long to make, that both she and her hubby can enjoy.

Here’s her pick.

Erin’s Creamy ​Chicken Fajita Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 C. boneless, skinless chicken breasts , shredded
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 1 (28 Oz. Size) Can Stewed Tomatoes
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Cans Great Northern Beans
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Cans of Sweet Corn
• 2 (14.5 Oz. Size) Diced Carrots
• 8 C. Low-Sodium, Fat-Free Chicken Broth
• 8 Oz. Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 Package of Fajita Seasoning
• Garlic Powder. Salt, Pepper to taste

Add chicken breasts to slow cooker. Add enough water to cover meat and cook on low for 6 hours. Take cooked chicken out, once cool enough shred meat. Set chicken aside.

Remaining liquid can be added with chicken broth.

Drain and rinse beans, carrots and sweet corn, set aside.

In stockpot, add diced onions and saute on low for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth, remaining liquid and greek yogurt. Bring to a boil and stirring constantly until smooth.

Add to stock pot, whole can of stewed tomatoes, package of fajita seasoning, beans, carrots, sweet corn and chicken.

Reduce heat, add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Note: If you have picky eaters at home, I puree my beans and tomatoes prior to adding.

Additional add ins depending on tastes:

• Hot Sauce
• Diced Jalapenos
• Diced Green Chilis
• Use 1 can of Black Beans, 1 can Great Northern Beans
• Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese for topping

Unfortunately, Hillery had a family emergency (NOT the baby!) that has prevented her from snapping a pic of Erin's dish, but she assures you all that she loved it and will snap a pic and send it in very soon. I'll update when I get it.

 

Congrats, Erin! Keep playing with your food!

 

Kale & Quinoa Soup

Those of you who were on Facebook and Twitter last night, and experienced my impromptu “cook-a-long” may wonder what prompted me to make soup, from scratch, after 10 p.m.

And that would be a valid question.

Yesterday I had a small bout of LPS (Little Pouch Syndrome, or, when you just get full very fast with very little food). I won’t go into my theories about the causes of LPS (because this is a food blog) but let’s just say it…er, cleared itself up late in the evening and then I was FAMISHED!

Being that it was late and it was, like, two degrees outside, I wasn’t even remotely tempted to go outside the house to get something indulgent. And everything in my house is WLS approved. So since it was cold, and I was hungry, I figured, why not make some soup?

(PSA) People…stay in good communication with your veggie bin. Seriously. I have toned down my farmers market addiction (I used to buy WAY more than I could realistically consume before it all went bad and I’m notoriously too lazy to vacuum seal it most of the time) but still. I had lots of veggies that were well on their march homeward. So I knew that there would be some veggie action going on. But seriously. Check the veggie bin. Your veggies didn’t ask for this life. It was your choice to buy them. So use them!!! (/end PSA)

This particular kind of soup was actually inspired by my friend Denise who invited me to a soup potluck recently. Ultimately I was unable to make it to the gathering but before that came to pass I gave great thought to what soup I would bring and decided on a kale and quinoa soup with white beans that I found on Google.

But you know me…(at least I hope you do)…I like to play with my food!

So here’s what I came up with. What I like about this soup (as demonstrated from your comments during the cook-a-long) is that there are a million different directions you can take it in. That’s to say if you don’t dig what I did to it, put your own spin on it!

Best of all, it doesn’t have a bunch of ingredients and literally takes about 30 minutes to make. And I made it all in one deep skillet (easy clean-up)!

Nik’s Kale and Quinoa Soup

(This recipe yields a good deal of soup. Halve this if you will be the only one eating it!)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, sliced into slivers
• 1 pkg. smoked sausage of your choice, sliced (I used just regular Polish sausage but Andouille would also be nice if you want a Cajun feel or some companies make great flavored chicken sausages!)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb. kale, stems removed and rinsed
• ¾ c. quinoa (I used red quinoa, use whatever you like best)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) white beans (I used Great Northern, but cannellini would be good as well OR if you wanna be different, try garbanzos for extra bite!)
• 2 c. water
• Your favorite spices/seasonings/flavorings. I used:
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Red Pepper flakes (1/2 tsp.)
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

Directions:

Spray down a deep skillet with nonstick and let it get HOT on the stove.

