Zero-Point Vegetable Soup

I have been a Weight Watcher for over 10 years and have seen many recipes for 0-point Vegetable soup. I have made it so many times. I would always make it a little bit different but over the years I have perfected my recipe. One of the reasons I love it is because it is healthy, warm, hearty and filling without many points/calories. Before I was Lifetime I would make this on Sundays a couple of weeks during the month and snack on it when I was hungry. Now that I am Lifetime I just make it randomly when I am craving it. For those of you who aren't familiar with Weight Watchers just ignore this paragraph.

I have found that when I make too much of it I end up throwing it away, I know you can freeze it but I don't like it after it's been frozen. So for me this is the perfect portion. Also I do not like mushy vegetables which is why I give so many time lines and the order to the directions of this recipe. Once the vegetables get too soft I won't eat it.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 small red potato, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 & half cartons of Chicken Stock (48 oz)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed
1/2 cup peas (frozen)
1/2 cup baby Lima beans (frozen)
1 cup green beans (frozen)
1 zucchini, sliced
1 cup of cabbage, sliced thinly
2 t fresh lemon juice
1 t salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 T fresh chopped parsley
1 t olive oil

Directions:
Heat a large pot over med-high heat, add the oil. Next add the onions, carrots and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes then add the garlic allowing the vegetables to sweat and soften. Turn the heat to high and add the chicken stock, stirring and scraping the bits of vegetables off the bottom of the pot, cook on high for 10 minutes to allow the soup to simmer. Next add the tomatoes, corn, peas, Lima beans and green beans. Simmer for about 5 minutes then add salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. About 5 minutes prior to serving add the zucchini. At this point, taste and adjust salt, pepper as needed. To keep the cabbage crunchy I add the cabbage to the bowls before I ladle in the soup.

Diced veggies ready for the soup!

I like  crunchy cabbage so I finally found that this method keeps the cabbage from getting soggy.

Top the soup with more fresh parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon for a fresh taste! My husband and kids like to melt mozzerella cheese over the top. 

White Chicken Chili

I cannot believe I haven't posted this before! I actually went to my blog today to remind myself of how to make this and was shocked that it wasn't here! So I worked it out and here it is in all it's glory and I do mean glory. I forgot how much I love this dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
2 t canola oil
1 t salt
1 onion, diced
2 T fresh garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
1 (14 oz) can great northern beans, drained
1 (14 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

Optional toppings:
chopped cilantro
lime
avocado

Directions:
Heat a large pot over high heat. Add oil. Season chicken with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Add seasoned chicken to the pot, saute about 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and Saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the water, then the white northern beans, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile take the pinto beans and mash them in a bowl then add the can of diced green chilies, mix well then add to the soup to thicken. Cook about 5 more minutes. Serve and top with cilantro, lime and avocado.

One of my best secrets is stock, not broth, it really makes a difference in your food!

Season chicken with salt and pepper before adding it to the pot.

Next add, the onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, water and stock and white beans.

Pour beans into a bowl and grab a fork!

Mash the beans, it takes about 2-3 minutes, then add the chilies, this turns this from soup to chili!

The avocado, lime and cilantro are crucial to the yumminess of the dish!

Weight Watcher Friends: This pot of chili makes 6 one servings and each one is 6 points. In terms of optional toppings, the cilantro and lime are 0 points but you'll have to add points for the avocado if you add it.

Gazpacho

I love summertime for all the yummy veggies we grow right out of our garden. My mom's garden is so over-run with delicious cucumbers that we need to figure out something to do with them! My mom makes this and it is wonderful, I took her basic recipe and added my own touches.  My daughter and I can't stop eating this one!


 Ingredients:
4 ripe tomatoes
3 cucumbers, unpeeled
1/2 red onion
1 bell pepper, any color
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic
1 handful fresh parsley
2 cup tomato juice (I used V8)
Juice of a lime
1/4 cup vinegar (red or white wine)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste


Directions:
Roughly chop vegetables, (tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, shallot, garlic, bell pepper and parsley) in large pieces. Add them to your food processor and pulse so they are combined but not puréed. (I like it a little bit chunky, for the texture otherwise I think I would feel like I was just drinking tomato juice!) This may take a couple of rounds depending on the size of your food processor. Next transfer the vegetable mix to a bowl then add the tomato juice, lime juice, both vinegars, salt and pepper. If I wasn't going to be serving this to my kids then I would have added a jalapeno pepper but since I knew my 4 year old daughter was going to devour this one i didn't. place in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours. This is best served the next day!

I love having homegrown vegetables available!

I took the seeds out of the cucumbers because they were so big and rough chopped the veggies

Throw them in the processor, how easy is that??

It looks frothy at first but once it chills and settles down it looks much prettier

Like this! Yummy!

