I have always been a huge fan of chowder. I don't really care what kind, it can be clam chowder, potato chowder, or vegetable chowder, they are all delicious to me. My nephew, who went to the Culinary Institute of New York, can dish up some of the finest clam chowder I have ever had, it is really to die for! However, the calorie count on this wonderful chowder was enough to give me a heart attack. I would estimate probably between 350 to 400 per cup!
I often thought to myself that their had to be a lower calorie way to make good chowder. So I did some research on the internet. There are literally thousands of recipes on the internet for all kinds of chowder. Low cal chowder, not so much. There are some, so I did some comparisons. I found that vegetable chowder is usually less calories that those containing meat or fish. I don't mind skipping the meat, so I decided to try a compilation of my own making for vegetable chowder.
I had to make it a few times to adjust the ingredients. At first the base was just too thin, more like soup than an actual chowder. I was at a loss as to how to correct this problem without causing the calorie count to skyrocket by adding heavy cream. I was stumped for a while. Then one day I was grocery shopping, looking for some cheese when I saw a bag of finely shredded reduced calorie cheese. I think a visible light bulb went off over my head, right there in the store. I could melt some of this cheese in my veggie chowder and thicken it and also add some more flavor! I made some the very next day and put about half the 8 ounce bag in the pot and stirred it slowly.
Ingredients:
2 cups reduced fat chicken broth
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cups skim milk
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
pinch of black pepper
4 ounces reduced fat cheddar cheese
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, carrots, celery, pepper and onions.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
in a covered jar combine skim milk and flour and shake well.
Pour into broth and veggies and stir gently to mix.
Add parsley flakes garlic powder and black pepper and then slowly add the shredded cheese.
Stir slowly and let thicken.
Remove from heat and spoon into bowls with a sprinkle of cheese on top.
Only 160 calories and 4 grams of fat.
The result of the addition of cheese was a creamy, delicious chowder with medium thick consistency and mouth watering vegetables. Toss in a few croutons and you don't even need crackers, and all for fewer calories than most protein bars. If you need to add meat, try ham cubes, bacon, or pulled chicken. All of them would be a yummy addition!