Add your onions and cook, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes or until they begin to brown a little.

Add sausage rounds and continue to cook, stirring, until sausage begins to crisp on the outside.

Add one of the cans of broth (or, if halving, half of one can) and stir any bits from the bottom of the pan. Top with kale and seasonings and then cover the pan and allow it to cook about 10 minutes or until kale begins to get tender and darken in color.

Add second can of broth and quinoa and stir it into the mixture. Cover again and allow it to cook an additional 10 minutes. The quinoa is done when it the ring pops out of the grain and it is to your desired tenderness (note that quinoa is a hearty whole grain so it’s never going to get “soft” like rice does).

Add your beans and water, then drop your heat to medium-low, cover and allow it to cook 10 more minutes or until the kale has reached your desired consistency.

What you see in the picture at the very top is my final bowl of soup with a little goat cheese on top. That was absolutely perfect because the way I spiced it, it needed a bit of tang. I thought the vinegar was going to deliver that tang (and it did a little bit) but the goat cheese put it over the top!

Anyway, this soup is warm, comforting and it was way healthier than most other things I might be inclined to eat at 10 p.m. Give it a try using the things you like. And if it turns out well, snap a pic and send it to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I’d love to share what you did!

Taco Soup

(But first...have you entered week one of the "Bariatric Foodie Season of Giving" to win some Click Espresso protein? If not, go do it! I'll wait...)

…and a lesson about self-care.

Since I realize I don’t put date stamps on my blog posts, for future reference this is being posted on December 5, 2013, the day after my 37^th birthday.

I know many of you wonder what to do on your birthday. In a former life there was cake and ice cream and overly indulgent meals. But what do you do now that you’re trying to live differently.

Well, the answer isn’t the same for everyone. As a longer-term post-op I can say that I know some people who do cake and ice cream, just in smaller quantities or sugar-free. I know others who abstain.

I personally ditched the cake/ice cream paradigm right off the bat after surgery. Firstly, sweets just don’t captivate me the way they did before surgery but also I wanted to start a new tradition. For the first few years post-op I’d treat myself to a HARD workout (with a trainer even!) and I’d go out to sushi with my mother.

Then in 2012 things changed. Mama Foodie passed away in March 2012 and with her went my birthday tradition.

Last year I reacted to that by cancelling my birthday. I forbade folks from planning celebrations. Many folks were bummed about that because they wanted to make me feel special because they knew I was in pain. But in the end, I did what I needed to do emotionally and I’m proud to say I did not respond to my grief by overeating!

This year was my second birthday post-Mama. I didn’t cancel my birthday but I also didn’t make a big fuss out of it. Truth be told, I have no idea if I’ll ever feel the same about my birthday again.

So what did I do? I tried to reach outside myself a little. I volunteered to help wrap Christmas presents donated to homeless women and children. I went to work (true fact: Nik has a day job for an organization working to end poverty, injustice and human suffering). I came home and cooked dinner for my divas and we prepped the house for Christmas deco. And guess what? It was just what I needed!

The lesson here: some things in life can be overwhelming after WLS. And then some things in life can just plain be overwhelming. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need from people. Self-care is important to this process.

S’anyway, for dinner I made a simple and yummy taco soup. I thought I’d share the recipe! It was warm and comforting! I did indulge in a mini-corn muffin with some butter and Hot Pepper Jelly (the photo is actually of La Petite Diva’s corn muffing but mine looked similar).

Nik’s Taco Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. lean ground meat (whatever kind you use)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (I used extra spicy!) OR
• 1 heaping teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground coriander and onion powder + a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
• 1 can tomatoes & chiles (whatever heat you like), drained of canning liquid
• 1 c. prepared salsa (whatever kind you like)
• 1 can black beans (I used spicy black beans), drained of canning liquid and rinsed
• 2 c. water or low-sodium broth (matching whatever kind of meat you used)

Garnishments (optional)

• Shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Unflavored Greek yogurt (to use as sour cream)
• Sliced Jalapeno Peppers

Directions:

Spray a pot generously with non-stick cooking spray and set it over medium heat and allow it to get HOT.

Add onion and green pepper and sautee until soft, about 3-ish minutes. Add garlic and sautee another minute or two.

