Skinny Tomato Basil Bisque

High in taste, low in guilt. YUM!!!

Baby it’s cold outside again and you know what that means…more soup!

Now before the foodies out there get all riled up, I realize that a true “bisque” contains seafood, most commonly lobster or other shellfish. But I don’t like lobster and I figured that the creamy (yet still healthy!) base of this soup semi-justified the name. Plus, bisque just sounds fun and fancy so there you have it.

I was perusing Pinterest when this recipe jumped out at me. I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand and it made my mouth water so I knew we had a winner. This one sounded pretty amazing too, so what I came up with is sort of a Frankenstein mix of both recipes.  

Since I can’t—in good conscience—call any dish “skinny” that’s dripping with cream and butter, I decided to make this recipe more waistline- and heart-friendly by using plain, nonfat Greek yogurt and leaving the butter out entirely. Yes, it still contains 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese. But it’s divided amongst several servings so it’s not too terrible. Both of the original recipes called for other veggies (celery, carrots, and onions) but I wanted to keep it simple so I stuck with the tomato-basil-garlic combo. I used chicken broth but if you want to make this soup vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for veggie broth and you’re good to go.  

I know I’ve been on a Crock Pot kick lately—I just can’t help it, it makes life SO simple!!!—but you can use a stock pot and simmer this on the stove just as easily. Take your pick. I’m sure both preparation methods are equally delicious.

Here’s what I came up with.

Skinny Tomato Basil Bisque
Serves 8

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
2 cups tomatoes, diced (divided use, I used Roma)
1 cup fresh basil, shredded (divided use)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups plain nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt
2 cups low-sodium tomato juice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (shaved or shredded)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf (optional)

Directions:
Lightly spray a large stock pot or Crock Pot with olive oil spray.

Place 1 cup diced tomatoes, ½ cup basil, and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.

Place tomato/basil puree in pot. Add all remaining 1 cup of tomatoes, ½ cup shredded basil, and all other ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook on low (Crock Pot) for a minimum of 2 hours or on the stovetop over medium-low for the same amount of time. I did about 4 hours in the Crock Pot on low and then switched it to warm until we were ready to eat. Remove bay leaf prior to serving. 

Results:
I just finished a bowl of this delicious bisque as leftovers for lunch and, dare I say, I like it even better today? Don’t get me wrong, it was wonderful last night right out of the Crock Pot with the warm, crusty rosemary bread we enjoyed it with. But today, Wowza! For some reason, it tasted even better.

If you’re looking for a creamy, hearty, delicious soup—without the guilt!—this is the ideal recipe for you.

As always, your feedback is invaluable and I’d love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment on the bottom of this page or share your thoughts on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (@RyannGroseclose), or any other social media outlet you’d like.

Until next time,
Ryann 

Cheesy Sweet Potato and Leek Soup

The picture doesn't do it justice...this soup is SOOOOO good!!!

Well, friends, the holiday season is in full swing and you know what that means—we are all BUSY. There are gifts to purchase and wrap, decorating to be done, parties to attend…and that’s all on top of our normal hectic schedules. It’s may be the most wonderful time of the year, but this mama could seriously use a few more hours in the day to get things done.

Now more than ever, I’m thankful for easy recipes I can toss in the Crock Pot. And this time of year is perfect for slow cooker soups. When I saw this one on Pinterest I seriously couldn’t stop drooling. But I wanted to make a healthier version so I swapped the hash browns for sweet potatoes, ditched the butter and half and half, used all cream of portabella mushroom soup, and added leeks and chicken broth. It still contains a cup and a half of cheddar cheese but hey, you’ve gotta keep at least one of the naughty ingredients, right? Here’s what I came up with.

Cheesy Sweet Potato and Leek Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
Olive oil spray
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup leeks, chopped
3 cups of condensed cream of mushroom soup (about 2 standard cans)***
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded (you can use reduced fat cheese if you prefer)
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

***I used 3 boxes of Trader Joe’s Condensed Cream of Portabella Mushroom Soup but it’s seasonal so it may not be available for much longer.

