Another Old Favourite

When I was at the farmer's market, I found some beautiful shiitake mushrooms and I had to buy them. I just had to find a good way to prepare them! If you haven't had shiitake mushrooms before, they have a very strong, distinctive flavour that might be a bit startling if you're only used to the plain white mushrooms that are normally sold in bulk at the grocery store. I find their flavour to be rich and delicious.

I was talking to a friend about all the produce I bought and he suggested that I make mushroom soup. I love, love, love Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. So rich and yummy! However, I don't love all the fat and sodium in each serving! I couldn't even imagine it would be possible to make a good mushroom soup Nutrisystem friendly, but I laughed and said I'd look for a recipe. Much to my surprise, I found one that is going to make me regret that it's so difficult to find shiitake mushrooms! (Fortunately you can substitute with cremini mushrooms if you can't find anything else). Believe it or not, this soup meets the stats for a dairy/protein serving and still helps you get those veggies in!

Dairy/Protein Ideas:



Lightened-Up Cream of Mushroom Soup:

1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cloves, minced
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
diced chopped green onions


Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the spices, garlic, onion, and mushroom until the liquid has disappeared (about 7 minutes). Sprinkle the flour in and stir well, and then pour in the broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about ten minutes. Add the milk and stir until well blended. Serve hot and garnish with green onions. Makes 2 servings.

Wow. I was floored by how rich and flavourful this soup was! I was expecting it to be rather bland but it was amazing. My husband is a big mushroom fan and he really enjoyed it- it doesn't taste like "diet" soup at all. Actually, it tasted like a fine soup from a nice restaurant. I will definitely be making this again and again!

The nutritional stats for this recipe per serving are 111 calories, 7g of protein, 2g of fat, and 572mg of sodium. Of course, your choice of ingredients may vary the stats a little so keep that in mind! Chicken broth tends to make the protein higher than veggie broth.


Vegetable Ideas:



One thing I do miss is French fries. Unfortunately, potatoes are not a low glycemic index carb, so they do tend to be limited on the Nutrisystem program. However, there are ways to try and kick the craving!

Zucchini Fries:

1 zucchini, chopped into French fry-like pieces
1 tbsp Egg Beaters
1 tbsp breadcrumbs

Dip the zucchini spears into the Egg Beaters and then toss them in a Tupperware container with the breadcrumbs and shake until they are well coated. Bake for 20-30 min (depending how crispy you like them!) and enjoy them plain or with sauce. I like to dip them in my Big Mac sauce recipe- 2 tbsp light mayo, 1 tbsp FF 1000 Island dressing, 1 tbsp relish. Yum! These are really good on the side with the Flame Broiled Beef Patty or the Grilled Chicken Breast.

Since the amount of Egg Beaters and breadcrumbs used are negligible, just count them as a free food and enjoy your veggies!