Add ground meat and brown, mixing onions, peppers and garlic into the meat mixture. Drain meat meat mixture if necessary (although if you use lean ground meat, the excess liquid should pretty much evaporate in the process). Add taco seasoning or spices (not both) and stir well.

Add tomatoes & chiles, salsa and black beans and mix well.  Add broth or water until desired amount of liquid is achieved (NOTE: for you this may not require the whole two cups called for in the ingredients. You want soup but you don’t want to dilute your spices too much!).

Drop the heat down to medium-low, cover and let it come to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit covered for a few moments before serving in bowls with desired toppings!

This was low-stress and allowed me and my girls to sit down to dinner together which is what I really wanted for my birthday. Over the course of the rest of my life, I'm sure I'll develop a new birthday tradition, but for this year, this suited me just fine!

Nik's Taco Soup

Looking for the Bariatric Foodie Grand Prize post? Click here!

So I didn't invent Taco Soup. I just want to put that out there. I try my very best only to claim what I truly believe to be my own inventions (like I think Taco Casserole is all me...I had never heard of it before I made it...but I invite you all to prove me wrong on that one!). In fact, I got the idea to play with this recipe from a Foodie, Teddie, whose version I published a few months back. Her pic is SO much better than mine. Lookit:

I decided to play with the version because the divas and I are into spicy food. No...scratch that. We are into REALLY spicy food. So I decided to make a version where I spice it up a bit! Plus, in my house hauling out the crockpot is a major affair (it's stored in the basement) so I wanted to come up with a "weeknight" version of this recipe.

As I was looking at different variations, I found that there are many, many, MANY ways of making taco soup. Some of you make it with beef tips or chicken meat in a slow cooker (as Teddi's recipe calls for) and folks tend to put a MULTITUDE of toppings on it. In my estimation, that makes taco soup a PERFECT "play with your food" kind of recipe.

Here's how I made this recipe my own. I call it taco soup. The kids call it "Taco Chili." Whatever you call it, it's YUMMY!

Nik's Rendition of Taco Soup
(This made about 6-ish "Nik-size" servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 lb. ground meat of your choice 
• 1 can each of:
• Dark red kidney beans
• Light red kidney beans
• Black beans
• 2 cans of tomatoes & chiles (I used regular heat, you can also use mild OR just plain diced tomatoes)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• Optional: A dash of either cayenne pepper or ground chipotle powder if you like spicy food
• Possible toppings (the possibilities are endless): shredded taco-blend cheese, unflavored Greek yogurt, black olives, red onions, crushed whole wheat tortillas (for the fam). In fact, you could just make the soup and put out a "bar" of toppings. That'd be fun!

Directions:

This goes exactly like making weeknight chili. Spray down a pot with non-stick, set it over medium heat and let it get hot. Add your onions and peppers and sautee until soft.

Add your meat to the mixture and brown it thoroughly, mixing in the onions and peppers. Depending on the level of fat in your ground meat, you may need to drain the meat mixture afterward. I use 90/10 and I just leave it in there!

Drain your beans and rinse them in a colander (removes a lot of the sodium) and then add those to the pot. Empty the tomatoes & chiles in there too. Stir all that together. You should have a halfway decent amount of liquid in there. If not, no worries, the tomatoes have more water to give up as this all simmers!

Mix in your taco seasoning and any additional seasonings you like (If it doesn't taste taco-y enough for you, you might add additional cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder to taste until it's got a strong enough taco flavor for you. You could also add another packet of taco seasoning but be advised that will add more salt, so if you're going low sodium you might wanna take pause!). 

Drop your heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. 

Serve hot with your desired toppings but I will tell you this: it tastes WAYYYYYYYY better the next day. So make it ahead, put it in a container and let it have an overnight "love thang" in the fridge. Trust me. Your taste buds will thank you!

Sausage Quinoa & Roasted Veggie Soup

This soup is not for the faint at heart. No...this soup is chocked full of nutrients and protein. This soup is soup for people who love their bodies and respect their souls.

Yes, it's that good.

I don't usually brag on my food (lies!) but I made this soup wanting to have some relief against the cold front that hit Baltimore. Even I was surprised at how good it turned out.

