BAKED POTATO SOUP

I love potato soup but usually make it the traditional way. Baked Potato Soup is different. It's supposed to taste like a loaded baked potato.

A recipe from cookingcache.com got me started. First, I halved the recipe, then I increased the chicken broth, decreased the milk and subbed some Neufchatel cheese for the sour cream (because I didn't have any sour cream). Actually, I kind of remade the recipe.

My version is low-er fat, but it's not low on flavor. This soup is rich, creamy and delicious with hearty flavors. A real keeper -- my new favorite potato soup. It's not at all hard to make. And did I mention that my fussy hubby loved it, too?

Baked Potato Soup

Adapted from cookingcache.com

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 2 very large baking potatoes

2 Tbsp. Smart Balance Buttery Spread

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 Tbsp. Neufchatel cheese

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup fat-free half and half (Land o'Lakes recommended)

3-4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup (2-1/2 oz.) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

2 green onions with green tops, chopped

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Prick potatoes with a fork or knife. Bake in 400F oven for 1 hour or till potatoes are cooked through and soft inside; cool slightly. Remove skins and cut potatoes into chunks; set aside.

In 2 or 3-quart heavy pot, saute the onions in SB over medium heat till transparent. Stir in the Neufchatel cheese, followed by the flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth as you continue stirring to make the mixture smooth. Mash about 1 cup of the potatoes and add to the broth with remaining potatoes. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. Add half and half, crumbled bacon, and cheese and just heat through but do not bring to a boil. Garnish soup with green onions and parsley. Yield: 3-4 servings

ELVIS' SANDWICH AS A PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE

Elvis' favorite sandwich supposedly was peanut butter and banana, sometimes with bacon. The King's favorite sandwich lives on in this cookie. Go with your gut --not your head -- on this one; the combination of peanut butter, bacon and bananas really is delicious. The cookie is tender and moist, thanks to the bananas and low ratio of flour, and the bacon is just a subtle undertone, not the dominant player. This would make a great breakfast or snack cookie since it has protein, fruit and legumes. I made a 1/2 recipe, printed below.

Elvis Cookies

Source: New Bern Sun Journal, 11/19/08

Rating: 8 out of 10

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/2 egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)

2 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup crispy cooked, then crumbled, bacon (about 3 strips)

1/4 cup diced firm banana (about 1/2 banana)

Heat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter and sugars, beating well till smooth. (Mix by hand or with electric mixer.) Beat in egg till smooth. Sprinkle the flour and baking soda over the peanut butter mixture; stir in. The dough will stiffen up, but don't worry. Gently mix in the bananas and bacon, trying not to mash the bananas.

Using slightly wet hands, roll level tablespoonsful of dough into balls and place on baking sheets, leaving about 2" between them. Dip the tines of a fork into water, then use it to flatten the cookies until they are about 2" around. Bake about 11-12 minutes. They won't look done, but take them out any way. Cool on the baking sheet 2 minutes, then remove with metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Yield: about 13 cookies

MARTHA STEWART'S SWEET-POTATO BISCUITS

The next time Wal-Mart has sweet potatoes for $.17/lb (probably in November), buy a bunch. Bake them in the oven, scoop out the pulp and freeze it in 1/2 cup measures. Then you'll be ready for all kinds of sweet potato recipes, such as this one.

I'm not a huge biscuit fan. Oh, I like them just fine. It's my hips that don't. Biscuits are loaded with fat -- that's why they're so tender and delicious. But these are a bit lower in fat and are still light, fluffy, tender and, yes, delicious.

This is a great recipe that can be enjoyed all year round. It makes up quickly and easily, no fuss, no muss. Martha made hers plain, but I added raisins. I ate one biscuit at tea time in the afternoon, then froze the rest. The next morning I took one out of the freezer when I got up, wrapped it in tinfoil and placed it in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes and had it with scrambled eggs. (If you're a microwave fan, you could nuke it, but the texture changes, and you're destroying all food cells.)

Martha Stewart's Sweet-Potato Biscuits, Adapted

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup canned or fresh-cooked sweet potatoes, drained and mashed, chilled

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 cup raisins

1-3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (my addition)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

6 Tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces + 2 tsp. melted butter

Heat oven to 425F, and place oven rack on bottom third of oven. Spray an 8" cake pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In medium bowl, combine first three ingredients; set aside.

