A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.
Sofrito Chicken Stew
2 servings
238 calories per serving
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped
Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.
Pot Roast is just a special dish – it is so homey and so inviting. I love the way the meat gets so super, super tender. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook this stove top in Dutch Oven for 2 hours at a low simmer. But if you have a pressure cooker, then definitely try this recipe in there – the pressure cooker method adds even more flavor to an already fantastic dish.
Pot Roast
4 servings
310 calories per serving
1 lb. beef round steak ½ inch thick (thin London broil), cut into 4 pieces
2 T oil
6 large carrots, in 2 inch pieces
6 small new potatoes, halved
1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 t rosemary flakes
1 t thyme flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
¾ c fat free beef broth
2 T flour
¼ c water
Heat oil in pressure cooker and brown meat on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper and then add the beef back. Pour the broth over the mix. Lock lid, bring to pressure and cook ½ hour. Quick release the pressure and remove meat and veggies to a platter and keep warm. Mix flour and water and stir into broth and cook until thickened and serve over meat.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, do this stove top in a dutch oven and for the final cooking period, cook 2 hours on a low simmer.
The broth for this soup is just perfect – it is satisfyingly creamy without being too much. The veggies are just enough. And the rice makes it really stick with you. It is a great lunch soup and reheats well. Be sure to not skip the wine and lemon juice – just the little bits make a big difference in the taste of the broth !
Creamy Chicken Rice Soup
6 servings
218 calories per serving
½ c chopped carrot
1/3 c finely chopped onion
1/3 c chopped celery
2 T butter
¼ c flour
6 c chicken broth
2 c cooked rice
1 c cubed cooked chicken
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1 c 2 % milk
2 T lemon juice
1 T white wine
Saute the carrot, onion and celery in the butter until tender then mix in flour and gradually stir in the broth. Mix in rice, chicken, salt, pepper and garlic powder and bring to a boil the reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in the milk, lemon juice and wine and cook 5 minutes or until heated through.
Tasty little meatballs in a aromatic steaming bowl of broth – this makes the whole house hungry as it cooks ! This is one of the best meatball soups I’ve made 🙂
Mini Meatball Soup
4 servings
384 calories per serving
2 t oil
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 c coleslaw mix shredded cabbage
1 ½ t oregano flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 c beef stock
2 c chicken stock
4 c water
2 T tomato paste
6 oz. lean ground beef
1 large egg
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c bread crumbs
2 T parsley, chopped
½ t garlic powder
¾ t pepper
½ t salt
½ c chopped roasted red peppers
1 c minute rice
Heat oil in a heavy soup pan and sauté mushrooms for 4 minutes. Add cabbage, 1 t oregano and half the garlic. Cook 1 minute more and then add stocks, water and tomato paste. Reduce to medium heat. Mix beef, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, 1 ½ T parsley, garlic powder. pepper, salt, the rest of the oregano and the rest of the garlic. Make meatballs using only 1 teaspoon of mix per meatball, and place them in the broth and simmer about 10 minutes or until mostly done. Add peppers, rice and rest of the parsley. Let sit 6-7 minutes.
For those that like it HOT, HOT, HOT – – this is the soup. The addition of the Spicy Hot V-8 makes for a perfect spicy base. Be sure to remember the lime splash just before serving – it makes a big difference in the flavor.
Spicy Hot Tomato Soup with Shrimp
4 servings
348 calories per serving
3 c chicken broth
2 c Spicy Hot V-8 juice
1 c Minute Rice
1 T oil
1 t minced garlic
¼ c sliced shallots
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 lime wedges
1 c chopped mushrooms
1 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix broth, juice and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil then stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté garlic and shallots for 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp, mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir shrimp and cilantro into soup. Sprinkle with lime just before serving.
It’s amazing how such a quick cook soup can produce such a flavorful broth ! The mushrooms really release all their mushroomy goodness in this one 🙂
Mushroom Soup
4 servings
140 calories per serving
1 t oil
½ c finely chopped onion
¼ c chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. slices assorted mushrooms (canned and fresh)
32 oz. fat free chicken or beef broth
1 c water
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
½ c nonfat sour cream
In large saucepan heat oil and add onion, parsley and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mushrooms, broth, water, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes then stir in sour cream and serve.
This spicy broth is a nice contrast to the mild and creamy wontons. The ricotta mixed with the spinach for the filling makes for a very creamy textured wonton center. Wontons are definitely NOT hard to make ! Give it a shot ! Even if they don’t come out quite the right shape, as long as they stay sealed, that is really all that matters 🙂 And at only 137 calories per serving, double up the portion and you still have room for some crispy homemade flat breads as a side !
