As the weather gets cooler, warm up with this low-fat Sweet Potato Bisque from registered dietitian, Tina at The Voice of Reason.

From Tina: This soup is so silky and satisfying; you’ll want to add it to your repertoire.  Not to mention the sweet potato is a good source of nutrition.

1 T canola oil
1 cup chopped white onion
2 t thyme
½ t cinnamon
½ t allspice
½ t salt
½ t black pepper
1 T sugar
1 lbs sweet potatoes (about 4 small), scrubbed, peeled and cut into small dice
4 c chicken broth or stock
1 c evaporated whole milk
½ c fat free half ‘n’ half

In a large stock pot, heat the oil.  Add the onion, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, salt, pepper and sugar.  Saute the mixture until the onions are soft and golden, about 7 minutes.  Add the sweet potatoes, stock, milk and half ‘n’ half, and cook at a low boil for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.  Remove bisque from the heat and puree the soup until silky.  This can be done in a food processor or blender.  First, strain the soup and puree the solids, adding the soup a little bit at a time until the entire batch is smooth.)

Yield: 6, 8-ounce servings
About 200 calories per serving

Go to The Voice of Reason to learn about the nutritional goodness of sweet potatoes, how to pick the best ones, and how to store them. You’ll also find helpful information from Tina about food issues, healthy eating, cooking and nutrition.

[Recipe re-printed with permission]

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Rich, earthy flavors make this quick-cooking soup a welcome treat after a day outdoors. Prep tip: Make ahead and reheat, or prepare ingredients the night before and toss in a pot at the end of the day for asatisfying soup in 15 minutes. Serving tip: Serve with whole-grain cornbread and hot green tea.

Recipe courtesy of Delicious Living magazine.
Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium mushroom or vegetable stock or broth
1 4- to 6-inch piece kombu (a dried sea vegetable)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon miso
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 cups sliced fresh or rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (about 8 ounces), stems removed
4 green onions, sliced
¾ cup sliced celery
1 4- to 5-ounce package baby spinach leaves
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
Combine stock or broth, kombu, ginger, miso, and soy sauce in a Dutch oven or large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms, onions, celery, and spinach. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, mash black beans with a fork or potato masher. Add to pot and simmer for 2 minutes more or until heated through. Remove kombu before serving.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 203 cal, 3% fat cal, 1g fat, 0g sat fat, 0mg chol, 9g protein, 35g carb, 9g fiber, 794mg sodium

[Reprinted with permission]

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Come in from the cold and warm up with this tasty stew! Skinless chicken and cornmeal dumplings made with low-fat milk make it healthier.

*Ingredients*

For the stew:
1 lb chicken meat, skinless, boneless, and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
¼ tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 pinch ground cloves
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dried basil
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas

For the cornmeal dumplings:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk, low-fat (1%)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

*Directions*

For the stew:
1. Place chicken, onion, carrot, celery, salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaf, and water into a large saucepan. Heat to boiling; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about ½ hour or until chicken is tender.
2. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Strain broth.
3. Skim fat from broth; measure and, if necessary, add water to make 3 cups of liquid.
4. Mix cornstarch with 1 cup cooled broth by shaking vigorously in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
5. Pour into saucepan with remaining broth; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
6. Add basil, peas, and reserved vegetables to sauce; stir to combine.
7. Add chicken and heat slowly to boiling while preparing cornmeal dumplings.

For the dumplings:
1. Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix together milk and oil. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients; stir just enough to moisten flour and to evenly distribute liquid. Dough will be soft.
3. Drop by full tablespoons on top of braised meat or stew. Cover tightly; heat to boiling. Reduce heat (do not lift cover) to simmering and steam about 20 minutes.

Makes: 6 servings
Serving size: 1¼ cups stew with 2 dumplings

Each serving provides:
Calories: 301
Total fat: 6 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Sodium: 471 mg
Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 24 g
Carbohydrate: 37 g
Potassium: 409 mg

Recipe courtesy of: A Healthier You, Department of Health and Human Services

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When the cooler temperatures hit, I hit the soup – one of my favorite meals in the fall and winter. This recipe – first seen on Belief.net – comes to us from Janice Taylor, author of the fantasticly funny, offbeat, and unique book, All is Forgiven, Move On – Our Lady of Weight Loss’s 101 Fat-Burning Steps on Your Journey to Sveltsville.

Leeky Chicken Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 medium leeks, trimmed, sliced, and well-washed (approx. 2 cups)
2 large baking potatoes, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (There are some great brands now that are organic and low-sodium.)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat.
2. Add the leeks, potatoes and carrots.
3. Sauté until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you feel that you need more oil, try adding a bit of water instead.)
4. Add the parsley, broth, salt, and pepper.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 40 minutes or until tender.

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Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp celery, finely diced
2 Tbsp onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp green pepper, finely diced
1 package 10 oz)frozen whole kernel corn
1 C raw potatoes, peeled, diced in ½ -inch pieces
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 C water
¼ tsp salt
To taste black pepper
¼ tsp paprika
2 Tbsp flour
2 C low fat or skim milk

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add onion, and sautee over moderate heat 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except fish.
3. Stir well and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.
4. Arrange fish in 10×6-inch baking dish; cover with sauce.
5. Bake, uncovered, at 375º F about 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Makes: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup
Each serving provides: Calories: 186, Saturated fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 5 mg, Sodium: 205 mg, Total fat: 5 g, Total fiber: 4 g, Protein: 7 g, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Potassium: 455 mg

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

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