In work bowl of food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, & baking soda. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse several times, in quick, short motions, to incorporate until butter is size of small peas. Do not overprocess -- you should be able to see bits of butter. Add the sweet potato mixture all at once and process again in quick, short motions until a dough forms.

With floured hands, take dough out of work bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into a 7" round. Cut out circles with a 2" cutter and gently push ends of dough in so that re-rolling will not be necessary. Lay the circles of dough in the pan -- you should get about 7 (6 around the outside edges and one in the middle). Brush tops with melted butter. Bake until golden, 18 - 22 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in center returns clean.

NONNA'S LEMON RICOTTA BISCUITS, ADAPTED

I can no longer call these Lemon Ricotta Biscuits, because the changes I made have altered the predominant flavor. It's not lemon any more-- it's almond. So I'm renaming these wonderful little muffins to reflect that fact. I used some almond meal for part of the flour; and, instead of using all-purpose flour, I used white whole wheat. I also subbed Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend for the butter and subbed stevia for half of the sugar, making these gems a bit more nutritious... which is good, because I intend to eat them all up. The almond flavor is intense in these moist, dense scone-like muffins. I added some frozen blueberries to half and made half plain, and I like them both ways. Finally, I've finished them off with a delicious almond-oat streusel that brings them over the top. This recipe is a keeper and one that I'll definitely make again and again. P. S. You can find the original recipe on Food Network's website.

Additional notes: If you want to make these with almond meal, but don't have any, just throw some almonds in your food processor, blender or coffee mill and grind away.

Almond-Ricotta Muffins

Adapted 1/2 Recipe from Food Network

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend

1/2 cup sugar (I subbed Stevia for half)

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

1/2 egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.)

2 Tbsp. fat-free half and half or milk

1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. almond extract

2 Tbsp. almond meal + enough white whole wheat flour to equal 1 cup

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 400F.

In medium microwaveable bowl, heat the SB on high till it melts, about 45 seconds. Cool slightly. Add sugar and beat well with wire whip. Add ricotta, egg, half and half, lemon juice and almond extract and beat well till thoroughly combined and smooth. In small bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients and stir well to thoroughly mix. Add all at once to wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. (Add frozen, fresh or dried fruit if desired.) Divide batter equally among 6 muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Crumb Topping: 1 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend

2 Tbsp. sliced almonds

2 Tbsp. oats

1 Tbsp. white whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

In small microwaveable bowl, melt the SB on high about 25 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients with fork till everything is mixed together. Divide topping equally among 6 muffins, pressing into tops slightly.

Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake about 20 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 6 muffins

BLACK BEAN 'N OLIVE SALSA

Just because it's winter time, and there are no decent fresh tomatoes in sight, doesn't mean you can't make salsa. How about starting with a purchased plain salsa and dressing it up? That's exactly what Kraft Foods did in this wonderful recipe that I got from their website. This is not a juicy salsa, but the flavors blend beautifully, and I find myself going back for more. The original recipe calls for Taco Bell Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, but I used Sam's Choice Thick 'N Chunky Medium, which I believe is the generic version of the Taco Bell salsa. It comes in mild, medium and hot. The medium is quite spicy and, when the extra ingredients were added, I found it to be just right -- a little heat, but not too much. (Of course, this is individual preference. If you like it nice and hot, then start out with the hot salsa; if you don't like heat in your salsa, then start out with the mild salsa.) I used fresh corn and cooked it before I scraped it off the cob. I added 2 green onions, finely chopped, and I increased the lime juice just slightly. This is a quick and easy recipe, high on my list to make again.

Black Bean 'n Olive Salsa

Adapted from kraftfoods.com

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed and divided

1 jar (16 oz.) TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Thick 'n Chunky Salsa (I subbed Sam's Choice

Thick 'n Chunky Salsa, Medium.)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted black olives

1/2 cup whole kernel corn (I subbed 2 ears fresh corn, cooked, then scraped off cob)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 tsp. fresh lime juice (I used 1 Tbsp.)

Mash 1/2 cup of the bean in medium bowl with fork. Add remaining ingredients, including remainder of beans; mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors.