Directions:
Lightly spritz Crock Pot with olive oil spray. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through.

“Swap”tions:
You could easily make this a vegetarian dish by swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth. You could also toss in a little cooked chicken if you wanted to add more protein.

Results:
All I have to say is YUMMO!!!! I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big fan of mushrooms so it’s weird that I’m in love with a soup that uses cream of mushroom as a base but it’s true. And let’s face it; anything with cheddar cheese melted into it is bound to be delicious. The hubs, who doesn’t really care for sweet potatoes, was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed this soup. So it’s an all-around winner at our house.

The best thing about this recipe is that soups tend to taste better the longer you simmer them. So set your Crock Pot on low and forget about it while you are dashing around town, wrapping gifts, or watching holiday movies.

The next time I make this, I may cut the chicken broth in half (use 1 cup instead of 2) for a little creamier consistency but honestly, it was great the way it was.

If you are a fan of easy, hearty, and tasty soups, this is the perfect recipe for you. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Until next time,
Ryann

Caliente Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetable Soup

A spicy and veggie-filled twist on traditional chicken tortilla soup.

It may still be 90-plus degrees here in sunny Southern California but technically it’s Fall so screw it, I’m making soup. While all you East Coasters are enjoying your scarves and boots, we’re sweltering over here. But I guess it’s time to quit complaining and bust out the Crock Pot.

Pinterest and the recipe sites are overflowing with several variations of Chicken Tortilla and Chicken Enchilada soups. This is the first one I ran across and it looked pretty good so I decided to base my recipe off of it.

I followed the original pretty closely, however, I didn’t add any extra salt (say no to excess sodium!), I tossed in zucchini and carrots (the more veggies, the better!), I increased the amount of green chiles (because they are tasty), and used canned tomatoes with jalapeños (to turn up the heat).

Note: If you are making this for little ones or you don’t like spicy food, you can use plain canned tomatoes instead. You can also decrease or omit the black pepper and use a brand of enchilada sauce that you know is mild.

Without further ado, here’s what I came up with.

Caliente Crock Pot Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breast fillets, boneless, skinless, thawed
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with jalapeños (I used the Hatch brand)
1 (10-ounce) can mild enchilada sauce
1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken stock or broth (I used organic chicken stock from Costco)
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 cup corn
1 zucchini,  peeled and quartered
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional Garnishes:
Avocado
Shredded Lite Mexican Blend Cheese
Crumbled Tortilla Chips or Strips
Cilantro
Sour Cream

Directions:
Place all ingredients in Crock Pot. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Prior to serving, shred chicken with a fork.  Serve as is or with some or all of the optional garnishes listed above.

Results:
Ay yay yay!!! Good thing I included the word “caliente” in the title of this recipe. This soup was definitely spicy. As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t like the heat or you want to serve this to the kiddos, DO NOT USE THE TOMATOES WITH JALEPENOS. Get the plain ones. Cut out the black pepper and make sure the enchilada sauce you choose is mild. That should really dial it down a notch.

Personally, I enjoy a dish with a little kick so the heat was fine by me. The hubs wasn’t as enthusiastic about this recipe, but he still gave it a thumbs up and took it to work for lunch the next day so that still counts as an endorsement, right?

You can pick and choose from the list of garnishes above or use them all if you’re feeling adventurous. We went with a little fresh avocado and a sprinkle of Lite Mexican Blend Cheese. In hindsight, I should have added a dollop of sour cream. I think I mentioned in a past post that the fat in the dairy counteracts the capsaicin (heat element) and helps to cool things down.

Regardless, I enjoyed this soup and I hope you do too. It’s packed with protein thanks to the chicken and beans and has plenty of healthy veggies to fill you up, not out. If you are looking for a way to spice up dinner—literally—then this is the soup for you. Enjoy!

Until next time,
Ryann