Nik's Sausage Quinoa & Roasted Veggie Soup

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced (If you like garlic. If not, feel free to omit!)
• 1 pkg. low-fat turkey smoked sausage, diced
• 4 c. Swiss Chard, washed and torn into pieces (you could also use spinach...or kale...or even collard greens...customize!)
• 1 + 3 c. water
• 2 more tomatoes, cored
• 4 cups roasted veggies of your choice (I used eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, onions & garlic). Here's how to roast those veggies!
• 1 c. uncooked quinoa
• Salt, pepper & 1 tsp Herbs de Provence (you can also use Italian seasoning)

Directions:

Set a large pot coated with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned then add garlic until fragrant.

Add sausage and cook until browned. Add Swiss Chard and one cup of water. Stir to loosen up any bits at the bottom of the pot and let the water to come to a simmering boil.

Add whole tomatoes and cover for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and remove tomato skin. At this point you should be able to mash the tomato with a potato masher.

Add additional 3 c. water, roasted veggies and quinoa. Stir well. Cover pot and allow it to cook about 25 minutes or until chard is wilted and quinoa is fully cooked (here's how to tell). Remove from heat and cover for an additional 10 minutes.

Ohhhh...was this comforting on a cool, fall night. The little diva and I lapped this up! Her with a slice of Texas Toast...me...without (it's all about trade-offs right?).

So, since I'm in a chatty mood as I type this, a few notes:

• NEWBIES: You might want to skip the quinoa and please wait until you are cleared for tomatoes! The recipe works fine without the quinoa, just use one less cup of water.
• VEGETARIANS: I think this would work just fine with vegetarian sausage. I like the smoky flavor so I would suggest using something to replace that.
• VETERANS: This will fill your BELLAY!!!! Go make it!

Windi's Jambalaya

But first a bit of business.

Thanks to everyone who entered the BF Scavenger Hunt! Yes, I know  it was a pain for me to make you all look up stuff (altho most of it was Google-able) but I HOPE you found some good resources in your search.

Anyhoo...the winners are:

• Heather H.
• Samantha M.
• Gwen K.

Congrats, girls! They've all claimed their samples and will be reviewing them in the next week or so. Like I said, I hope you've been checking out Fit Frappe in anticipation of our recipe contest coming up. Quite a few Foodies are going to win themselves some Free Fit Frappe! (I heart alliteration)

So...back to business. Windi's jambalaya. 

Windi is a faithful BF reader and she decided to play with her food and make this dish which she absolutely loved. Try it out and let her know what YOU think!

Windi's Jambalaya

1 tablespoon olive oil 
1-2 pounds smoked sausage ( Windi used 2-3 because her hubby to be likes extra meat) 
1 large onion, chopped 
2 chopped green bell peppers 
2 chopped celery stalks 
Cajun seasoning to taste  
1 c. uncooked quinoa  (Windi's recipe called for 2 - she thinks - Nik recommends one)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilis with juice 
1 tablespoon minced garlic 
2 cups chicken or beef broth I used beef 
3 bay leaves 
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp (30-40 per pound - Windi used a bag of frozen precooked shrimp) 
2 cans small red beans (Windi threw in the liquid that the beans were canned in -- NIK NOTE: I would drain and rinse as MOST of the sodium is in that canning liquid!) 
3 diced fresh tomatoes (another one of my added bonuses)

Saute onion, celery, green pepper, and smoked sausage in olive oil. 

After they were all sauted nicely I threw everything else in the pot and let it simmer for about an hour throwing the shrimp in at the end because it was already cooked. 

It was awesome and absolutely made awesome leftovers. I used a little extra Cajun seasoning because we like slightly spicy. 

Here's how it went over on Windi's table:

"The hubby doesnt care for quinoa because of the texture so next time I make it I will make it without the quinoa and cook rice on the side for him and quinoa for me. I thought about adding some browned ground beef or now that I think of it some TVP! "

Thanks, Windi, for your recipe! Keep playing with your food!

Teddi's Taco Soup

I am so behind on reader submissions! But I hope to get to some this week and next, so stay tuned!

This one comes from Teddi, who sent me a bunch of recipes. Out of fairness, I had to pick one and go with it. I chose her taco soup. I have an affection for tacos, as evidenced by my undying love for taco casserole!

