Hi,
Here's the basic soup recipe I promised:
Creamy Any Vegetable Soup
Recipe By : Linda Sprinkle
Serving Size : 8
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 pound frozen and/or fresh vegetables -- thawed and drained
1 medium onion, scallions, leek, shallots -- minced (optional)
1 clove garlic -- minced (optional)
1 pinch olive oil spray -- (optional)
4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 pinch salt -- to taste
1 pinch pepper -- to taste
1 pinch herbs, spices, condiments, flavorings -- to taste
1. Saute onions and garlic, if using in a large saucepan sprayed with oil. For a flavor variation, some or all of the veggies also may be sauteed.
2. Add remaining vegetables, any desired seasonings, and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3. If you want a totally creamy soup, puree all of the soup in the blender. Or use a stick blender right in the pot. If you want the soup thick and creamy, but still want vegetable chunks, puree half of the veggies. To use a stick blender, remove half of the veggies and puree the rest of the soup. Then add the chunks back to the pot.
4. Add the milk. If the soup has cooled too much, heat gently over low heat for a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
NOTES : This basic recipe can also be used as a main dish by adding beef, ham, chicken, turkey, beans, lentils, cooked pasta or rice, and/or other cooked grains. Beans, small pastas (like orzo), rice, or potatoes also make the soup thicker without the addition of cream. Another way to make a great soup is to pour beaten eggs into the soup while you stir it in one direction to make threads of egg. Most people know it as an Asian recipe called "Egg Drop Soup", but it's also commonly made in Italy. It was one of my grandmother's recipes that I loved as a child.
Obviously, the point count varies depending on what you put in it, so when I make variations, I keep them in a file on MasterCook with the point count and serving size. I created a cookbook called "Point Counts" that just lists the ingredients and the point counts for food I make without a written recipe.
Copyright:
"2001"
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Thanks, Lauren. I have a suggestion that might help with your annual tummy issue. I've recently been recreating some of my recipes to omit part of the meat and adding some beans. I've also been using a couple of tablespoons of beans in salads a few times each week. And I've been eating more oatmeal and using more whole grains in my baking, etc. I'm doing this because it fills me up more and is a healthier way to eat. But I wonder if you try using more beans and vegetarian dishes throughout the year and if you taper off meat and dairy gradually before Lent and reintroduce them gradually at Easter your tummy might not react so strongly.
It's so great to hear about your exercise program. I know how you've struggled with exercise over the years. It's great to hear you say that you're starting to look forward to your workouts. Congratulations!
I'm still OP. It's taking a lot of work to stay OP, though. My family seems to be going through one of those inexplicable changes in their appetites that cause my well-laid plans to go awry. Sometimes I plan for leftovers and they eat the whole thing. So I make more. Then they leave it sit for days and days and I end up throwing out perfectly good food. There's no predicting it either. It's not particular recipes that they gobble up or leave. Often it's the same one. It just depends on their appetite at the time. So, I spend a lot of time adjusting my meal plans to accommodate what food happens to be available. I'm beginning to see why it's so hard for me to stay OP when I'm working or going to school. I just don't have the time to tweak my plan, do extra cooking, etc.
OTOH--I seem to do better with exercising when I'm working or going to school. I walk a lot more. This neighborhood is boring compared with my old neighborhood. The mall near my house is not very interesting. They don't even have a decent bookstore. They have two of them, but they're both really small and have a very limited selection of stuff to look at. The rest of the mall is clothing stores and fast food stuff. YUCK! Anyway, it's not a place I'm attracted to walking around. I'm looking forward to when they open the pool and I can swim. It's actually large enough to do laps, which is a real change from any other apartment complex I've lived in.
This new forum has a much better clue that the thread has gone over into multiple pages. Do you prefer that I continue to change threads when we get to 2 pages? Or ? I'd love an opinion on how often to switch to a new thread.
Happy turtlin'!
Lin
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