Lightening Up

If this is what is considered eating healthier, then count me in (well, at least for the dinner part - we do still have a few more Oreo truffles staring back at me from the fridge)... maybe I will draft a few 2009 resolutions after all!

While we try very hard to be healthy eaters - and for the most part, we do a good job and have at least a serving of salad or fresh veggies with each meal (if not both) - I don't tend to seek out light recipes. My mom was the queen of no non-fat cooking or baking... but she has amazing will-power and a good eye for portion control (or so I've come to assume those are her secrets). I have followed somewhat in her footsteps - and I especially don't bake light - it's just not worth it to me... but I do, on occasion, when I think I can get away with it, lighten an otherwise hearty dish with some success.

So it came as quite a surprise that this recipe for Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup caught my eye... I'm attributing it to the fact that I had some chicken breasts awaiting their demise in my refrigerator and with only the purchase of two (very inexpensive) cans of beans, this recipe was already in my pantry. And wouldn't you know... those inexpensive and flavorful ingredients made one delicious soup.

*the only changes I made were to add another 1/2 can of navy beans, and I split the difference on the spices using 1/2 of a chipotle chile and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika - oh! and I skipped the olive oil, by mistake... the results were still delicious

And go figure, thanks to this soup and our side of veggies, we had a (very quick) delicious, hearty and healthy dinner!

Resolution #1: try more light recipes... but don't eat more just because they are light!

I'm sending this recipe to Joelen who's hosting her monthly Chef Spotlight Dinner; this month the spotlight is Health Conscious Chefs!