Here's how Teddi soothes her craving for tacos.

Teddi's Taco Soup

1 lb of beef or boneless chicken
½ c. chopped onion
28 oz. can diced tomatoes w/liquid
1-2 pkg taco seasoning
3-4 oz. can diced green chilis
4 c. chicken or beef broth
4 c. water
14 oz. can black beans drained & rinsed
17 oz. can corn drained & rinsed
Grated Cheese
Tortilla or corn chips

Directions:

Combine meat, onion, tomatoes, taco seasoning, green chili, broth and water in crockpot. Let cook on low overnight.

Shred the meat when stirring the next morning. Continue cooking on low stirring occasionally.

Two hours before serving add black beans and corn. Add additional liquid if needed.
Serve topped with grated cheese and crushed chips.

And because Teddi is nice (and not a mean old grinch like me) she's figured up her stats on this recipe:

Make 15 cups
Nutrition (approx)
Serving size: 1 cup (8oz) without cheese and chips
Calories: 118
Fat: 5.5
Carbohydrates: 9.2
Protein: 8

Serving size: 1 cup (8oz) with 1 oz Mexican blend cheese but no chips
Calories: 218
Fat: 13.5
Carbohydrates: 10.2
Protein: 14

This looks completely nominous. And I'm not just saying that because I am calorie deprived this week!

Nik's Cheesy "Faux-tato" Bacon Soup



This soup is good.

No...this soup is DAMN good.

OMG. I have to get myself together just to give you the recipe.

So...potato soup. Oddly enough, I wasn't a big fan pre-op. I loved a nice, loaded baked potato but soup didn't really do much for me.

But I love this soup. I was inspired to make it by a friend who mentioned missing potato soup. I figured...since we already know that all carbs are not evil...why not?

I'm giving you this recipe in two forms: The "quickie" version (which yields just a few servings for those Foodies who live alone or simply travel alone on the path to good health) and the family style version, which is what yielded the beautiful ramekin you see above. It also fed the divas (who also loved the soup) for a few days. Winning!

Nik's Cheesy "Fauxtato" Soup

Quickie version

12 oz. can of any kind of white bean (cannelini or navy work well)
1 c. unflavored Greek Yogurt
1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp garlic powder
(Optional: 1-2 scoops unflavored protein powder)

(We'll get to the cheese and the bacon in a moment...)

Directions:

Drain the beans of the canning liquid and put them in a pot. Add chicken broth and garlic powder set over a medium flame until it comes to a slow boil.

Add yogurt and protein powder (if using) and give it a stir. Then use an immersion blender to puree the whole thing. If you don't have one, place the mixture into your blender and blend on the puree setting.

Family Style version

15 oz. low-sodium chicken broth
1 whole clove garlic
1 small onion, quartered
1 lb. dry white beans (the soup picutured is made of navy beans)
1 c. water
1 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
Optional: 2-3 scoops of unflavored protein powder


(Yes..yes...I promise I have NOT forgotten the bacon and cheese!)

Directions:

Place chicken broth, garlic clove and onion in a pot over a medium flame and cook until it comes to a boil. Turn off heat, remove onion and garlic and put liquid in a crock pot.

Add beans and water and cook on low until beans are very tender (about 3 hours).

Drain excess liquid into a bowl but keep the beans in the crockpot. Add the Greek yogurt and protein powder (if using) and puree the soup with your immersion blender (or traditional blender). If it seems too thick, add liquid back in by the half-cupful until it is about the consistency of cooked oatmeal or grits.

Now...onto the fun part. The bacon and cheese!

Once your soup is done, ladel out your little portion. Add to it about an ounce of whatever cheese you like (you all will not be surprised to know I chose fresh grated Parmesan which, to me, is the king of all cheeses) and either 1 slice of bacon (pork, turkey, soy...your choice) or 1 tbsp real bacon bits.

FOR VEGETARIANS: This recipe can also work for you! Substitute veggie broth for chicken, imitation bacon bits for real and...well...I've never been completely sure what the deal is with vegetarians and cheese. Can someone please 'splain that to me?

