What's Cooking Wednesday

As you may have guessed, from reading my other

"What's Cooking Wednesday" posts, I love soup.

Especially hearty, thick, creamy soups.

Of course, these are not the healthiest soups to eat.

So I searched the web for some yummy sounding,

WW point friendly soups and chowders,

and here are some of the ones that I found.

Cheesy veggie soup

2 bags frozen veggies

5 Cups chicken stock (fat free)

1 can diced tomatoes

a bit of chopped garlic (if wanted)

8 oz light velveeta cheese, cubed

Bring chicken stock to a boil and add frozen veggies.

Let cook for 10 minutes and then remove from heat.

Add diced tomatoes with its juice and stir.

Add cubed cheese and once it melts, stir again.

Makes about 8-10 Cups of soup for 1 pt each cup.

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Creamy Spinach Soup

1 10 1/2 ounce can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup

green onion, sliced (2 tablespoons)

Dash ground nutmeg

Dash pepper

4 cups cleaned spinach leaves, stems removed

1 12-ounce can evaporated skim milk

In a blender container or food processor bowl combine soup, green onion,

nutmeg, and pepper. Add spinach leaves, a few at a time, while blending or

processing till mixture is nearly smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan.

Stir in evaporated milk. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered,

for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve.

POINTS: 2

PER SERVING: 114 Calories, 10 g Protein, 1 g Fat,

17 g Carbohydrate,316 mg Sodium, 7 mg Cholesterol, 2 g Dietary Fiber

Makes 4 Servings

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2 lbs of baby carrots (halved)

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

ginger to taste (around 1/4 tsp.)

Boil carrots in broth for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Let cool a bit and then add broth and carrots to a blender and puree.

Add ginger. Serve.

1 cup= 1pt.

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Crockpot Potato Chowder

2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large carrot, diced

1 cup chopped leek, white part only

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups fat-free chicken broth

1/2 cup pearl barley

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. dried, crushed thyme

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 oz. Canadian bacon cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk

1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, leek, garlic, chicken broth,

barley, bay leaf, thyme, pepper, and Canadian bacon. Cover and cook on low

for 6 hours or until vegetables and barley are tender. Stir in evaporated milk

and Half-and half and heat through, uncovered, about 10 minutes.

Yields 8 (1 1/4 cups) servings, 2 points per serving.

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Low Fat Shrimp Chowder

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 diced red or green bell pepper

2 1/2 cups skim milk

1 can (12-ounce size) evaporated skim milk

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups frozen or canned whole-kernel yellow corn

1 pound large or medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large pot, sauté onion and pepper in olive oil until soft, about 12 minutes.

Add milk, corn, potatoes. Cover. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer over low heat

until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook about

3 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Do not overcook shrimp.

Add more skim milk if needed. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.

Makes 6 servings.

5 POINTS per serving

Per serving: 278 calories, 24g protein, 4.2g fat (0.8g saturated), 2.7g fiber,

38g carbohydrates, 224mg sodium.

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Ham And Corn Chowder - 5 Ww Points

1/2 cup chopped thinly sliced fully cooked smoked ham
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen corn and peppers
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup sliced green onions (2 to 3 medium)

Instructions
Mix ham, milk, frozen corn and soup in 3-quart saucepan.

Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes,

stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with onions.

Makes 4 servings -- Per Serving: Calories 230 (Calories from Fat 70); Fat 8g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 1090mg; Potassium 510mg; Carbohydrate 31g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 11g -- % Daily Value: Vitamin A 14%; Vitamin C 14%; Vitamin D 10%; Calcium 16%; Iron 6%; Folic Acid 12% -- Diet Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1 Medium-Fat Meat -- Weight Watcher Points - 5 Points

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Weight Watchers Crock Pot Cream of Sweet Potato Soup recipe

Ingredients

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

4 medium sweet potatoes

1 1/2 cups fat-free half-and-half

3 teaspoons Splenda sugar substitute

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Preparation

1. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes. Place them with the chicken broth the your slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours (or until the potatoes are tender).

3. Using an immersion blender

(or putting the sweet potatoes and broth into a food processor), blend until smooth.

4. Put the soup back into the crock pot.

5. Add the half-and-half, Splenda and allspice.

6. Cover and cook on high for about 1-3 hours.
Servings: 6 Points per serving: 2

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Weight Watchers Creamy Vegetable Chowder recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup peeled and diced carrots

1 cup zucchini, diced

1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups milk

3 cups water or basic light vegetable stock

1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 ounces neuchatel cheese or cream cheese

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a large soup pot on medium heat,

saute the onion in the butter and oil for about 3-4 minutes.

2. Stir in the celery, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just soft.

3. Add the potatoes, carrots, water or stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes

(until the vegetables are just tender).

4. With a slotted spoon or strainer, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the cooked vegetables and set aside in a blender or food processor.

5. Add the bell peppers, green beans and zucchini to the soup pot and cook for about 5 minutes (until the green beans are tender).

6. Stir in the peas and parsley, simmer for about 2 more minutes, then remove from the heat.

7. Discard the bay leaf.

8. Puree the reserved vegetables with the milk and cheeses to make a smooth sauce.

9. Stir the sauce into the soup and gently reheat.

10. Serve the soup hot.
WW POINTS per serving: 4

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That's what I'll be cooking sometime soon, How about you?

Any good recipes to share?