Reduced Fat Alfredo Sauce

http://www.food.com/recipe/reduced-fat-alfredo-sauce-12365

~ 3 servings
Very flavorful - the garlic is the key ingredient here.  However, need to take care to add ingredients gradually using an appropriate-sized pan (I tried using a bigger pot and things burned and it was hard to combine the ingredients).


Ingredients
- 1 cup 1% low-fat milk ( skim may be used, but creates a thinner sauce)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 dash pepper

Directions
The key here is patience, add all ingredients gradually!
Melt butter in sauce pan on stove top with medium heat.
Gradually whisk in flour.  This will create a yellow paste.
Gradually add milk, whisking until incorporated and no lumps are present.
Continue to whisk until hot.
Usually 3-5 minutes.
The longer you cook the base (without the cheese) the thicker the sauce will be.
Add parmesan slowly, again whisking until incorporated.
Add crushed garlic and pepper.
Cook for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Remove from heat.

Pureed Carrot Soup

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/health/nutrition/22recipehealth.html

Tastes best a day or two after preparation, after the flavors have been more infused together.  Reheats well.


This rice-thickened French classic, known as Potage de Crécy, is simple and comforting. You can garnish it with any number of chopped fresh herbs, as well as with croutons.

- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 pounds sweet carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 2 quarts water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 6 tablespoons rice, preferably Arborio
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as chervil, mint, chives, or parsley, for garnish
- 1 cup toasted croutons for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover partially and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant. Add the rice, water or stock, salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons), and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and the soup is fragrant.

2. Blend the soup either with a hand blender, in batches in a blender (cover the top with a towel and hold it down to avoid hot splashes), or through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. The rice should no longer be recognizable (it thickens the soup). Return to the pot. Stir and taste. Adjust salt, add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and heat through. If the sweetness of the carrots needs a boost, add another pinch of sugar.

3. Serve, garnishing each bowl with croutons and a sprinkle of herbs.

Variation: Substitute 1 medium Yukon gold potato or 1/2 russet potato (about 5 ounces), peeled and diced, for the rice.

Yield: Serves 6

Cream of Celery Soup

http://www.food.com/recipe/cream-of-celery-soup-low-fat-11490

Double the recipe is not overwhelming at all if you want leftovers for the rest of the week.  Double makes 5 huge servings (how I liked to eat it) or 8 medium servings.  Heats up great in the microwave.

Below portions are for 4 medium servings.

4 teaspoons butter
4 cups diced celery
1 cup diced onion (about 1 onion)
2 chicken stock cubes
4 teaspoons plain flour
2 cups low-fat milk or 2 cups skim milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
1.  In a large saucepan, heat butter until bubbly, add celery, onion and stock cubes and stir until well combined.  Season with some salt.
2. Reduce heat and cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes until veggies are tender.
3. Sprinkle flour over veggie mixture stirring constantly until mixture thickens.  Add milk and bring it to a boil, but keep an eye on it because milk can overboil VERY quickly.
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. Puree the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Greek Seasoning

http://www.food.com/recipe/greek-seasoning-mix-61579

This is a very nuanced, complex seasoning that elevated my tzatziki sauce from good to great!  Apparently, this is meant for meats - red meat, pork, poultry, or fish.  Makes 1/4 cup.


2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Pureed Turnip Soup

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/pureeacutedsoups/r/turnippuree.htm

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb white turnips (about 4 medium turnips)

1 medium Russet (or other starchy) potato

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

handful of leek green tops (optional)

4 small carrots or 2 medium carrots (optional), chopped

½ cup dry white wine - a MUST for this recipe

1 qt vegetable broth or stock

Kosher salt, to taste

Ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation

Cut turnips into roughly same-sized pieces, about ½ inch to 1 inch thick. Peel the potato and cut it into pieces about the same size as the turnips.

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the butter over a low-to-medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and turnips and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is slightly translucent, stirring more or less continuously. Can also add some carrots at this stage.

Add the wine and cook for another minute or two or until the wine seems to have reduced by about half.

Add the stock and the potato and leek greens (optional). Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the turnips and potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pierced with a knife, but not to the point where they get mushy.

Remove from heat and purée in a blender.

Return puréed soup to pot and bring to a simmer again, adding more broth or stock to adjust the thickness if necessary.

Season to taste with Kosher salt and white pepper.

Garnish with a toasted crouton and serve right away.

Makes about 1½ quarts (6 8-oz. servings) of soup.

Optional:

Stir ¼ cup hot cream into the soup just before serving.

Note: The soup can be thickened with rice instead of potato. Just substitute about 1/3 cup of uncooked rice for the potato, and simmer the soup until the rice is soft.

Vegan Yeast-Free "Parmesan Cheese"

http://www.affairsofliving.com/imported-20100106014405/2010/2/28/yeast-free-soy-free-vegan-parmesan-cheese-gluten-free-acd-ve.html

yield about 1/3 cup

active time <5 minutes

total time <5 minutes

1/3 cup raw cashews (or raw almond, sunflower, pumpkin, or hemp seed)

1/4 tsp ground dry mustard

1/4 tsp salt

optional: 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

Place all ingredients in a coffee grinder or very small food processor/chopper. Pulse a few times, then process until finely ground. Use as desired on pizza, pasta, grain dishes, or vegetables. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Curried Roasted Cauliflower

http://www.epicurean.com/featured/curried-roasted-cauliflower-recipe.html

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

or Garam masala

1 tablespoon black or yellow mustard seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl and spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet or in a large roasting pan. Try not to crowd the cauliflower; otherwise, it will steam and you won't get the delicious caramelized bits. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the pan and stirring the cauliflower midway through roasting.

Transfer to a serving dish and taste for seasoning; you may need another sprinkling of salt and a grinding of fresh pepper.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Cauliflower-Soup-14521

Ingredients

2 heads cauliflower

3 garlic cloves

2 shallots

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

2 cups heavy cream (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut cauliflower into 1-inch flowerets (about 10 cups). In a large baking pan toss cauliflower, garlic, and shallots with oil to coat and roast in middle of oven about 30 minutes, or until golden.

In a 4-quart kettle simmer broth, water, roasted cauliflower mixture, and herbs 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender. Discard bay leaf and in a blender puree soup in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. Return soup to kettle and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup over moderate heat until just heated through.

Kale and Potato Soup

This recipe is simple, hearty, and the soup base ends up with a really nice sweet flavor. I think lacinto kale has a sweeter note than curly kale. Also, the texture, once softened, just melts in your mouth. I made my own veggie broth using leeks, carrots, bay leaf, and thyme. Adding a teaspoon of concentrated chicken stock just gives an additional roundness to the flavor, but is not absolutely necessary.

Ingredients

1 bunch lacinto kale, coarsely chopped

1 lb boiling potatoes (red or yellow), quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

2 carrots. chopped

6-7 cups of vegetable broth

1 tsp Better than Boullion concentrated chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp olive oil

15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

2. Add potatoes, carrots, kale, broth, spices, beans, salt and pepper.

3. Cook for 30 mins until kale and potatoes are soft.

Leek and Potato Soup

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Leek-and-Potato-Soup-1922

Ingredients

- 3 tablespoons butter (I found that a drizzle of olive oil works fine)

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)

- 2 large russet potatoes (about 18 ounces total), peeled, diced

- 4 1/2 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

Melt butter/oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and leeks and stir. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in processor until smooth. Return to saucepan. Thin with additional stock if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and serve.