Paula Deen's Lean: French Onion Soup

Let me tell you, French Onion Soup is some serious business ya'll. I had no idea what I was getting into until I started doing a little research. There are entire websites dedicated to this one little soup. Many "French Onion Experts" have spent so much of their time testing various techniques and ingredients, on the mission to find THE perfect French Onion Soup recipe. Well, my healthy French Onion Soup recipe may not be the best according to this soup's toughest critics, but it passes the nutritious and delicious test in my book. Here is what I did...


FRENCH ONION SOUP
Makes 6 Bowls


INGREDIENTS:


1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 onions, sliced (Yellow are said to be the best)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon WHOLE WHEAT flour
8 cup FAT FREE/ LOW SODIUM beef stock
1/4 cup white wine (Additional glass for the cook...optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices of LIGHT whole wheat bread
6 slices REDUCED FAT Provolone cheese


DIRECTIONS:




Saute onions in oil over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well. Add stock and wine and bring to a boil, add thyme and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Toast slices in toaster until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with 1 slice of cheese. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees or 5 minutes under a hot broiler.

RESULTS:


It was not bad for the first time. My husband and I both added a little salt and pepper to ours, but not much. Rudy used a slice of regular bread, but I used the sandwich thins. I really like these for a few reasons: they are only 100 calories per roll (only 50 calories per bowl), they come in 100% whole wheat, and they satisfy the carb craving in a healthy way. For the soup, I placed 1/2 a roll on top of the soup cup and covered with a piece of cheese. It was pretty close to the real thing, just not as much cheese as you would get in a restaurant. This is one of those soups that is even better the second night too. Save the rest for a warm lunch the next day. It's what Campbell's would refer to as, "Mmm, Mmm Good!"


Click here to see Paula Deen's original French Onion Soup recipe. ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 267.67 calories;  12.41g fat;  25.87g carbohydrate;  12.69g protein;  5.82g fiber

Paula Deen's Lean: Twice-Baked Potatoes

Twice is nice when it comes to these potatoes. What is really fun about them is that they are totally open to your very own unique interpretation. For example, I know that my audience loves cheese and bacon. Therefore, I added turkey bacon and reduced-fat cheddar to my potato filling. The options are endless! You could add broccoli or maybe even grilled chicken to make a complete meal...it's up to you. Have some fun with it! Here is what I did to add some flavor to this nutritious and delicious power-food.


TWICE BAKED POTATOES
Serves 6



INGREDIENTS


6 large Idaho potatoes (as large and oval as possible)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat (about 1 tablespoon; divided)
2 cups FAT FREE sour cream
1/2 cup FAT FREE half & half (or milk)
Salt and pepper to taste (more pepper than salt)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Paprika
4 slices Jennie-O EXTRA LEAN TURKEY bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1/2 cup 2% shredded Cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes, pat dry, prick sides gently with fork, and coat each potato entirely with EVOO. Place on foil covered pan. Bake for at least one hour. Remove the top third portion of each potato. Using a spoon, scoop out the potato and place in a large bowl. With mixer on high, mix potatoes, sour cream,half & half, salt and pepper. Add parsley and continue mixing until smooth. Mix in cooked bacon.Gently stuff the mixture back into the shells, being careful not to break them. Top with cheese, Paprika and additional salt & pepper (if desired) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. When they are ready, they should be lightly browned on top.


RESULTS


They were beautiful! Not only did they taste really good, but they came out looking nice too. My only complaint had nothing to do with the potato, but that my stomach just didn't have the room to finish it all. Oh well, that's what Tupperware it for! Gotta love those leftovers.


Just as a side note, this recipe can be frozen for future use. Wrap them up just after filling the potato shells. Now you know you can make them ahead of time and whip them out later for a quick and comforting side. ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving; one potato): 393.17 calories;  5.23g fat;  73.26g carbohydrate;  13.7g protein;  8.85g fiber

The original recipe for Paula Deen's Twice-Baked Potatoes can be found in The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook; published by Random House, New York. 1998.

Paula Deen's Lean: Cheese Biscuits

The very first real vacation my husband Rudy and I took together was to the wonderful beaches of Hilton Head, South Carolina. On one of those cloudy/rainy days, which you can always count on having at least once during the week, we hopped in the car and took a short road trip to Savannah to visit with some friends. Now, at the time, I was very oblivious to the world of cooking. Cooking to me meant boiling some noodles and throwin' a bottle of Ragu on top. But, that was the mindset of a 24-year-old women living on her own. Needless to say, I really didn't have much knowledge of TV cooking personalities.


Little did I know, but we were going to be dining at one of the best places ever...Paula's Lady & Son's Restaurant. Like I said, I had no clue who this Paula Deen women was, but everyone else was so pumped up about being there and raving about how good her dishes were, so I just went along with it. Oh I wish I knew then what I know now! Isn't that just the way it goes? I was eating in the restaurant of one of my now favorite cooks and was totally clueless. Well, one thing was for certain. I enjoyed that experience and ended up falling in love with two things that day; The Lady's Cheesy Mac and CHEESE BISCUITS.


CHEESE BISCUITS
Makes 8 biscuits



INGREDIENTS:


1-1/2 cup Reduced-Fat Bisquick
1/2 cup FAT FREE or 1% milk
1/2 cup 2% Sharp Cheddar
1 teaspoon SPLENDA


DIRECTIONS:


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


In a medium bowl, mix Bisquick, milk and splenda; using a fork. Add cheese and mix. Spoon the biscuit mix onto a sprayed baking sheet using a spoon or ice cream scoop. Bake for 7-11 minutes.


THE RESULTS:


It has been awhile since having Paula's Cheese Biscuits at her restaurant in Savannah, but these took me right back after the very first bite. They are lite and delicious; best served warm right out of the oven. Not only are they yummy, but they took no time at all. My husband couldn't believe I was offering him one so soon! This recipe is good to have if you are just 15 minutes from serving dinner and realize that you forgot to get dinner rolls. They can be thrown together in no time at all. Another dinner roll crisis averted.


My version of Cheese Biscuits leaves out both the butter and shortening that are called for in the original recipe. This cuts a total of 58 grams of fat from the overall recipe! ENJOY!!


NUTRITION FACTS (per biscuit): 61.5 calories;  3g fat;  7.5g carbohydrate; 2g fiber