Sweet Potato Soup-Single Serving

I got this off Self.com. They have amazing recipes. This is nice for people like me who just need dinner for one. I used non-fat plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream too.

Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon orange juice concentrate
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon extra light olive oil
• 1 small carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4cup chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup low-sodium nonfat chicken broth
• 1 small sweet potato, cooked and peeled

PREPARATION

1. Mix sour cream and concentrate in a bowl; refrigerate. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook carrot, onion, cinnamon and salt until onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth and sweet potato. Bring to a boil. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Top with sour cream mixture.

The skinny
394 calories per serving, 8.6 g fat (2.3 g saturated), 70.6 g carbs, 10.6 g fiber, 12.4 g protein

Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup freezes well and is so delicious! Add any kind of vegetables you'd like. I added mushrooms.

Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup (Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 carrots and/or parsnips, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed. ( I used leftover turkey)
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup small pasta (such as alphabet or stellette)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots and/or parsnips, celery, onion, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, broth, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board. When it is cool enough to handle, shred the meat with 2 forks; discard the bones.
3. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the soup and simmer until al dente, 6 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken, lemon juice, and parsley and stir to combine. 4. This soup can be frozen in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, run the containers under warm water until the soup slides out. Transfer to a pot and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Tofu Jerky-Ode To Emily

My vegetarian friend's father makes this for her and it is delicious. It isn't supposed to taste like meat, but it is a good snack that you can take on the go. 

Tofu Jerky

1 pound extra firm tofu

1/2 cup soy sauce (I like the low sodium stuff because it's less salty.)
3 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/8 cup water
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove crushed fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Before cutting up make sure you squeeze out as much juice as you can, the more you squeeze out the more your marinade will soak in. I put the tofu in a cake pan or cookie sheet to hold the juice then I use a dinner plate on top of the tofu with a couple cans of fruit or something heavy. Let it sit for an hour or so. I use 2 containers of tofu to fill the dehydrator up most of the way. You can change the recipe by adding anything you like for flavor. 

Cut and drain the tofu. I usually take a 1 lb cube, cut it in half, and then slice it into strips on its short side. Strips should be about 4-5 mm in thickness. They may look big, but they'll shrink to about half their size. Mix all the marinade ingredients together well. Put the tofu in a single layer in a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and pour the marinade over it. Let soak for several hours or overnight.

Drain excess liquid (and reuse!) and dry tofu in food dehydrator or warm (200 F) oven. This will take probably 4-8 hours, depending on weather. If you live in a sunny, dry climate (Colorado in the summer), you can sun dry it, it'll take all day. If you dry indoors in the winter, your house gets filled with a wonderful smoky smell. If you're drying in the oven, you'll need to flip the tofu over hourly so it dries evenly. The stuff is delicious and keeps indefinitely. Dry the stuff until it's very chewy, but not crispy.

serves/makes 1 lb

Here We Go!

I'm not sure how well this will work, but I am giving it a shot. I have a lot of good ideas, recipes, tips, etc. that I would like to share with everyone so instead of having a ton of emails, I decided to create this blog to put it all in one place. Please leave feedback and let me know what you liked, didn't like or changed to make better. Enjoy!