For people living with lactose intolerance, Mexican food can be a problem because of the sour cream and cheese used. Luckily, Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics products like lactose-free sour creams, kefirs and yogurt that can be used in many Mexican dishes like Chilled Avocado Soup with Roasted Corn and Pico de Gallo Garnish (featured below), Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Chile Crema and Chipotle Lime Slaw, and Individual Tres Leches Cakes - three terrific recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

Their Green Valley Organics real dairy products are lactose and gluten free. Their Redwood Hill Farm line of yogurt and kefir is made from Grade A goat milk, which is easier to digest for many people who are lactose sensitive since goat milk contains 25% less lactose than cow’s milk.

I love the ideas of cold soups in hot weather, don’t you? This lactose and gluten free recipe features the nutritional goodness of both avocado and pico de gallo. To save time, buy premade pico de gallo at the store.

If you’re lactose intolerant, have you tried Green Valley Organics or Redwood Hill farm products yet?

Chilled Avocado Soup with Roasted Corn and Pico de Gallo Garnish

Recipe and picture courtesy of Redwood Hill Farm

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Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 ears of corn, roasted on a grill and removed from cob OR
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1 large tomato, halved with seeds removed
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped (divided)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 4 teaspoons seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper (to taste, divided)
• 3 limes, juiced (divided)
• 3 ripe avocadoes, pitted and peeled
• 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup Redwood Hill Farms Plain Kefir
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup warm water or gluten-free chicken broth
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. To roast the corn on the stovetop, heat oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the corn is golden and toasted. Set aside.
2. To make the pico de gallo, chop tomato in to very small pieces and mix with onion (put 1 tablespoon onion aside for soup), cilantro and 2 teaspoons jalapeno pepper (to taste). Stir in lime juice from 2 limes and roasted corn, Add salt to taste and set aside.
3. To make the soup, place avocados, peas, kefir, cilantro, 1 tablespoon onion, 2 teaspoons jalapeno (to taste) and juice from 1 lime in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add warm water or chicken broth to thin out the soup. Add salt to taste.
4. Divide soup between four or six bowls and top with roasted corn and pico de gallo garnish. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 6

Servings: Serves 4 to 6

• Calories: 285
• Calories from Fat: 162
• Total Fat: 18g
• Saturated fat: 2g
• Unsaturated fat: 16g
• Sodium: 134mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 23g
• Sugar: 11g
• Fiber: 12g
• Protein: 8g
• Cholesterol: 1mg

Healthy Cinco de Mayo: Chilled Avocado Soup #lactosefree #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Now that my kids are older, they love making ramen noodles on their own - even for breakfast! I just wish someone would develop gluten free ramen noodles, so I could enjoy them, too!

What’s your favorite way to enjoy ramen?

Created by: HackCollege.com

Who doesn’t love ramen? is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I love borscht and grew up eating the Manischewitz version out of a large glass jar, cold with a dollop of sour cream. Then I discovered the “real thing” – Russian style borscht made with carrots, beets, cabbage, dill, mushrooms and potatoes, served warmed as a comforting winter soup thanks to Barbara Kafka’s classic cookbook, Soup, A Way of Life.

I remember her recipe for Vegetarian Borscht as being very labor intensive. I made a triple batch and it literally took me all afternoon to chop those vegetables! I was exhausted by the time the borscht was done, but it was so worth it.

As part of the DailyBuzz Moms 9x9 challenge, I wanted to recreate that soup and health up the borscht a bit. Due to my food sensitivities, I omitted the cabbage and the white potatoes. Instead, I substituted kale and purple potatoes, both of which are much more nutrient dense. I also used powdered stevia instead of sugar, reduced the amount of salt, and used no fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

My son Nathan, who is almost 12, loved the borscht. He had it for dinner the other night. The next day he had it for breakfast and took the borscht to school.