Spinach Soup with Wontons
8 servings
137 calories per serving
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ c part skim ricotta cheese
1 t chopped basil ( or ¼ t basil flakes)
½ t pepper
32 wonton wrappers
4 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
2 t chili sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
½ c scallions, thinly sliced
For this recipe, be sure to use a pot that is large enough that the wontons have room and don’t get all piled on top of one another. Mix spinach, ricotta, basil and pepper in a blender until smooth. Place 1 T filling in each wonton and fold according to package instructions being sure to seal the last fold with a bit of water. Bring broth, soy and chili sauce to a boil. Add wontons and scallions and bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until wontons are tender.
Here is a video to help you lean how to prepare wontons –
I modeled this recipe after a restaurant favorite of mine – it is a wild mushroom ravioli appetizer that I could not help but order every time I frequented a certain restaurant, but the calorie count was over the top. Not this one !! Between the RICH cream sauce and the multiple mushroom flavors, this meal tastes just as decadent but with so few calories, you can eat it without any guilt.
Portobello and Ricotta Wontons
Thanks to Marxfoods.com for the wild mushrooms to create this masterpiece ! The different varieties lend quite a flavor to this dish. The dish would just not be the same using run of the mill mushrooms. The mixture of the chanterelles and matsutakes inside the little packet of goodness combined with the flavors of the porcini, lobster and black trumpet mushroom sauce … well, it’s just a little bit of heaven right here on earth.
Marxfoods offers a bunch of wild mushroom varieties – I think my favorite in this dish were the black trumpet mushrooms – they have a very delicate texture and the aroma is akin to a truffle. These are definitely on my list of favorites.
8 appetizer servings (3 wontons each) – 106 calories per serving
4 dinner servings (6 wontons each – 212 calories per serving
Filling –
1 t oil
4 shallots, sliced
¼ c water
2 oz. reconstituted dry chanterelle mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. reconstituted dry matsutake mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
2 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1/3 c part skim ricotta cheese
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the shallots on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 T of water if needed to keep the shallots moist. Add the reconstituted mushroom and sauté another 2 minutes. Finally add the Portobello mushrooms and sauté another 7 minutes. When done, place all in a food processor and pulse 14 times. (It’s best to chop or mince the woodier mushrooms like chanterelles and matsutakes). Turn into a bowl and mix with the ricotta. Set aside.
Sauce –
1 t oil
1.5 oz. reconstituted dry porcini mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.25 oz. reconstituted dry black trumpet mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
.50 oz. reconstituted dry lobster mushrooms (reserve the liquid)
1 T water
1 c beef broth
2 t cornstarch
¼ c fat free evaporated milk
1 t red vinegar
To reconstitute dried wild mushroom, place in a glass bowl and cover with very hot water. Let sit 20-30 minutes. Reserve the water to use as when boiling the wontons.
Heat 1 t oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms 6 minutes. Add up to 1 T of water to keep the mixture moist. Mix starch and broth and add to the pan along with the evaporated milk. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes to thicken the sauce. During the last minute of cooking, add the vinegar. Set aside.
Wontons –
24 wonton wrappers
Small bowl of water
Reserved mushroom liquid
Water
2 t salt
Put reserved liquid in a pot and add enough water to make 2 quarts. Add salt and bring to a boil.
Fill wontons with 1 T of the filling – – either use instructions on the back of the wonton package or watch this short video tutorial:
Complete all wontons then boil in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to lift the wontons out of the pot – put on a platter and cover with the sauce.
A simple and hearty soup that tastes delicious. It’s a very versatile recipe – add some veggies, small pasta or extra spices to easily change it up. But don’t skip the ham – that is what really give it the great flavor 🙂
Ham and Bean Soup
6 servings
273 calories per serving
15.5 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
4 c fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 c diced extra lean ham (you can also use Canadian bacon)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t chili powder
¼ t pepper
¼ t salt
½ t onion powder
Combine all and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook 15 – 20 minutes or until soup is slightly thickened.
Since your carbs and veggies are together in one dish, this recipe is a great side dish to complete a fish or chicken dish. It has just the right amount of veggies and a lovely mild flavor.
Rice and Veggies
6 servings
147 calories per serving
1 T oil
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped carrots
1/2 c chopped celery
½ c chopped red peppers
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 ½ c Minute white rice, raw
1 c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in skillet and sauté onions, carrots, celery, peppers, salt and pepper for 7 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil and stir in the rice and peas. Cover and simmer 5 minutes then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes so liquid is absorbed.
