Salmon Veggie Chowder

I am such a fan of soups, I am always looking for new combinations to try. This inspiration came from my husband, who's got a shellfish allergy and cannot handle clams. 

It came out delicious - and includes a healthy dose of veggies and omega-3 fats from the salmon. I hope you enjoy it. 

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon (frozen & thawed is OK here)
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 small slices canadian bacon, diced (this is very lean, but bacon or ham diced small will work here) 
• 3 celery stalks, diced small
• 1 shredded carrot
• 1 shredded summer squash
• 1 shredded zucchini
• 1/2 stick butter (Promise sticks)
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• 1 tablespoon oil (unflavored, like canola)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups potato, diced to bite size
• 3 heaping tbsp corn starch
• 16 oz milk or cream (I used fat free coffee creamer, lactose & gluten free) 
• Splash of white wine
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 heaping tablespoons Bell salt-free seasoning (this has many herbs, but you can make your own combination of what you like) 

 

Directions

• In one pan cook diced potatoes in chicken stock. Add 1/2 the pepper and 1/2 the seasoning mix. Cook til tender, do not drain.
• In same pan as potatoes, poach salmon until no longer pink. Remove salmon and set aside. (leave potatoes and broth in pan). Once cooled a little, flake the salmon with a fork.
• In a separate soup pot, add butter (Promise) and oil. Add onions, celery, canadian bacon and shredded veggies, Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add remaining seasoning and stir in. Add cornstarch and continue to saute til well blended and cornstarch disappears and is cooked through.  
• Add a splash of wine, the broth, and potatoes. Scrape the bottom of your pan to get the flavor off the bottom. Bring to a boil. Keep stirring and the mixture will thicken. Turn off heat. Add flaked salmon, milk, parmesan and stir until blended in. 
• Ready to serve!
• Makes a large pot. About 8-10 servings.

Easy Garlic Fish Bake

Quick prep and cook time makes this dish a snap - and a great way to get that healthy serving of fish into your diet. In the picture I have used haddock, which was on sale this week at the local grocery store, but any fish variety you can get in a fillet can be used.

Ingredients:

• fish - calculate about 1/4 to 1/3 lb per person (larger portion for hearty appetites)
• 1/2 stick Promise(or butter) - softened
• zest of 1 lemon, & 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Use wrapper from butter to grease the pan
3. Combine all ingredients except fish into bowl and use fork to blend
4. Place fish in buttered pan
5. Use brush or fork to get compound butter onto fish
6. Place fish in oven. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of fish you used. The haddock I used took about 15 minutes
7. Depending on the fish variety, you may have some liquid in the bottom of the pan. You can use this to make a sauce if you like.
8. Once cooked through, remove from oven and let rest a moment before serving

Suggested sides:
Asparagus or green beans will cook in about the same amount of time in the oven

Optional:
Add fresh or dry dill to your compound butter

Avocado Lettuce Wraps

A real taste of summer, this fresh and light salad wrap is great as a side dish for your grilled meats or as the main course when topped off with grilled shrimp or chicken.


Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained

1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, cut into medium chunks, drained
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly
1 package grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 avocados, cut in large chunks
Juice of one Lime
3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste (if you can have it, otherwise skip it)
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 head butter lettuce, leaves whole, rinsed and dried
**optional, 1 small pepper, diced (pepper of your choice, depending on the heat you want)

Directions:


In a bowl, combine the veggies and cilantro. In a separate bowl wisk together lime juice, pepper and celery seed, drizzle in olive oil. If you can have the salt, this is when you would add it. Taste and adjust the flavor as necessary. Drizzle dressing over salad and carefully mix, try to keep the avocado intact.

To serve, spoon the salad into the lettuce cups.

**This dish can be made into a main course by topping lettuce cups with grilled shrimp or chicken (dice the chicken into small chunks)

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This dish is yummy and simple to make. It is gluten free, lactose free and low sodium.

Ingredients:

• tsp Garlic Powder
• tsp Onion Powder
• tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 stick Promise Margarine (or butter)
• 1 cup Chicken Stock (I use no salt added Kitchen Basics)
• 1 cup plain coffee creamer (lactose and fat free)**
• 2 large cans crushed tomatoes (watch the sodium content here.... somewhere near 100mg per serving is good)
• 1 tbsp Splenda (or sugar)
• bunch fresh basil, roll up leaves into one and sliced thinly

**if lactose is not an issue for you, you can replace the coffee creamer with heavy cream, light cream or milk

Directions:
In a soup pot, warm the dry seasonings (bloom them) til you start to smell them.
Add Promise stick and melt.
Once melted, stir in chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and Splenda.
Bring to low boil, turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add in creamer, stir gently and return to simmer.
Remove from heat and stir in all basil, reserving a little for garnish.
Serve, topping with reserved basil.

Dessert Trifle

Very easy to make and versitile. This is a family favorite.
***If making gluten free, check your labels when purchasing your ingredients as manufacturers do change their formulas at times***

Ingredients:
2 packages of your favorite instant sugar free pudding or gelatin mix
2 large tubs whipped topping -fat free (sugar is minimal)

Optional: (make it unique!)
bananas
fresh or frozen berries
grapes
fresh or sugar free canned pinapple
peanut butter

Reserve a little of the whipped topping for the very top of the dessert. Split the remaining whipped topping into two batches and mix one package of pudding/gelatin into each batch.

Layer your ingredients into your serving dish, top it off with the reserved whipped topping.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes for the pudding to solidify a little.

Makes approximately 12 servings.

Here are a few varaitions I have made:

Elvis Trifle:
Using chocolate pudding in one batch and cheesecake pudding and 2 tbsp peanut butter in the other. Sliced banana as a middle layer and a few pieces on top. Chopped walnuts on top for decor. I tossed the bananas in a little lemon juice to prevent browning.

Very Berry Trifle:
Strawberry gelatin in one batch, and cheesecake in the other. Reserve a few whole berries for the decoration on top. Mix the rest into the strawberry gelatin batch.

Nutrition information:
(This is BEFORE you add your own toppings)
59 Calories
0 Fat
116 mg sodium
12 grams carbs