Weight Watcher Friends: This makes about 7 cups of soup, each cup has 1 point! Actually individually there are 2 points in the whole recipe but when I put them all in on the point builder on the WW site it says it has 1 point per serving, regardless whether it has 0 or 1 points, eat up it's super healthy  and delicious! I love making weight watchers 0-point soup in the winter, so this is my summer version!!

Asian Mushroom Soup

I made this soup tonight and it was really yummy if you like a veggie soup with a Asian flair. It would make a great starter to any Asian dinner night. We had it tonight with a shrimp stir fry, I will post that later. This was really good, and all of us who like mushrooms in my family loved it! My son who loves mushrooms said, "Mom please make this every night!"

Ingredients:
1 t canola oil
3 cups mushrooms (I used 1/2 button & 1/2 portabella)
1 onion, sliced
6-7 baby carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 can sliced water chestnuts
3 stalks Bok Choy sliced (reserve greens)
6 cups Beef Stock
1 cup water
2 T soy sauce (I use gluten free Tamari)
1-2 scallions, sliced

Directions:
Heat oil in a large sauce pot on medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery after about 2 minutes add the garlic and bok choy, let wilt for 3-5 minutes then add beef stock, water and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer, add mushrooms and water chesnuts cook for 15-20 minutes on med low. I served it with the diced greens of the bok choy and sliced scallions on top.

Weight Watchers Friends: This makes 5-7 servings each have 1 point each. A great variation on 0-point veggie soup!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have been making different kinds of chicken soups for years they have always had good flavor but I have always thought the chicken wasn't quite right. Over the years I have seen many recipes that called for making the broth of the soup then adding chicken. I love to make things homemade so that just didn't seem right. A few weeks ago I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. Since, I have made a few different chicken soups and have decided that cooking the stock first then adding cooked chicken later is the way to do it! Make your stock, then add the cooked chicken, really simple and really good!

Ingredients:
2 cartons of chicken stock (NOT broth)
1/2 cup carrots, diced small
1/2 cup celery, diced small
1 cup onion, diced small
1 T garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis (I used mild Rotel)
1 lime, juice and zest
2-3T fresh cilantro, chopped
1.5 cups cooked rice
1 rotisserie chicken, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 t cumin powder
1 t salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
In a soup pot or crock pot add stock, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, pepper & cumin, cover and let cook over low heat for 2-4 hours, the longer the better. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat add the diced tomatoes and cooked chicken lime juice, zest and cilantro, heat to medium, and cook together. Add about 2 T of rice to your bowl, ladle soup on top of the rice, top with a squeeze of fresh lime, avocado slice and crumbled tortilla chips to taste.

Weight Watcher Friends: This recipe makes 10 cups of soup. If you prepare your bowl with 2 T rice, 3 slices of avocado and 1.5 cups of soup it is 4 points per bowl.

Hamburger Soup

This is a family favorite at my house. My mother-in-law used to make this for my husband when he was a kid. When I first met my Jeremy in college we used to go back to visit his family in Augusta, his mom would cook up a storm and she was an amazing southern cook! She doesn't cook much these days but she used to do wonders in the kitchen. I remember the first time Jeremy told me his mom was making us hamburger soup I thought, yuck that doesn't sound good to me. I had eaten vegetable beef soup but not with hamburger meat, that just did not seem appetizing, but it was great! Of course I have adapted it over the years to make it healthier but when I need something quick to make I can always throw together a pot of this crowd pleaser for my crew!

One special note about this soup, you can NOT mess it up, if you don't like some of the veggies I used, then use different ones, you can add a bit more or less of whatever veggies you like, make this one your own! Also this recipe calls for frozen veggies, I do not use canned vegetables (other than tomatoes), I rarely use frozen veggies in recipes I just like fresh best but for this one frozen are great, plus you don't have to worry about additives or preservatives that are in canned vegetables.

Potato Soup

I think the only part of cold weather I like is making cozy, hearty, warm soups! This is my twist on a hugely fattening soup. It is really delicious! I made this last week, we took our kids to a Trunk or Treat in the back of the neighborhood and it was so cold outside all I wanted to do was come home and eat some of this!

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed

2 T butter

1 large onion

1 carrot, diced small

1 stalk celery, diced small

2 cartons chicken stock

2/3 cup half & half

2 t salt

fresh cracked pepper to taste

 

Toppings : grated cheese, bacon crumbles, spring onion, fresh parsley

 

Directions:

Saute onion, carrots, celery in the butter for about 3-4 minutes until the onions begin to soften, add the potatoes and stir for a minute or two, be careful the potatoes don't stick, keep it moving, I added a few splashes of chicken stock to keep mine from sticking but if you don't mind added fat butter would be best. Add the stock stirring to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium low for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Diced potatoes

Diced Veggies

This is a picture of the potatoes and veggies during the saute with a splash of chicken stock.

