Creamy Pumpkin Tomato Soup

Price Chopper was having a sale on canned pumpkin. So, I bought a couple of cans. I read in the paper this summer that if you have a cat with a hairball problems you should mix some pumpkin in with their food. Yeah, that worked (completely sarcastic)... so I have lots of canned pumpkin. I was going to make a pumpkin pie wonton thing, but why kill myself for something only I will eat. So, I thought of a better way to "hide" pumpkin! Soup!

So this is what I did:

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 30 oz can of pumpkin
1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
4 tablespoons of honey
8 cups of turkey (or chicken) stock
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
1 can evaporated fat free milk
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Spray a stock pot with non-stick spray. Add onions and garlic. Cook until translucent. De-glaze with white wine (I know - we had some Pinot Grigo left). Cook for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, tomato sauce, turkey stock, honey, Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Add milk, red pepper flakes, adjust seasoning with some salt and pepper.

Enjoy!! 1-1/2 cup = 144 calories and 4.9 grams of fat

For an extra, special, holiday touch... serve with a tablespoon of crème fraiche in each bowl - it's like a thick and creamy sour cream. It's totally loaded with fat and calories, but, heck it's the holidays :)

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

I have a new iphone. I have a gazillion food applications. My favorite one is the Weight Watches app. I found these cookies! One point! So, I decide to make them! One of the ingredients is coconut oil. I KNOW Price Chopper does not carry coconut oil. So my sister and I go to the new Whole Foods in West Hartford (my new favorite store - you should see their ready to eat bar!). $10.00 later we are walking out with 12 oz of coconut oil. Now, I have to find what I can make with the 11.5 oz I have left :)!

Vegan Chocolate Coconut CookiesMakes 3 dozen cookies
Adapted from Weight Watchers

1½ cups all purpose flour2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt1 cup granulated sugar1/3 cup coconut oil1 tsp vanilla extract¾ cup hot water, divided1 cup dried, shredded sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar, oil and vanilla until blended. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the water and beat until smooth. Add the coconut, remaining water and flour mixture and continue beating until everything is combined. The dough will appear very sticky.

Using a cookie scoop, arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before serving, eating, or storing in Tupperware.
Read more at http://takeabiteoutofboca.com/2013/12/vegan-chocolate-coconut-cookies-for-fbcookieswap.html#thK2hFTvGVKksZ7f.99

Strawberry French Toast

As I walk Sammy I always think about what would be good for breakfast. It's Sunday, I have time! Man, French Toast would be great, I will make that when we get back. Open the fridge, get out the eggs and bread, start looking for the milk... sugar! we have no milk! What other dairy product could I use instead... sour cream?? gross! Lite and Fit Strawberry Yogurt? yes! Separated the eggs (I only eat the whites) used a 1/2 of container of the yogurt, blended into the whites. And I had sweet and kinda crunchy (I used multi-grain bread) yummy French Toast!

Here is the recipe:
2 slices of multi grain bread
2 egg whites
1/2 container of Lite and Fit Strawberry Yogurt

Heat pan
Separate Eggs
Mix in yogurt
Spray pan with no-stick spray
Cook until golden

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

This is a combination of two recipes. One from 400 soups and one from allrecipes.com. Lunch for the week :)

Here it goes:

1 large sweet potato
12 oz package of corn
1 cup diced celery
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 large red onion
3 cups vegetable broth
1 chili
1/2 red pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of cumin
1/2 cup of evaporated fat free milk
2 tablespoons good olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop sweet potato, 1/2 onion and carrots. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes until sweet potato is tender.
While potatoes are roasting. Coat the bottom of a soup pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add diced onion, chili, red pepper, garlic, and celery. Cook at med low heat until onion is translucent. Stir in the roasted sweet potatoes and corn. Add broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove 1/2 of the vegetables and set aside. Puree the veggies in the pot until creamy. Add milk, return vegetables to the pot. Top with Mexican Chili Powder and serve!!

serves 10 - 1 cup
calories 143
3.3 grams fat
4 grams fiber