Creamy Potato Soup and Green Salad with Sweet Balsalmic Glazed Red Onions

It's been a while since I've posted, as we've been hosting our friends who evacuated due to Gustav. They have 6 beautiful children, who were amazingly well behaved despite cramped quarters and the craziness of last-minute evacuations. I decided I needed to keep it simple the day after they left, as I was a little tired and not really in the mood to cook for any length of time. This soup recipe, served with a nice green salad and toasty bread, was perfect. It's actually lowfat and only takes about 30 minutes to make, including prep time and cooking time.

2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced (or about 10 baby carrots)
2 tbsp. butter
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 c. chicken broth
3/4 tsp Tony Chacheries cajun seasoning or seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups milk (I used skim and it tasted great)
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional Toppings:
cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
shredded cheddar
finely sliced green onion
sour cream

Sautee onion, celery and carrots in the butter along with the dried thyme, Tony's, garlic powder, pepper and salt. When you begin to see light brown on the bottom of the pan, add the potatoes and chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are nice and soft and can easily be mashed with a fork.

Mash vegetables with a potato masher. Add the milk, sour cream, and cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until sour cream is incorporated and it comes together into a nice, creamy soup.




Sweet Balsalmic Glazed Red Onions

1 large red onion, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices.
Salt and pepper
olive oil
balsalmic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the onion slices on a cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. Toss with your hands to make sure they are nicely coated. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. These taste SO sweet and yummy on a salad. I made a dressing using a store-bought italian dressing packet and added about 1/4 cup extra vinegar, instead of the large amount of oil. (I filled my dressing carafe to the vinegar line with red wine vinegar. Then, I added 1/4 c. balsalmic vinegar, 3 tbsp water, the seasoning packet and oil to the oil line).