 Then you add the rest of your stock.

Once the boil is done you slowly stir in your cream, or half and half. At this point the color of the soup is not  creamy looking, if you aren't concerned with the calorie/fat content of the soup I would add another 1/2 cup of cream. However if you are trying to keep this lower in fat and cholesterol then try this trick I use. I take my stick blender and run it through the soup for about 30 seconds a couple of times. You have to be careful, you can quickly turn this into 'mashed potato soup' (I did that once!) If you don't have a stick blender then take about 2-3 cups of the soup out of the pot, blend in your traditional blender and then add it back in the pot. At this point you need to add your salt and pepper and then taste it to see if you need more.

Now you are ready to serve and top with whatever makes you happy, cheese, bacon, scallions.

Weight Watcher Friends: This soup has 4 points per 1.5 cup serving. If you add toppings other than the scallions then you need to adjust your points.

 

Chicken Vegetable Soup

I am always on the hunt for yummy things to make and new ideas. I ran across Ree Drummond's site the other day and found her recipe for Italian Chicken Soup which this recipe is loosely based on, I changed a lot of things :) but the basic idea was from Ree.

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots(6-8 baby), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, sliced
2 cartons of chicken stock (NOT broth) 32oz each
1 can petite diced tomatoes, 28 oz
1-2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 bone-in chicken breasts (skin removed)
1 can Cannellini Beans (white Kidney)
1 cup dry Ditalini noodles
1 t Olive Oil
 Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop, chop, chop! There is a lot of slicing and dicing for this recipe, so I gathered all the items that needed to be chopped and sat down for the job :)

Once all your fresh veggies are prepared heat your dutch oven and add 1 t olive oil, then add, onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers. Cook for 3-5 minutes allowing the veggies to wilt a bit.

Then add the garlic and let the garlic cook with the veggies for about a minute. Turn up the heat to high and add both cartons of chicken stock. Make sure to use your spoon to stir the stock in and get any of the veggies bits that may be on the bottom of the pan into your soup. After a minute or two add the raw bone-in chicken breast, make sure they are covered by the liquid, bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low, cover and let the chicken cook for about an hour. (clearly this whole step could be eliminated and you could just use a rotisserie chicken but I think cooking the chicken in the soup adds to the flavor). After an hour remove the chicken from the pot, add your tomatoes, and beans, gently stir.

At this point you can cook your pasta just to al dente, do not over cook. I also am not a fan of putting raw pasta into a soup, it just soaks up too much of your good stock. So I cook mine in salted water then keep in a separate dish just until I serve. Once the chicken has cooled enough for you to handle, remove from the bones and shred to the size you want in your soup and add it back to your soup. At this point I add my zucchini and parsley then turn it to very low. I do not like 'smushy' zucchini so I add it about 5-10 minutes before we ready to eat. Use a ladle to serve it up and Enjoy! I just eat mine with a little bit of fresh grated Parm, but my kids load mozzarella on top of theirs :)

Weight Watcher Friends: This is a great soup for low points. It is so hearty and delicious! 1.5 cups only has 5points. If you add 1/4 cup of noodles to yours, add a point.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Veg-Head Three Bean Chili

I hav emade this Rachel Ray recipe before and it was great, I made this again tonight and it was just as good as I had remembered!

1T olive oil

1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped

1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1 cup pale beer or Vegtable stock

1 (32- ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 14 ounce can peteite diced tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can black beans

1 (14-ounce) can dark red kidney beans

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 can vegetarian/fat free refried beans

6 baby carrots, diced

Directions:

Over medium heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers, carrots and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Deglaze pan with beer or broth, add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stirring to combine.

Season chili with cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, and salt. Thicken chili by stirring in refried beans. Simmer over low heat about 5 to 10 minutes longer, then serve up bowls of chili and top with shredded cheese, scallions, and tomatoes.

Weight Watchers Friends: This has 6 points for a 1.5 cups. Very good!

Source: Food Network

Turkey Sausage, Kale and Bean soup

There such a chill in the air today with the wind and the rain it was the perfect day for hot soup and hot tea. This one hit the spot!

Ingredients:

1 t oil

1 package of light turkey sausage (kielbasa) sliced into rounds

1 onion, diced

5-8 baby carrots, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
two 32oz cartons chicken stock (NOT broth)
1 can beans (I usually use pinto)
2 cups of chopped Kale
Salt and fresh cracked Pepper to taste

 

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan, add the sausage cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes, I like for the sausage to get browned on each side. Then add the onions, carrots and combine for about 4 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute.  Then add the stock and be sure to scrape the good bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the beans, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes right before you are ready to eat, add the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Weight Watcher friends: 1 cup of soup is 3 points so  a large bowl (of 2 cups) is only 6 points. I add extra kale to my  bowl because I love how hardy it makes it!

My kids and husband sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of theirs :)