Me and Bill making soup

Bill and I (perhaps in a dress rehearsal for our retirement years) have taken up a new hobby; we make soup.  We shop the produce section together, discuss flavor profiles, and invent new recipes for soup.  (Is that the "Twilight Zone" theme song I hear?)  I can understand your surprise...a year ago, if you sent Bill into the kitchen to fetch something you had to equip him with a map and a GPS.  Now he casually throws out terms like "sweating the onions" and "caramelizing the squash."  So far, we have invented two soups, both under 200 calories for a large bowl, and we have been working on the recipe for our next endeavor; we want to try and duplicate the new chicken, lime and chili soup at Chili's.  We are very pleased with our efforts thus far and want to share our results:

Zesty  Butternut Squash Soup

First, we sautéed (in one Tbsp. olive oil) the following:  one half onion, chopped, one bell pepper, chopped, and two cloves of garlic, minced.  Once the onions had started to soften, we added four Cups of peeled and diced butternut squash and let that caramelize a little.  We added two small  Yukon gold potatoes (quartered) which we had oven-roasted the day before.  We then added two cans of low sodium chicken broth, one can of diced tomatoes and one half Cup of salsa.  We seasoned with lots of ground pepper, a little salt and chopped cilantro.  We brought it to a boil, then lowered the heat and simmered for forty-five minutes.  Finally, we used our immersion blender (Love it!!) to blend it until smooth and creamy.  (Six large servings) Delicious AND nutritious!

Our second recipe was born out of a need to use up some leftover pork tenderloin.  I think we liked the leftovers better than the original meal!

Warm and Wonderful Pork Stew

Again, we started with one Tbsp. olive oil and sautéed one whole onion, chopped, one bell pepper, chopped and two tsp. minced garlic.  We added two small Yukon gold potatoes (quartered) which we had previously oven-roasted.   When the onions were starting to soften we added two cans of chicken broth and one can of Original Rotelle tomatoes with green chilies.  We simmered this for about fifteen minutes, then blended until smooth with the immersion blender.  We then added two gala apples, chopped, but not peeled and about two cups of cooked pork tenderloin, cubed.  We seasoned everything with salt, pepper, curry powder and nutmeg.  We simmered for another thirty minutes, then added one half a head of green cabbage, chopped, and cooked for ten more minutes.  (Six large servings)  This is the perfect meal for a chilly winter evening.  Very filling and satisfying!

We really like using the immersion blender.  It gives the illusion of a cream-based soup without adding calories and turns a soup into a stew without the need to thicken with flour or butter.  Plus, I admit that I eat like a four year old.  I like the flavors of tomatoes, onions, peppers and chilies but I don't like to see them.  Yes, I actually pick them out of my food.  With the hand blender, I can  make all the yucky stuff disappear and still enjoy the flavor and nutritional benefits.

Bon appétit!