Vegetarian Borscht with Kale

Based on Barbara Kafka’s recipe from Soup, A Way of Life

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 7 medium beets, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 very small or 1/2 large celery root (about 3/4 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds purple potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 bunch kale, choped in 1-inch pieces
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium bunch dill, fronds only, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup powdered stevia
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1-2 small containers no fat Greek yogurt

Directions

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid, and squeeze out the excess liquid. Strain all the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve the liquid (there should be 1 cup) and the mushrooms separately.
2. In a larege stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions start to caramelize.
3. Add the beets, carrots, parsnip, celery root, 8 cups water, and the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the potatoes, garlic, kale and sundried tomatoes.
5. Return soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the reconstituted mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
7. Remove soup from the stove top. Stir in the dill, stevia, vinegar, salt and pepper.
8. Pour soup into bowls and add a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Prep Time: 45 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Total Time: 2 Hours 5 Minutes

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4

Servings: 8 main course servings

• Serving size: 579 g
• Calories: 215
• Calories from Fat: 37
• Total Fat: 4.1g
• Saturated fat: 0.6g
• Unsaturated fat: 3.5g
• Sodium: 1020mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 39.9g
• Sugar: 12.8g
• Fiber: 8.5g
• Protein: 6.6g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Note: nutritional information is based on borscht without the Greek yogurt.

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Vegetarian Borscht with Kale: a comforting soup recipe for the DailyBuzz Moms 9×9 is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Get your big and little spooks and goblins warmed up after trick or treating with this healthy, vegetarian pumpkin soup from Golden Door Executive Chef Curtis Cooke. Not only is this a perfect Meatless Monday dish, but it would also make a wonderful Thanksgiving meal starter.

See my Four ways to cook a fresh pumpkin post for tips on cooking pumpkins. Also, check out my recipe for Coconut Pumpkin Soup at Babble.com.

Pumpkin Soup

Courtesy of Golden Door Executive Chef Curtis Cooke

Ingredients:

• 10 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded, cut into large pieces
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grape seed oil, divided
• 1 cup shallots, minced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine (substitute with vegetable stock, if you wish)
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 sachet of 6 sprigs thyme, 6 sprigs parsley, 1 bay leaf and 8 black peppercorns
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss the large pumpkin pieces with just enough grape seed oil (approximately ¼ cup) to coat and place on a baking sheet into the oven.
3. Roast the pumpkin until very tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Cool and reserve.
4. In a large stock pot, sauté the shallots, celery, and garlic in a tablespoon of grape seed oil for 5 minutes.
5. Deglaze with the white wine (or vegetable stock) and reduce the liquid by half.
6. Add the roasted pumpkin, vegetable stock and sachet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the sachet, and puree the soup in a blender, food processor or with an immersion (wand) blender.
8. Adjust the seasoning with salt and serve.

Halloween goes Meatless Monday with Pumpkin Soup is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Today’s guest post from Holly Clegg focuses on serving up a healthier Halloween with her Southwestern Soup. It’s GF - that's gluten free - not ghost or goblin free!

Want to check out more of Holly’s time-friendly trim& TERRIFIC® recipes from her Louisiana kitchen? Then visit hollyclegg.com and The Healthy Cooking Blog.

A happy healthy Halloween

On Halloween, the focus is on the tricks and treats but my focus was always on dinner. I always serve a one-pot meal that is time-friendly to eat whenever everyone strolls back to the house. A big pot of hearty Southwestern Soup from my Gulf Coast Favorites cookbook brewing on the stove with mugs around to serve yourself makes an ideal meal for young and old on this come and go cool evening.

Best of all this soup is as simple as opening cans making it perfect for this busy night. The nutritiously sweet yams give the soup a jolt of orange giving Halloween spirit. Did you know you can substitute sweet potatoes for potatoes in any recipe for a nutritional boost? If you have a crowd coming, just double the recipe and if you have extra, cool and freeze in freezable zip lock bags that easily stack in the freezer.

