Easy Cream of Spinach Soup

This is my favorite time of year for soup!  I usually have some type of soup in the refrigerator so I don't have to think or worry about what's for lunch.  Another reason I love soup is because it's a great way to sneak more vegetables into my day.  If you're someone who doesn't find crunching on vegetables a delightful past time, try cream soups!  They're packed with nutrition and will disguise the fact that they're mainly vegetable.  This delicious soup is quite similar in texture and taste to a creamy pea soup, but with many fewer carbs.  You can get creative with toppings, if you like.  Pictured is dry roasted pine nuts that have been crushed, but also crumbled bacon or finely chopped ham would be nice, or try a sprinkling of lemon zest and a drizzle of lemon flavored olive oil.  The ease of using frozen chopped spinach makes this a quick and simple meal that you can enjoy tonight.

Easy Cream of Spinach Soup

Makes about 6 servings (about 1-1/4 cups each)

2 TB light olive oil or refined coconut oil

1 cup chopped celery or celeriac (celery root)

1 large leek, sliced

7 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

black pepper to taste

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or full-fat coconut milk, if avoiding dairy)

1.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chopped celery or celeriac and leek.  Sauté for a few minutes until leek begins to soften.  Add wine and spinach and sauté for another minute.  Add broth and simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes or until celeriac is softened.  Salt and pepper to taste.

2.  Place soup mixture into a blender (in batches, if necessary) and puree until smooth.  Add heavy cream or coconut milk and stir until well blended.  Adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Serve hot.

Nutritional Information per serving (not including toppings): 127 calories, 6.3 g carbohydrate (1.4 g dietary fiber, 1.6 g sugar), 8.6 g total fat (3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 586 mg sodium, 57 mg calcium, 279 mg potassium, 4.3 g protein.  Net carbs per serving: 4.9 grams

Recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2015

Roasted Celery Root with Prosciutto

"And the winner of the ugly vegetable award goes to....celery root!" Sometimes called root celery, knob celery or celeriac, this scary-looking vegetable is extremely low in calories, carbs and sodium while also being a good source of calcium and potassium. I've always been curious about this vegetable, but its appearance in the vegetable bin has kept me from picking it up, much less trying it, until now. My mission this past week was to try a new vegetable and, after looking over the entire vegetable section, it was either celery root or golden beets. The celery root won, but only barely.

After reading about it, I discovered that the taste is rather mild, like celery. It can be boiled, mashed or roasted, much like a potato. As a matter-of-fact, it pairs nicely with potatoes in a gratin or combined with boiled potatoes and mashed thereby cutting the carbs of either of these typically "potato" dishes by quite a lot. I found an intriguing recipe in the book In Season by Sarah Raven. She wrapped it in pancetta, which is unsmoked Italian bacon, and roasted it in the oven. Pancetta is high in saturated fat, so I made some adjustment and used very thinly sliced prosciutto. The flavor was incredible and turned the celery root into a spectacular side or main dish. I served it with a chopped tomato & fresh mozzarella salad drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. Honestly, this strange vegetable prepared in this way both surprised and delighted me and, more importantly, my apprehensive husband. You've got to give this one a try!

Roasted Celery Root with Prosciutto

(Makes 2 servings)

1 celery root (about the size of a large potato)

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt & pepper

½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

pinch of garlic powder (if not already included in the Italian seasoning)

4 thin slices of prosciutto

1. Using a sharp knife, remove the outer skin of the celery root. Slice it in half, then slice one-half of the root into 4-5 wedges (about ½" to ¾" thick). Set aside and reserve the remaining half for another use. Steam the wedges over boiling water for about 10 minutes, until beginning to soften.

2. Pat dry with a paper towel and place the steamed wedges in a medium-sized bowl. Add olive oil and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Toss to coat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

3. Wrap each wedge in a slice of prosciutto. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Turn the wedges and increase the heat to 375-degrees. Continue roasting for another 15-20 minutes until the celery root is soft when pierced with a fork and the prosciutto is crispy on both sides (you may need to turn them another time to achieve the proper amount of crispness). Serve hot.

Nutritional Information per serving (2 wedges, not including salad): 84 calories, 9.1 g carbohydrate, 4.2 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 287 mg sodium, 1.9 g fiber, 3.3 g protein.

Recipe adapted from one found in the book In Season by Sarah Raven.