Good Morning, Latte

The first thing I do every morning is have a cup of coffee, well it's really a latte. For a while I was driving to my local barista and getting a "grande, low fat soy vanilla latte, with low foam". Now, not only is that a mouthful to remember, I wasn't feeling very green! So, with a little experimentation, I've learned how to make a luscious latte at home - an easy way to add some healthful soymilk to my diet first thing in the morning, and an easy way to save time and gas. Besides freshly made coffee and low fat vanilla soymilk, you'll need a small immersion blender. This one was a gift from one of my daughters, but I've seen them available everywhere from Williams-Sonoma to Ikea.

You can see how nice the latte looks! I enjoy my coffee in one of my favourite cups - it's from Prairie Fire Pottery . I haven't visited the pottery shop (yet ), but I've known the owners for years. They frequently have cups available on line, as well as many other beautiful pieces. Check them out!

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup coffee

Directions: Pour soy milk into cup. Whip up a nice froth with the immersion blender. Do this while the milk is still cold, then zap in the microwave for 1 minute. Watch out! The frothy milk will expand in the microwave. Pour soy milk into your coffee cup, add coffee to top off, and enjoy your home made latte!

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Replacing Whole Milk with Soy Milk cuts about 25 calories and 2.5 grams of fat per 1/2 cup. Replacing vanilla syrup with vanilla flavored soy milk cuts an additional 70 calories! In addition, soy has phytoestrogens, which may be helpful for women who no longer naturally produce estrogen. Look for soy milk with added calcium and vitamin D.

Squash Soup

There's just something about soup that says "comfort food". I love a bowl of soup when the weather is cold. It was raining earlier this week, and you guessed it, soup made it's way to our table. I usually puree this soup in the blender, but this week I used a potato masher for a soup with more texture. The taste was nice, but I still enjoy the smooth version best. Whichever way you serve this soup, it gives comfort to the body, with lots of healthful veggies, cooked up in a flavorful broth, that will make all the soup eaters in your family very happy (and healthy, too). If your family doesn't like the sound of squash soup, call this by it's French name. It's a "bisque". That's the French name for soup that has been pureed in this manner. At our house, younger kids didn't like squash, but they loved this bisque soup!

Squash Soup
1/2 Cup minced onions
2 Tbs. Minced carrots
1 medium potato (yukon gold or sweet potato)
1 acorn squash
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup soy creamer
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper or paprika for garnish (optional)
parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions: Sweat the onions in the microwave. Do this by putting them in a microwave safe dish, and cooking on high power for 1 minute. Onions should be translucent. If not, microwave for 30 additional seconds. Put onions and carrots into a large soup pot. Peel, cube, and add the potato and acorn squash to the soup pot. If it is difficult to peel and cube the squash, you can put it in the microwave for 1 minute to soften. Add the broth and simmer for 25 minutes. Put all ingredients through a food mill, blend in a blender until smooth, or mash with a potato masher. Return squash mixture to soup pot. Add creamer, and return to a simmer. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with cayenne pepper or paprika, and serve. This recipe serves 2, but is easily doubled.

Stealthy Cooking Tip:

Sweating onions in the microwave means you don't need to use extra oil to saute them before cooking. Sauteeing can add calories, fat, and cholesterol. If you sauteed in just one tablespoon olive oil, you would have added 130 calories and 14 grams of fat. If you sauteed in one tablespoon of butter you would have added 100 calories, 11 grams of fat, plus 30 mg of cholesterol!