Make wishtv.com your home page

Comforting Soups to help you get through winter

Comforting Soups to help you get through winter

Feeling the winter blues? Need some warmth to help get you through?

In our kitchen today, Michelle Dudash, RDN, Registered Dietitian, Chef and Author of Clean Eating for Busy Families, shares TWO soup recipes: A Hearty Broccoli Cheddar and Yukon Gold Potato Soup and a Chicken Tortilla Soup!

Registered dietitian and chef Michelle Dudash is here with her comforting soup recipes to help you get through winter. Here’s more:

Both recipes today are from Michelle’s book, “Clean Eating for Busy Families.”

Enjoy Hearty Broccoli Cheddar Soup without all of the saturated fat. Michelle lightens up what is typically a heavy soup by pureeing creamy gold potatoes and just a touch of butter, in place of heavy cream and lots of butter. The result is a silky, creamy soup.

  1. Yukon Gold Potatoes or Gold Potatoes are a good substitution for butter and heavy cream in recipes, since they have a buttery color and taste. They are great in mashed potatoes, too.

Puree the soup, while leaving half of the broccoli in whole florets, to keep the soup chunky and satisfying.

  1. Make Michelle’s Chicken Tortilla Soup in just 30 Minutes!
    With the help of Michelle Dash Dinners Taco Spice Kits.

Brown boneless chicken thighs or breasts on one side. Add 1 Dash Dinners Taco Spice Kit, 1 (15-oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes, 1 can rinsed and drained pinto beans, and 3 cups chicken broth. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Ladle over broken tortilla chips, if you wish, and sprinkle with your favorite toppings, like avocado, lime juice, and cilantro.

Hearty Broccoli Cheddar & Yukon Gold Potato Soup

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or butter, or half of each
1 small onion, thinly sliced (about a cup)
1 small leak, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, using white and light green parts only (about 1 cup)
1 stalk celery, sliced (about 2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic, sliced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (about 2 cups)
4 cups organic or reduced sodium vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups bite-size broccoli florets, divided
1 cup low-fat milk
2 cups reduced fat shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
2 cups whole-grain croutons, for topping

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add oil and butter. After butter melts and begins to bubble, add onion, leek, celery, and garlic. Sauté until translucent, reducing heat as needed to prevent browning, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 7 minutes. Add 3 cups of broccoli and simmer until potatoes and broccoli are fork-tender. Discard bay leaf, add milk, and remove from heat.

Ladle soup into a blender and puree for 1 minute until smooth. Add soup back to the pot and add remaining 3 cups of broccoli. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium-low until broccoli is tender. Sprinkle in 1 1/2 cups of cheese and stir until melted.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and croutons. Chill leftover for up to 3 days.

Total Prep and Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings, 1 cup each (with 1/4 cup croutons and 1 rounded tablespoon cheese)

Per Serving: 374 calories; 15 g total fat; 20 g protein; 42 g carbohydrate; 7 g dietary fiber; 32 mg cholesterol

To learn more, visit www.dashdinners.com.