One last note: I didn't have any extra Greek yogurt on hand, but if I did, this easily could have been a "Loaded Baked Faux-tato" Soup. Mmmmm... But that brings me to an important point. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! If you want brocolli/cheese...go for it! Or whatever you want. It really is up to you.

This soup is soooo good. It's Saturday. You have some time. Go get the stuff to make it!!!

Chicken and Corn Chowder



I know you all think I’m exaggerating but honesty – this dish disappeared so fast I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of it. I wanted to share it anyway because it is good. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture.

This day I had to scrub down my whole kitchen before cooking (because it was driving me nuts) and did all the stray dishes in the house. My three year-old nephew Isaiah was visiting and, come to find out, he LOVES to cook. So after all that cleaning and managing a pint sized sous chef (and documenting THAT for the future blog post), I was just too darn tired to snap a pic of the chowder when we finally ate. And the little suckers inhaled it.

Moving on…take my word for it. It’s good.

Chowder! I love the stuff. I primarily make seafood chowders in the summer but I had some extra chicken and ears of corn that needed using. To me, chowder is an effective way to have comfort food in the summer. It’s too hot to be bothering with the oven and this whole thing can be made using one grill pan and one pot. Beautiful!

Nik’s Chicken and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 slices of center-cut pork bacon, cut into bits
1 cup water

Either:

4-5 red potatoes diced

OR (equally as good, I’ve tried it)

2 cups of cauliflower florets, rough chopped

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 large ears of sweet corn, niblets removed (or 2 cups corn niblets)
2 tbsp Carbquik or Atkins baking mix
1 bundle of thyme
1 c. half and half
2 c. skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

On a grill or in a sprayed grill pan, cook chicken breasts thoroughly. Transfer to a plate to reabsorb juices.

In a large pot, fry bacon pieces. Center cut bacon won’t yield as much fat (which is why I chose it), so be warned.

Once bacon is cooked, add in water, diced potatoes (or cauliflower) garlic and onion. Cook, over a medium flame, stirring often, until the potatoes are cooked (about 10 minutes).

Stir in baking mix thoroughly then add the milk, half-and-half and thyme bundle. Cook until milk begins to simmer, then drop the flame to low. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Stir and cover.

Allow to cook an additional 20 minutes or so, stirring every so often. Liquid should thicken a bit.

Remove thyme bundle and cool before serving. Chowder will thicken even more.

This chowder is great with nearly anything you want to use. Throw some clams and clam juice in there for New England clam chowder! Add some crab and bit of your favorite cheese for a cream of crab soup.

I personally have aspirations of a shrimp and bacon chowder. Call me crazy, but I think it could work.

BF Beginners: Nik's Creamy/Cheesy Broccoli Soup

~by Nikki

What's that on the side there...we'll talk about that in a minute...

OK...hear me out here! Because I know what you're saying, "Broccoli??? For beginners????"

First and foremost, you should check with YOUR plan to see when you are cleared for cruciferous veggies. I should note that these are cooked to within an inch of their lives and then pureed, so I don't think many will have a problem with this recipe.

That said, for those of you new at this, especially those who had to do the pre-op liquid diet, followed by surgery, followed by clear liquids and now full liquids...I bet you'd give your right arm for anything that is not sweet right now, am I right?

Well have I got a recipe for YOU!

I made this soup especially for my newbie peeps but at the end I give some suggestions for "beefing it up" for my further out peeps AND, as a special added bonus, I give you a family/kid-friendly conversion idea. See how much I love you!!!

Nik’s Creamy/Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

1 bag (about 4 cups) broccoli florets
1 can fat-free chicken broth (I used Fit &Active from Aldi)
1 c. water
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup (I used Fit &Active also)
1 can cheddar cheese soup (I used Campbells)
1 c. unflavored 0% Greek yogurt

Optional: Unflavored protein, such as BiPro USA or Quest,  salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil the broccoli florets in the chicken broth and water until very, very, VERY tender (like you pick it up with a fork and it goes limp).

Add both kinds of soup and Greek yogurt then, with an immersion blender, blend until the whole thing is a thick liquid. If you don’t have an immersion blender…get one! (Kidding) You can also do this in batches in a regular blender.

Just before serving, if you are adding the protein powder, add a half a scoop per four ounces of soup.



