Instant Black Bean Soup

I truly did like this recipe. It is simple to make, taste great, is low in points and is filling! What a perfect meal. I do not remember where I got this recipe from, but thank you! It makes plenty so it is great to take for lunch by itself or with a small sandwich or salad.


Instant Black Bean Soup
Serves 5
4 points per serving

Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
1/2 cup bottled salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
5 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
5 tablespoons minced green onions
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup, 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon onions, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro)

CALORIES 212 FAT 4.9g FIBER 5.4g

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

It has been cool and rainy for the last week. I guess you could say fall is here. I have been craving Broccoli Cheese soup with all this gloomy weather. Nothing is better than a warm bowl of soup on a rainy day. I was excited when I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. It was voted one of the reader's favorites and I would have to totally agree. It was delicious! It hit the spot and fixed my craving. I also made roasted cheesy tomatoes. The perfect compliment to the meal. :)




Broccoli and Cheese Soup
From: Cookinglight.com
Serves 6 (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)
4pts/serving

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)

Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 203 (28% from fat)
Fat: 6.3g (sat 4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g)
Fiber: 2.9g

* For the cheesy tomatoes, I took some plum tomatoes, cut in have and remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle some breadcrumbs and about 1 tsp of shredded mozzarella cheese. Spray olive oil spray on them. Broil at 400 for about 2-3 minutes. That's it!

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

As winter approaches, I tend to turn to my crock pot for most our dinners. I love my crock pot! This was a new recipe that I am glad I tried. It was warm, delicious and very filling. It taste alot like the Pasta Fagioli soup from Olive Garden. It made a ton so if you aren't cooking for a large group, I would try to half the recipe. Definitely a remake!

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

From: A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients.

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained

1/2 large red onion, chopped (I just put in onion powder)

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups beef broth

1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce

2 tsp oregano

1 T Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

Brown the meat on the stove top, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crock pot. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit. Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it.

**Use a 6 quart or larger crock pot, or cut the recipe in half.