no-cream crab chowder

this week while babysitting i started flipping through the February edition of Coastal Living. the featured food section was guilt-free beach eats.there were several great recipes, but with winter still lingering in seattle the chowder became first on my list to try. yesterday i came home to the aroma of soup simmering in the crock-pot- a smell i never get sick of!  


i adapted the recipe slightly to accommodate my taste buds and prevent a trip to the grocery store. i used crab rather than clams and prosciutto instead of bacon. this simple, healthy chowder is delicious. the starch from the potatoes makes the soup extra creamy even though you substitute reduced-fat milk for heavy cream. and the exciting part...a 2 cup serving is only 330 calories!

Ingredients (Serves 4):
1 can lump crab meat
2 slices of prosciutto, chopped (bacon works too)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 C. chicken stock
1 C. frozen whole kernel corn
6-8 red potatoes, quartered
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried thyme
3 C. 1% milk
3 T. flour
1 bay leaf


Directions:
Chop carrots, onion, and celery. 
Cook prosciutto in a pan until crisp. Reserve any of the grease from the prosciutto.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat and add the carrot, onion, and celery for approximately 5 minutes, or until tender. 

Add chicken stock, quartered red potatoes, corn, and seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes or until potatoes become tender.

While you are waiting for the potatoes to turn tender whisk together the milk and flour in a small bowl. 


Transfer everything from the saucepan into a crock-pot (optional) and add lump crab meat, prosciutto, and milk mixture. Leave on low until you are ready to eat or if you are still using your saucepan, until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

french onion soup

its  pretty obvious all this cold weather is getting to me. i am on a soup kick. but i promise you will really like this one. 


this weekend i went to Costco with my mom. while we were in the produce section i saw a huge bag of onions for $3.75!! onions are essential in most recipes so i couldn't resist the large quantity for such a good price. before returning home french onion soup was on my mind...its one of my favorites! again this is a really easy meal and really cheap. 

Ingredients:
2 large onions
2 T. butter
1 t. sugar
1 t. worcestershire sauce
32 oz. container of beef broth
1/2 C. white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf of french bread
gruyere/cheddar cheese


Directions:
Peel and slice onions into thin circles or semi circles.
Melt 2 T. of butter in a medium size pot
Add onion, sugar, and garlic. Cook onions until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, the onions will shrink down a lot.

Add 30 oz. of beef broth (almost the whole container), worcestershire sauce and 1/2 C. of wine. Let simmer for 40 minutes. 

Ladle soup into bowls. Slice bread. Place bread on top and then cover with grated cheese.

Place bowls on baking sheet and broil until cheese is bubbly and the bread is turning golden brown, about 4 minutes (make sure to keep an eye on it).

Price List/Shopping Tip:
french bread  baguette (Safeway- $1.79, beef broth (under $2), onions (under $2), white wine (Trader Joe's- under $3), *gruyere/white cheddar cheese (Trader Joe's- $4.61)

specialty cheese is much cheaper at Trader Joe's

    

curry soup with chickpeas

after finishing two midterms today and with snow in the forecast i began craving my idea of comfort food...soup. in an attempt to stay within my food budget for the month i went through my pantry to see what i had on hand. chickpeas. spinach. 1 onion. garlic. 1 bell pepper. 


so naturally, i began exploring cooking blogs for ideas. i came across a curry soup recipe on Eats Well with Others and adapted it slighlty. even though i did not avoid the grocery store completely i was able to keep dinner very inexpensive. i swung by Trader Joe's for 1 can of light coconut milk (.99) and quinoa ($3.99). it was totally worth the stop. this recipe serves 6 so i froze half and put another serving in the refrigerator for my lunch tomorrow. im obsessed with this meal! its healthy and bursting with flavor.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 C. quinoa
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
1 T. red pepper flakes
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 C. vegetable broth
1 T. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb spinach
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk 


Directions:
Cook quinoa (i used a rice cooker). 
Chop the onion and bell pepper. Heat 2 T. of olive oil. Satay onion and pepper in the oil. Cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir consistently for about 1 minute. 
Add the broth, chickpeas, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for app. 10 minutes.

Add spinach and stir until wilted.

Add 1 can of light coconut milk and the cooked quinoa. Cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Add seasoning to taste. I added a pinch more curry powder and salt. 

Serve Warm!