BAKED FLOUNDER WITH TOMATO SHRIMP SAUCE

In Eastern North Carolina, where I live, fresh seafood is abundant year round. We're spoiled. There's really no reason to buy frozen here. The shrimp sauce for this recipe is delicious and would be great over pasta. It was good over the fish, but I tasted the shrimp sauce and not the flounder. Flounder has a delicate, mild flavor. And when It's fresh, you want to taste it in all its delicate deliciousness. Covering it with a sauce, no matter how good, is superfluous, to say the least. If I had to rate the components of this recipe, I'd give the flounder 10 out of 10 and the sauce 10 out of 10; but together, they get only a 7.5 out of 10. Live and learn.

There was one portion left over, and I heated it up the next day for lunch. Not in the microwave. I use that monster as little as possible. Did you know that microwaving your food totally destroys all nutrients and changes the cellular structure? I heated the fish in a small frypan. It actually tasted better reheated than when it was fresh. But I still couldn't taste the flounder.

Baked Flounder with Tomato Shrimp Sauce

Source: Judy's Kitchen

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 3 plum tomatoes, halved

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves grated garlic

1/4 cup dry white wine, drinking quality

1/8 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/8 tsp. dried basil, crushed

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 lb. peeled and deveined small shrimp

1/4 cup fat-free half and half (or cream if you con't care about calories)

2-3 pieces of fresh flounder

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375F. Place plum tomatoes, cut sides down, on a pie plate that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the oil. Bake 20-30 minutes, or till tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Peel tomatoes and cut into pieces. Pour the juice into a skillet and cook the onions in it on medium for a few minutes, till transparent. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add wine and herbs and let it sizzle. Add chicken broth, bring to a low boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes to develop flavors. In the meantime, pat flounder dry with paper towels; place in the pie plate and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes, or till tender and meat flakes when pierced with a fork. Add shrimp to skillet and cook quickly, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in half and half. Place one piece of flounder on each plate; top with some shrimp sauce; sprinkle with chopped parsley. Yield: 2-3 servings

INA GARTEN'S CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES, ADAPTED LOWER-FAT VERSION

A few weeks ago, I made Ina Garten's Cranberry Orange Scones in all their full-fat glory. They were light and delicate with a richness that can only come from butter and heavy cream. But I wanted to see if they could be as good without so much fat. I used fat-free half and half instead of cream, but still used all the butter, so they still have a lot of fat. The recipe below is 1/4 of the original version, producing seven 3" scones.  Next time, I'll try cutting back on some of the butter to make them even lower in fat.



Ina Garten's Cranberry Orange Scones, Adapted Lower-Fat Version
Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. sugar, divided use
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. orange zest
6 Tbsp. cold or frozen butter (3/4 stick)cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. fat-free half and half, divided use
1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or dried mixed berries)
1/4 cup toasted broken pecans
Heat the oven to 400F. In work bowl of food processor, combine flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest; pulse briefly to distribute ingredients. Add butter and pulse with quick, short motions till butter is size of small peas. Do not overprocess; you should still see bits of butter throughout. In small cup or bowl, whisk egg, 1/4 cup H&H and OJ concentrate. Add to flour mixture with the fruit and nuts and pulse again with quick, short motions, just till combined and dough forms. Scoop out the dough, which may be sticky, and place it on a floured surface. With floured hands, pat the dough into a round, 1" high. Cut with 2-3/8" diameter round cutter. You will have "tail ends" of the dough (see photo).
Just push the "tail ends" in towards the dough and cut again. If you do this with all your cuts, you won't have to reroll the dough.
The less you handle the dough, the more tender and delicate your scones will be.
Place the scones on parchment-lined baking pan. In small cup or bowl, combine remaining 3 Tbsp. H&H and 2 Tbsp. sugar and brush the mixture over the scones. (The sugar will enable the scones to brown nicely while baking and create a crisp crust.) Bake the scones for 12-15 minutes. (You can test them with a toothpick to see if they are done; be sure you don't overbake them.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool. If desired you can drizzle them with a mixture of 1/4 cup 10X sugar and 2-3 Tbsp. orange juice. I left mine plain.
Yield: seven 3" scones