Southwestern Soup

By Holly Clegg from her cookbook Gulf Coast Favorites

Print
Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 cups Louisiana yams (sweet potatoes), peeled and cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups frozen corn

Directions

1. In large nonstick pot, cook meat and onion over medium heat until meat is done, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Add remaining ingredients, except corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer about 30 minutes.
3. Add corn, continue cooking, covered, 15 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 50 Minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

Servings: 9 servings

• Serving size: 1 cup
• Calories: 149
• Calories from Fat: 25
• Total Fat: 3g
• Saturated fat: 1g
• Unsaturated fat: 2g
• Sodium: 289mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 19g
• Sugar: 4g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 13g
• Cholesterol: 28mg

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 very lean meat
___________________
Disclosure: Holly Clegg is a spokesperson for the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. 

Photo courtesy of Holly Clegg.

Holly Clegg’s Southwestern Soup for a healthier Halloween #glutenfree is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

According to Wikipedia, congee is:

A type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten or served with a side dish. It can be considered as a porridge or thick soup.

In many Asian cultures, it is also called juk (Cantonese, Korean), chao (Vietnamese), chok (Thais) or kayu (Japanese).

In some cultures congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper. It is often considered particularly suitable for the sick as a mild, easily digestible food.

I was introduced to congee by a writer friend of mine, who made it in her crock pot. (Since she’s originally from the South, I’d tease her that she was making “Asian grits.”) When my husband bought me a Cuisinart rice cooker and I found out that rice was the only grain I could eat due to my food sensitivities, I started to look for congee recipes.

The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook

The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook by Hui Leng Tay has a whole chapter on congee – pumpkin congee, tuna and corn congee, and even gojiberry congee – 10 congee recipes in all.

All the congee recipes look very easy to make and didn’t need anything more exotic than soy sauce. The rest of the book has been criticized in the reviews on Amazon for using too many hard-to-find Asian ingredients. That’s hardly the case as long as you have a decent Asian section in your supermarket or health food store or an Asian market nearby.

However, if you’re looking for more basic rice cooker dishes like risotto, soups or chilis, maybe The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook would be a better fit for you.

Yam Congee

Based on the Sweet Potato Congee recipe in The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown rice, rinsed and drained
• 4 to 5 cups water, less water for thicker consistency
• 1 peeled yam, cut into 1 inch chunks
• salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Add the rinsed rice and water to the rice cooker, cover and set to Cook.
2. When you hear the rice cooker making noises and see some over-bubbling of fluid at the lid (or in the vent), add the sweet potatoes and salt.
3. Stir congee and continue to cook for 30 to 45 minutes. (Tilt the cover slightly to vent the steam pressure if your rice cooker doesn’t have a vent.)
4. Stir occasionally until yams are cooked through.
5. You can keep on warm for up to an hour.

This Mama’s tips

• I took The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook’s Sweet Potato Congee recipe and modified it since I like yams better than sweet potatoes. You can use either. (Don’t know the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? Read this article.)
• During this process you can adjust the amount of water, depending on whether you like soupy or thick rice congee. (I like thick, so I didn’t add extra water.) Brown rice tends to need more water than white rice, so err on the side of a little too much water.
• You can serve this for breakfast or as a savory side dish. For breakfast, you could add a little stevia or agave - very similar to hot oatmeal. For a savory dish, add soy sauce or a herb blend like Mrs. Dash.
• Congee heats up very well the next day in the microwave.

Nutritional information

• Calories 198
• Calories from Fat 12
• Total Fat 1.3g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 51mg
• Total Carbohydrates 42.1g
• Dietary Fiber 2.6g
• Sugars 1.9g
• Protein 4.1g
• Vitamin A 110%
• Vitamin C 9%
• Calcium 3%
• Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade A- from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

Rice cooker recipes: Yam Congee is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I recently tried out sous vide cooking with a SousVide Supreme Demi demo unit. Sous vide is a method of cooking food in vacuum sealed plastic bags in a water bath at a low and consistent temperature for a long amount of time. You can read my product review at Mom Central Food - Cooking with the SousVide Supreme Demi.

My conclusion was that I didn’t think sous vide cooking was right for me since the unit took up too much room and was too pricey. However, if I had a larger kitchen and more storage space – and the price was lower - I would consider getting a SousVide Supreme Demi. It was a lot of fun to use and I’m always up for new, healthy cooking techniques.