Serving:

Now...while it's true that you can technically buy broccoli & cheese soup, the stats on this version are not bad when you figure them up (no I'm not going to do them for you). To me, the beauty in this version is its versatility. You can use this as a base so that you and your family could technically be eating the same thing for dinner (in various forms). Check it:

For newbies: the above picture is of a 4 oz. ramekinof the stuff. As you can see…as a three year post-op that is not all I eat! This was actually after I’d made some unplanned noshes at my children’s Girl Scouts meeting or else my homemade chicken nuggets would have been accompanied by about a cup of this stuff instead of 4 oz.

Further-outs: you can amp up the heartiness by adding some more cooked broccoli florets to your finished soup. I’ve also made this with browned, diced ham and with diced chicken breast, both of which are good. Or you cold also go with...

A good, kid and family friendly conversion: the finished soup makes a GREAT base for whole wheat penne pasta. Just cube up and sautee some chicken breast and cook down some onions and peppers. Cook your pasta to al dente and drain, then toss in the chicken and the soup. Add a bit of Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper and they’d swear you slaved all day in the kitchen!

Sunday Supper: Crockpot Vegetarian Bean Soup

~posted by Jen

Ready to devour!

I'm still battling this cold/flu/bronchitis crap that won't go away, but I also have a family to feed. Today I made it easy on myself by popping dinner in the Crock Pot while I was making my morning Clickety Split Vanilla Toffee Salted Cocoa. It will be done tonight when the boys are hungry, and I didn't even break a sweat.

You've all heard me mention the resident vegetarian (RV), so I made this soup meatless. You can certainly toss in a ham bone (freeze it after your Holiday Ham Dinner) or whatever meat you like. Boneless pork chops are delicious when cubed into pieces and cooked in this, or even bacon. Play with your food, people!

Jen's Vegetarian Bean Soup


Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) bag 15 bean soup mix
1 medium sweet onion, chopped into small pieces
1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with the juice
3 cups vegetable stock (I used homemade, but you can use stock in a box)
1 cup water
1 package Goya Sazon
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Onion Powder

Directions:
Rinse the beans in a colander and "look" them (sort through them and make sure there are no small pebbles or debris, if so remove it). Add all ingredients to the Crockpot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. If you need it faster, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

Just before adding the liquids

Stir the soup about halfway through cooking, and taste the broth for seasoning. You may need to add more salt or garlic powder, based on how salty your vegetable stock was.

Halfway done, time to stir and adjust seasoning

I'll serve mine with a dollop of Greek Yogurt stirred in and some shredded cheddar cheese. NOM! The boys wanted rice to eat with theirs, so I will cook some in the rice cooker for them.

Cooled and ready for the fridge.

It gets better as it sits in the refrigerator, so I plan on having this for lunches during the week.

Nik's Curried Cabbage & Chicken "Stuff"

~by Nikki

God bless me for thinking I could eat all of that. About five bites in my pouch showed me who was boss!

As always, our recipes come with a story. The difference being this time I am going to ATTEMPT brevity.

So, long story short: I made a pot of cabbage in homemade chicken broth. And for days it sat, virtually untouched. Not wanting to waste, I implored my children, “eat the cabbage!” to which they replied, “it isn’t spicy enough!”

Fast forward to Sunday. A long succession of errands made a lengthy Sunday dinner prep impossible. So I looked to the cabbage and thought about what I could do to make it better. It was truly a “little of this, a bit of that” moment in the kitchen. But after all was said and done, and the divas had devoured nearly the entire pot, I said to myself “self? This recipe is a winner!”

(See, only ¼ of the page taken up and the story is done!)

Nik’s Curried Cabbage and Chicken "Stuff"
(here’s how to make it from scratch)

Ingredients:

1 head of green cabbage, chopped
4 c. chicken broth (either homemade or store-bought low-sodium variety)
Salt and pepper
1 lb. chicken breast meat, cubed and cooked (I used Fit & Active Grilled Chicken Bites)
3 medium red potatoes, diced
1 small onion, cut into slivers
1 c. frozen peas
(Not included in the above but I wish it had been) 1 cup julienned carrots
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (For heat. If you don’t like heat, omit. If you like a LOT of heat, bump up to ½ tsp)

Non-op conversion: brown rice for underneath

Directions:

Cook cabbage and diced potatoes in chicken broth until tender.

