Ingredients:
* 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
* 1/3 cup diced celery
* 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
* 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
* 3 1/4 cups water
* 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
* 5 tablespoons butter
* 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
Preparations:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
* 1 pound Italian sausage
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
* 1 cup sliced carrots
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
* 2 small zucchini, cubed
* 2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3. Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.
Footnotes
Enjoy with an Italian red wine like Chianti Classico.
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
* 1 cup milk
Direction:
1. In a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add basil, paprika and garlic powder. Stir in soup and milk until well blended. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes or until heated through.
Footnotes:
Nutrition Facts: One 1-cup serving (prepared with margarine, low-fat soup and fat-free milk) equals 214 calories, 8 g fat (0 saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 696 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 6 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat.
