Pumpkin Tomato Soup & Avocado Grilled Cheese

Autumn = Soup & Sandwich Time

(Soup 102 calories per serving)

(Sandwich 500 calories per serving... 

could be less with alternate ingredients...

400 with no avocado

350 with no avocado and all fat-free cheese)

(you also only need half a sandwich...

so 250 with all the yummy goodness)

Comfort food at it's finest. As soon as the leaves begin to fall and the temperature dips below 60° (I grew up in Florida) I start craving soup. Then there's pumpkins everywhere and I can't stand it anymore. It's time for pumpkin tomato soup. I re-worked this soup this time around to be much lower calorie than years past, which is why I can afford such a decadent sandwich. I only ate half the sandwich thus making this a delicious and satisfying 350 calorie meal. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Tomato Soup

(makes 8 servings)

2 fresh medium tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion

1 small poblano pepper

1 tsp of salt

½ tsp of pepper

½ tsp of garlic powder

½ tsp of onion powder

½ tsp of chipotle powder

1 tbsp of olive oil

2¼ cups of canned fire roasted tomatoes (1½ cans)

3½ cups of pumpkin puree (2 cans)

¾ cups of fat free half & half

4-6 cups of water

Sauté the fresh tomatoes, onion and poblano pepper in the tablespoon of olive oil until all ingredients are soft. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder & chipotle powder should be added during the sauté process. In a blender combine (in two batches) the veggies and the remaining ingredients on the liquify setting. Return to soup bowl and add water until you have the desired consistency. Let simmer for 45 minutes to allow ingredients to marry (and finish cooking).

A bit of crumbled goat cheese on the top is a nice sour punch to the sweetish soup.

Grilled Cheese

(makes 1 serving)

2 slices of whole wheat bread

   (use a sandwich thin and cut 40 calories)

½ ounce of cheddar cheese (sliced)

1 ounce of chipotle gouda (sliced)

1 ounce of fat free mozzarella (shredded)

½ of a Haas avocado

1 tbsp of smart balance light

½ tsp of garlic paste

Smear the smart balance and garlic paste on the outside of the bread, stack up the cheese with the avocado slices in the middle. Griddle to perfection.

You could easily substitute all fat-free cheeses instead and cut the avocado to cut out about 150 calories.