Add in chicken meat, onion, peas, carrots and all spices and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender and liquid has reduced a bit.

Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions or in a rice cooker (gotta get me one of these).

Serve hot either alone (will be the consistency of a thick stew) or over rice. Notice in the picture that you can't really notice the cabbage? It's because it sort of melts into the curry and onion making this thick, rich "gravy" that makes the whole darn thing a bowl of heaven...

That being the case, I think this needs a better name than I've given it. Something exotic and intriguing. Any ideas?

Nik's Curried Fish Stew

~by Nikki

True fact: Jen did NOT used to like curry...I have made her into a curry convert! After trying this you might convert too!

It’s a truly extraordinary day when Giada De Laurentis gives you a cultural lesson that really inspires you. But it happened to me! I was watching her show (Giada at Home) and she was preparing a holiday meal for her family.

As she tells us (ad nauseum), she is Italian, and on Christmas Eve Italian American families celebrate what they call “the Feast of Seven Fishes.” (Apparently this is thought to have originated in southern Italy but is not observed widely in Italy…but is observed among the Italian-American population). The menu consists of…you guessed it…seven seafood dishes (doesn’t that sound like it should be part of the “12 Days of Christmas”?).

Anyway…the dish I’m about to share with you…probably wouldn’t make it onto an upstanding Italian-American dinner table on Christmas Eve, but the uniqueness of the feast did inspire me to remember another global culinary tradition from years ago.

I used to work with a wonderful lady from Liberia and we used to walk down to our local open air market together (think farmer’s market that’s inside that’s open all year round every day). She used to go to the fish monger and buy a big bag of salmon heads for $1.50. It was HUGE. One day I asked her what she did with the salmon heads. She said she made fish soup with them. Come to find out, the head of the fish contains a lot of flavor.

Well…this dish isn’t a replication of that either. Try though I might, I cannot bring myself to extract a fish’s eyeballs.

So how does this dish relate to ANY of what I just told you? Well…it’s a unique fish dish that I tried to make festive for the holidays AND it’s a fish soup (before I met the colleague I’d never heard of fish soup…clams? Yes? Crab? Oh yes. Fish? Not so much).

Nik’s Curried Fish Stew
(Family Style = big pot. You can halve it if it’s too much)

Ingredients

About 5 cups of any combination of veggies of different colors that you like (in mine I used zucchini, yellow squash, onions and a bag of “Sunrise Slaw” mix – basically julienned carrots and cabbage)

Six 4 oz. tilapia filets (just get one of the bags of individually wrapped ones and use them all)

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups water

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Jen just fainted dead away…YES I use olive oil sometimes!)

2-4 tablespoons curry powder (depending on how strong you like your curry flavor)

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat. If not, leave it out!)

Salt and pepper, to taste

NOTE: I did not use curry powder. One of my good friends, Mike, gave me a box of this stuff:

This stuff = YUMMY!

It works basically like a bouillion cube. You throw it in liquid and it melts down into a thick, rich, SPICY curry sauce. I imagine they have it in mild as well. If there is an international or Asian market in your area, look for it!

Directions:

Put a large pot on medium flame and add oil. Toss your onions in there and get them to sweating.

See all the veggie goodness going on in there???

One thing that made this soup really appealing to me is that I used a lot of cutting methods for my veggies. The carrots and cabbage were julienned, the yellow squash was in long strips, the zucchini was sliced into rounds and the onions were rough chopped. The total effect was very nice…anyhoo…

Add the rest of your veggies once the onions start to yellow a bit. Then throw your tilapia filets on top. It’s ok if they are still frozen. Let that sautee for about 3 minutes or so.



Add enough water to just cover the top piece of fish. Add your curry powder, a bit of salt and pepper (be judicious, you can always add salt, it’s hard as hell to take it away! If you do find the “curry in a box” don’t add any salt. It’s plenty seasoned enough.)

Bring the whole thing to a boil, stir and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until the fish is cooked all the way through.

Serve hot and celebrate the wonderful inspiration that Giada De Laurentis brings with her everywhere she goes! (Oh yeah...I can feel it!)