Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

I like this recipe because I usually have all the ingredients on hand. It is a warm and cozy meal, but low in fat and easy to make.

Ingredients:
8 oz boneless skinless chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
3 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. coat pan with cooking spray. add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and ingredients through bay leaf to pan; saute 5 min or until onion is tender. return chicken to pan; bring mixture to a boil. cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 min.
Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by the teaspoonful into broth mixture; sitting the batter on top of the pieces of chicken (not submerging). Cover and simmer for 10 min or until dumplings are done. Discard parsley and bay leaf. yield: 2 servings of 2 cups each.

Note: i usually double the dumpling portion because i like lots of dumplings with mine.

Cheeseburger in Paradise Soup

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeno
3 cups water
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 lb ground beef
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 16oz package velveeta, cubed
crumbled cooked bacon (for garnish)

In a soup kettle, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 min or until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 4 cups of the milk; heat through.
In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 min or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in velveeta until melted. Garnish with bacon. Yield: 14 servings (about 3 1/2 quarts)

Chilled Berry Soup.  I read lots of different recipes and then melded them together to create this one.  Everything can be increased or decreased to find desired level of sweetness and consistency.

3 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 c frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 container plain (or vanilla or fruity) ff yogurt
1/4-1/3 c sugar (to taste)
1/3 cup orange juice (can be increased/decreased to taste)
a little bit of sour cream.  mmmmm!!
dash of cardamom (or ginger or Cinnamon since I don't have cardamom)
diced sour cream pound cake (bundt cake or pudding cake or whatever you call it)

liquefy in the blender and serve chilled.  It can be frozen and re liquefied- but it needs to be a little warmer to make soupy.  Top with pound cake croutons!! 

Soups and Stews

La Madeleine Tomato-Basil Soup

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped, or 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
4 cups tomato juice
12 - 14 washed fresh basil leaves, plus additional for garnish, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, softened
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Crusty bread (optional)

Directions

Combine tomatoes and juice in saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes over
medium-low heat. Cool slightly, then place in a blender or food
processor. Add basil and process to puree; this will have to be done in
batches.
Return mixture to saucepan. Add cream and butter. Stir over low heat
until butter and cream are incorporated. Stir in salt and pepper before
serving. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve with fresh, crusty
bread. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: Cal 237  Fat 22g  Fiber 1g  Chol. 67 mg  Sodium 165 mg  Carbs 10g  Calcium 45g
Recipe by: La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe, Dallas TX
Notes: When I don't have fresh basil I use 1 Tablespoon dried. When making this soup for my family for a quick meal I often use half and half in place of the the heavy cream and cut back on the butter.  It is still yummy, but the real thing is divine!