Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup (Light)

With temperatures dropping to a mere 20 degrees this week, I was moved to make a toasty soup for dinner last night. And with the recent holidays, both Ryan and I have had the urge to eat a little healthier this week. Here's an easy and light version of a baked potato and broccoli soup. Top it off with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, a little turkey bacon, and some green onions. Yummy and guilt-free! I've included the recipe and nutritional information below. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
• 3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1 (8-ounce) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese (for garnish)
• fully cooked turkey bacon pieces (for garnish)
• chopped green onions (for garnish)

 Instructions

1. Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.
2. Combine remaining chicken broth, potato, broccoli, and onion in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.
3. Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and soup is warm. Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.
   
   Note: Use freshly shredded cheese (versus the preshredded variety) for additional creaminess and even melting. I also added some salt and pepper for additional flavor.

Yield: Makes 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Calories: 223 (per serving)
Fat: 7.9 g (per serving)

Chicken Broccoli Roll (Yum!)

Last night I made this chicken broccoli roll for dinner, a recipe courtesy of Pampered Chef. One word: YUM! And the fabulous thing about these Pampered Chef "roll" recipes is that anything can go into them. I considered making a Reuben Roll (with corned beef, sauerkraut, and so on). Maybe next time. I've included the recipe for this delicious dish below: You know you want to make it.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. cooked chicken, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls (8 oz. each)
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Chop chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper and place into mixing bowl. Add garlic, cheese, and mayonnaise into bowl. Mix well.
3. Unroll the two packages of crescent rolls; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle on a large round stone with wide ends 4 inches from edge of baking stone (points will extend off the edge of the baking stone; put a large canned good under the stone to elevate it).
4. Using a large scoop, scoop filling evenly over center of dough in a continuous circle.
5. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under dough at center to form a ring (filling will show).
6. Brush egg white over dough.
7. Sprinkle with almonds. Baked 25-28 minutes or until deep golden brown.

To lighten it up a bit, I used reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls, 2% cheddar cheese, and a reduced fat mayonnaise. I also used Perdue Short Cuts precooked chicken in order to save a little time. Great weeknight meal! The only problem with this recipe is that your husband may eat half the roll in one sitting. :)