Chile-Cheese Chowder

Chile-Cheese Chowder - 25.1g Carbs, 2.5g Fiber

From: Cooking Light magazine For 10 servings For a vegetarian soup, substitute 1 tablespoon oil for the bacon drippings and vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Red or green bell peppers can be substituted for the poblano chiles. For optimal creaminess, be sure to add the cheese after removing the soup from the heat; overheated cheese can curdle.

2 bacon slices 1 cup chopped carrot 1 cup chopped seeded poblano chiles (about 3 large) 1 cup chopped onion 2 Tbsp minced seeded jalapeño peppers 1/2 tsp ground cumin 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 (16-oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 5 cups diced peeled baking potato (about 1-1/2 lb) 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2-1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk 3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 2/3 cup sliced green onions

1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside.

2. Add carrot and the next 5 ingredients (carrot through garlic) to the drippings in pan; saute 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in the broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add potato and salt. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is tender.

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 12 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt. Ladle into soup bowls; top with green onions and crumbled bacon.

Yield: 10 servings Serving size: 1 cup soup, about 1 Tbsp green onions, and about 1 tsp bacon Nutrition per Serving: 198 Calories, 30% from fat, 6.7g Fat, 3.9g Sat, 2g Mono, 0.4g Poly, 9.7g Protein, 25.1g Carbs, 2.5g Fiber, 18 mg Cholesterol, 1.4 mg Iron, 442 mg Sodium, 202 mg Calcium

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog...... Dwight D. Eisenhower

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