One of the healthy recipes I made was a butternut squash soup from the Sous Vide Holiday Cookbook. This wonderful little cookbook features sous vide recipes for an entire Thanksgiving or Christmas meal from appetizers and entrées to side dishes and desserts.

Directions:

1. Fill and preheat the sous vide unit to 182 to 185 degrees F.
2. Warm a saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté onion until translucent. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Divide all the remaining ingredients - except the broth – evenly into two large, one gallon food-grade pouches. Divide the sautéed onions and add each half to the bags. Toss to coat the squash and apple with the seasonings.
4. Vacuum seal the bags to remove as much air as possible.
5. Submerge the pouches in the sous vide unit and cook for at least 1 1/2 hours until the squash and apples are quite soft. (Note: Check the pouches after 20 minutes to make sure they’re fully submerged. If they are floating, weigh them down or open the pouches and re-vacuum seal them.
6. When the squash is cooked, remove the pouch from the sous vide unit, and pour the contents in a soup pot on your stove.
7. Add the broth and puree the soup with an immersion blender.
8. Heat and serve.

Nutritional information

• Calories 75
• Calories from Fat 23
• Total Fat 2.6g
• Trans Fat 0.0g
• Cholesterol 0mg
• Sodium 388mg
• Total Carbohydrates 10.8g
• Dietary Fiber 2.1g
• Sugars 7.2g
• Protein 3.3g
• Vitamin A 3%
• Vitamin C 20%
• Calcium 2%
• Iron 3%

Nutrition Grade A from CalorieCount 

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

This Mama’s tips

• You can use a low sodium chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. However, this will increase the calories, fat and sodium content.
• The original recipe suggested using tart green apples. I used apples from our tree, which were red and tasted like Macintoshes. Any sort of apple should work.
• The seasonings make this butternut squash soup very spicy. You may want to cut back on the black pepper. Or you can experiment with other spices like curry or cumin.
• If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the butternut squash in a blender or a food processor. Make sure to add some of the broth to the squash and apple mix to make it easier to puree.

Sous vide Butternut Squash Soup is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Today’s guest post is from cookbook author, Holly Clegg. Holly will be sending me recipes from time to time to feature here at This Mama Cooks! I’m thrilled to be working with her!

This recipe comes from Holly’s cookbook Holly Clegg's Trim & TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites.

Quick Shrimp and Corn Soup

Busy and no time to cook?  Here’s a meal in minutes, an easy throw together soup, while the weather is still cool.  Everyone has a shrimp and corn soup recipe, but this recipe is only 6 ingredients and it is TRIM & TERRIFIC!!  Just open cans of corn and tomatoes, toss in shrimp for this simple yet superb soup.

Makes 12 (1-cup) servings

Ingredients:

• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans cream
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 pounds medium peeled shrimp
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In large nonstick pot, combine cream corn, corn, tomatoes and green chilies, tomato sauce, until heated.
2. Add shrimp, bring to boil. Lower heat, cook until shrimp is done, 5–7 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions, serve.

Nutritional information

Calories 162, Calories from fat (%) 8, Fat (g) 1, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 112, Sodium (mg) 825, Carbohydrate (g) 24, Dietary Fiber (g) 3, Sugars (g) 6, Protein (g) 15, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 very lean meat

You can check Holly out at The Healthy Cooking Blog, her website HollyClegg.com, on Twitter @HollyClegg , Facebook, and her webisodes at Walmart.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3 per serving

Quick Shrimp and Corn Soup from Holly Clegg’s Trim & Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

With the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl games coming up, preparing a healthy slow cooker dish ahead of time is a great way to keep your family and party guests fed while you watch the game.

This dish is based on Pork and Butternut Squash Stew found in the February 2010 issue of Ladies Home Journal. The original recipe used frozen corn and lima beans. I’ve substituted a bag of frozen yellow (summer) squash and zucchini. I also used frozen butternut squash, since it’s already peeled and cut.

I made this last weekend during the playoffs. The pork was tender and the stew was full of flavor. It was a hit both with the adults and the kids, and will be something I’ll make again when pork shoulder is on sale or I have an abundance of squash and zucchini.

