Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups split peas
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 quarts chicken broth
4 carrots, peeled and diced
Ham bone with ham pieces attached
Salt to taste

Directions:

Pick over peas to remove stones and debris.  Rinse them in cold water, unless package says presort and washed.
Heat canola oil in the bottom of a soup pot.  Saute onions, celery, and garlic until translucent.  Add chicken broth, carrots, ham bone, and lentils.  Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until lentils are very tender.  Remove ham bone and cut ham from bone and place back in pot. If soup gets too thick, thin out with a little chicken broth.  Taste and add salt if needed.  Makes 8-10 servings. 

Ground Beef and Cilantro Soup

 This soup is very filling and I normally make it with a stirfry or as a light lunch.  This reheats really well and is about 100 calories a serving.
Ingredients:
8 oz ground beef
8 cups chicken broth
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 TBSP finely chopped fresh ginger
1 TBSP finely chopped scallion
4-5 TBSP finely chopped cilantro

Marinade; 
1 tsp salt
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp Rice Wine
1 tsp light soy sauce

Directions: 
 Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and marinate the beef for 20 minutes.

Bring stock to a boil.  Add beef, stirring to break up any clumps, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Slowly add the egg whites, stirring rapidly so that they form into fine shreds.  Add salt and pepper and taste to check seasonging.

To serve, place gingerroot, scallion, and cilantro in the base of individual bowls and pour soup on top.

Serves 4-6. 

Broccoli and Cheese Potato Soup

 I love this combination, but normally the fat and calories when I make this soup in the traditional way make it an unhealthy choice. I stumbled accross a new recipe with the same great taste minus the unhealthy fat and calories. I added more broccoli and broth to stretch this even further, which in turn decreased the calories even more. Most of the fat and calories in the tradional soup come from milk and butter, but this recipe has no butter and only 1/3 cup milk, but still taste very creamy. Ingredients 3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes 1 medium chopped onion 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt 5 cups frozen broccoli florets 3 tablespoons flour 1/3 cup fat-free milk 1/2 cup shredded cheese Minced fresh parsley Directions In a large sauce pan, combine first seven ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in broccoli; return to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth; stir into soup. Cook and stir another 2 minutes more or until thickened. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Process in batches in a blender until smooth.
Return to pan; heat through. Sprinkle servings with cheese and parsley. When reheating leftovers you may need to add several tablespoons of water to thin it a bit. About 160 calories per serving and 4 grams of fat.

Gourmet Cream of Zucchini Soup

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Ingredients:

3 cups sliced onions
3 tablespoons margarine
4 cups shredded zucchini
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped parsley
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1 Tablespoon Mrs. Dash

Directions:

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 In a large kettle, saute onions in margarine till transparent.

Add rest of ingredients.  Cook until tender; cool, run through a blender.

Put back in kettle and bring to a boil, before serving.  Makes 2 quarts.