6 November 2013

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Weighs In with Theresa's Double Tomato Soup

Theresa's Double Tomato Soup
For years now, people have been counting and cutti­ng calories. As a country full of health conscious consumers we are hard-pressed to venture out into the world without thinking about what we eat. We are helped along at the grocery store with packaging and labels listing calories per serving, fat, salt intake, etc. somewhere on the package. Do we all check our calories at the door. Probably not all of the time, but being conscious of what travels from plate to fork to lips is an excellent way to live life. 


With the holiday season beckoning we somehow feel we need to give up flavour to eat healthily. Here at the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club we have dreamed up a menu on the healthier side without giving up any of the comfort you find in delicious food. Decadent foods can and will always be a part of our future but you can still be magnetically drawn to the table by recreating tasty, heart healthy dishes.This months theme "Under 300 Calories" was chosen by our very own Jerry of Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants.  

When we eat and drink, we’re putting energy (calories) into our bodies. Our bodies then use up that energy, and the more physical activity we do, the more energy (calories) we use. To maintain a stable weight over the holidays, the energy we put into our bodies must be the same as the energy we use every day and physical activity.  

We always appreciate you joining us for this monthly event where a group of ladies and one gent in two neighbouring countries get together on the first Wednesday of every month to create a delicious meal from appetizers to dessert with a theme in mind. In its fourth year this is a team effort where we continue to share a love for healthy eating and living. We look forward each month to strengthening our bonds, and enjoying each others company virtually. 


Let's see what our group has brought to the feast….


Jerry of Jerrys Thoughts, Musings and Rants  starts us off with an intriguing Asian inspired recipe of Chiang Mai Pork Patties.  Delish and only 297 calories.

Sandi  of Whistlestop Cafe Cooking continues with the Asian theme with tasty Chinese Scallops as an appetizer - 70 calories each serving.

Are you craving a heart warming soup and all for only 76 calories. I brought along Theresa’s Double Tomato Soup topped with fresh basil and a swirl.  I like the use my immersion blender for soups but you can also use a blender as instructed.

Susan of The Spice Garden rounds out our meal with a delicious side that would you believe weighs in at only 218 calories per serving. With no heavy cream or butter she recreated this luscious Two-Potato Gratin.

And YES you can have dessert. Sarah of All Our Fingers in the Pie recreates a Pumpkin Pie Pudding, perfect for the season at 288 calories per serving.


**Theresa's Double Tomato Soup**

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 large basil leaves, divided
3 drained sun-dried tomato halves, packed in oil with herbs (such as California Sun Dry brand)
2 (14.5-ounce) cans organic diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, shredded carrot, garlic, and shallots to pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add sugar, pepper, salt, and 4 basil leaves, and cook 5 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat. Place half of soup in blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls. Garnish each serving with 1 basil leaf.


You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

17 comments:

  1. Light but nonetheless very tasty and appetizing. A wonderful soup!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm very happy to find a lighter version of our favorite tomato soup. What a beautiful color this one has. It looks delicious, Val.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love tomato soup. Good choice, Val!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a gorgeous presentation Val. Wow. In truth we don't count calories, but we do watch our them because more calories in and less out mean weight gain, no matter how you figure it. The older we get, the more simply we eat and this soup is perfect for us.
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am such a fan of soups and this one looks to be packed with flavour ... love the addition of the sun-dried tomatoes for that extra concentration of tomato taste AND color ... fantastic photo too! You rocked it, Val!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love tomato soup is one of my favorites soup and yours look beautiful (psst love your bowls for soup) ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sometimes I think it's easier to eat healthy in the winter, because foods are so filling on their own without a lot of unhealthy additives. Like warm soup!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a fun feast! And the soup sounds wonderful! I could just eat that for a meal!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Is there anything better than a good tomato soup in the fall? I think not.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Val, the sun dried tomatoes are a great idea in the soup, I am going to adopt it, it probably adds beautiful concentrated flavour. Also, I agree about immersion blenders. It's one of the kitchen tools I wouldn't want to be without. Somehow I have two of them on my shelves. Who know why.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love your recipes, your photos are beautiful too, but I have to take issue with calling a meal that is almost 1,000 calories a light meal. I can't imagine any dietician would call it light either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Point well taken Suzan. A woman my age requires 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day so at 949 calories this is less than half of my caloric intake for the day. A salad and a bowl of oatmeal and fruit for the rest of the day would round out the addition of dessert. I must admit to never counting calories personally.

      Delete
  12. Yep, I'm very food conscious, especially as I get older. The Tomato soup looks wonderful and I like the way you have styled it with the two bowls. Charming.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your title is a pun! Yay for puns!

    Love this soup. Looks tasty and has no pumpkin in it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This soups sounds amazing - I like the addition of the sun dried tomatoes which would really raise the flavour!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love that sun dried tomatoes are among the ingredients. It's a great idea I've never came up with. Must try! Beautiful healthy recipes!

    ReplyDelete

Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

This blog uses comment moderation therefore SPAMMERS, SELF-PROMOTERS and ADVERTISERS will be deleted.