Pork, Squash, Butternut and Zucchini Stew

Serves 8

Prep: 20 min Start to finish: 4-8 hours

Ingredients:

• 1/3  cup all-purpose flour
• 1  tbsp paprika
• 1  tsp ground coriander
• 1  tsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2  lbs pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
• 1  tbsp olive oil
• 1  14.5-oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2  cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1  medium yellow onion, cut into large dice
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 16-oz bag of frozen butternut squash
• 1  16-oz bag of frozen yellow (summer) squash and zucchini

Directions:

1. Stir together flour, paprika, coriander and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut pork into 1-inch cubes (make sure you trim as much fat off as possible)
3. Toss pork in flour mixture with your hands to coat the meat.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add pork (reserving any excess flour mixture), reduce heat to medium and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 min.
5. Transfer to a your slow cooker.
6. Add remaining flour mixture to slow cooker along with 1 cup water, tomatoes with juice, broth, onion, bay leaf and vinegar.
7. Cook 6 to 7 hours on low or 3 hours on high for slow cooker.
8. Adjust heat to low if using high heat on the slow cooker and add the frozen vegetables.
9. Continue to cook until vegetables are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Nutritional information:

• Calories 257
• Calories from Fat 130
• Total Fat  14.4g 22%
• Saturated Fat 4.8g 24%
• Trans Fat 0.0g
• Cholesterol 51mg 17%
• Sodium 436mg 18%
• Total Carbohydrates 16.4g 5%
• Dietary Fiber 3.1g 12%
• Sugars 4.4g
• Protein 16.3g
• Vitamin A 141%
• Vitamin C 50%
• Calcium 6%
• Iron 11%

Nutrition Grade A- from CalorieCount
Percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5 per serving

Tips:

• If you cook gluten free, use rice flour instead of all purpose flour. (I used a combination of white and whole grain brown rice flour, and the stew was just as thick as if I used wheat flour.)
• Frozen vegetables cook up very quickly. If you are using raw squash and/or zucchini, make sure to adjust cooking time.

Healthy crockpot dishes: Pork, Squash, Butternut and Zucchini Stew is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I’ve been making Taco Soup for years since 1 cup equals 4 Weight Watchers POINTS. It’s so delicious my family loves it, too.

Over time, I’ve tried to “health it up” by eliminating the dry ranch dressing (too fake in my opinion) and using store brand organic canned beans and corn. Since my kids thought the diced green chilies made the soup too hot, I’ve switched to using Muir Glen’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies instead. They give the soup a smoky and spicy flavor.

Finally, if you have a leftover can of pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving, add it to the soup. It will add fiber and increase the veggie content of the soup and the other ingredients will cover up the pumpkin flavor.

Taco Soup Revisited

(1 cup = 4 Weight Watchers POINTS)

Brown 1 lb. very lean chopped meat (I used ground venison) with one large diced onion in a large stew pot.

Add:

• 14.5 oz can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
• 16 oz canned tomato sauce
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!) OPTIONAL
• two 16 oz of beans, rinsed – you can use kidney, pinto, garbanzo, black beans or a combination
• 16 oz canned yellow corn, drained
• 1 packet of McCormick’s taco seasoning mix 
• 1 1/2 cup water

Heat to boiling. Immediately lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve.

Tips:

• If you’re watching your sodium intake, try McCormick’s taco seasoning mix with 30% less sodium
• If you buy the big bottle of McCormick’s taco seasoning mix from Costco use 1/3 to 1/4 cup.
• I recommend Farmer’s Market Organic Pumpkin Puree. It’s also great in This Mama’s Healthy Pumpkin Curry Soup.
• You can use ground turkey, chicken or bison instead of beef or venison. Omit meat completely to make a vegetarian version (or use soy crumbles instead).
• Add cilantro and a scoop of salsa as garnish.
• Double the recipe and freeze half for later.
• This is a great dish to make for a large group, potlucks or the Super Bowl.

Taco soup revisited: less junk, more yummy goodness is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!