Thursday, September 27, 2012

Potato Bacon Soup

 

Ask and ye shall receive.  This lovely soup was a gift to my dear husband, who requested it a few weeks ago.  It was so good I got a mid-dinner kiss.  You should make this for your sweetheart and reap the rewards!

 Potato Bacon Soup
6 slices center cut bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 tsp olive oil
2 small onions, diced
2 pounds potatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable broth (I used two bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups of hot water because that's what I had)
2 cups 1% milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, fry up the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5-8 minutes.  Drain off fat and remove bacon bits to a plate covered in two paper towels to drain. Wipe out the pan with paper towels, but do not wash.

Add the olive oil and heat pan over medium low.  Add the onions and stir.  Sprinkle in about 1/4 tsp of sea salt to get the onions to sweat out their lovely juices.  Saute onions until they begin to soften, but do not let them brown.

Into the hot pan with the onions, add about a cup of the vegetable broth.  Scrape up all the fond and deglaze the pan.  Let the broth cook out for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously.  Add the rest of the broth and the potatoes.  Bring to a bubble over medium high heat and the reduce back to medium.  Cook covered until the potatoes are soft, around 20 minutes. 

Measure out your milk and, if it's cold,  add a few scoops of the hot broth to it to bring it to temperature. Add it to the soup and stir to combine.

Add two thirds of the bacon bits to the soup.

Using an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor, blend the soup to a smooth consistency.  This is key.  Because the soup has neither cream nor butter, this step really creates a velvety mouthfeel without added butterfat. 

Makes 6 servings.  Top with reserved bacon bits and some cheese, if desired. 

Weight Watchers Points Plus- 5 per 1.5 cup serving













Saturday, September 8, 2012

Super Fast Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits


Sometimes, you just need a biscuit.

Nothing fancy, just a bite of bready goodness to get you started on the right track.  Or maybe you just came back from a run and think you need some carbs to replenish your glycogen stores...because you know, 3 miles really wipes you out.

This would be the recipe for you.  I made these free-form, which is code for ugly.  You could shape them and an egg wash to the top to make them prettier, if you're into that sort of thing.  But that would make them just regular cinnamon sugar biscuits, instead of super fast. 

Super Fast Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Using either your hands or a pastry cutter, mix well until brown sugar is well incorporated and distributed into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, add the milk and egg.  Gentle whisk to combine.

Add milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Using a 1/4 measuring cup, measure out 6 biscuits.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Place on rack and cool slightly.  Best served warm with butter and jam. 


Total time: 15 minutes.  From oven to blog in 30.