Creamy pumpkin Soup

2 teaspoons stick margarine

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 (10 1/2-ounce) cans low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups cubed peeled fresh pumpkin (1 pound)

1 cup chopped peeled McIntosh or other sweet cooking apple

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

Sage sprigs (optional)

Melt margarine in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add sage, curry powder, and nutmeg; cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour; cook 30 seconds. Add broth, tomato paste, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in pumpkin and apple; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until pumpkin is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Place mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return mixture to Dutch oven; add milk. Cook until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 122(23% from fat); FAT 3.1g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.7g); Protein 5.5g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; Calcium 102mg; SODIUM 228mg; Fiber 2.3g; Iron 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.9g

Cream of Carrot Soup

2 cups baby carrots

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, divided

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups 1% low-fat milk

Dash of ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons butter

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Combine carrots, broth, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Place carrot mixture in a blender; process until smooth.

Place flour in pan. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add pureed carrots and ground nutmeg; stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 teaspoon thyme, butter, salt, and lemon rind.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 112(28% from fat); FAT 3.5g (sat 2g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.2g); Protein 7.3g; CHOLESTEROL 13mg; CALCIUM 152mg; SODIUM 759mg; FIBER 1.1g; Iron 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.4g

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, corn, and red peppers

3 cups frozen potatoes O'Brien with onions and peppers

1 (14 1/4-ounce) can fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 cup fat-free half-and-half or fat-free evaporated milk

1/2 (8-ounce) loaf reduced-fat process cheese spread, cubed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in half-and-half and cheese; continue stirring until cheese melts and soup is thoroughly heated. Process in blender or food processor til smooth. Stir in pepper, and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2-cup)

CALORIES 250(13% from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 2.1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); Protein 12g; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 0.0mg; SODIUM 643mg; FIBER 6.3g; Iron 0.0mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.2g

Black Bean Soup

1 pound dried black Beans

2 bacon slices, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped carrot

3/4 cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Sort and wash beans; place in a large bowl. Cover with Water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse beans.

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion, carrot, and celery to drippings in pan; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté 2 minutes. Add beans, bacon, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Place in a blender or food processor; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth; return pureed soup to pan. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Serve with sour cream.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 tablespoon sour cream)

CALORIES 215(20% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 2.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.7g); Protein 12g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 95mg; SODIUM 570mg; FIBER 7.7g; Iron 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.5g

Thank you so much.

FBOA FROM THE FUTURE BANSTERS OF AMERICA LOL

LADYSPLENDA

You're welcome! I felt bad posting all those other recipes knowing that new bandsters couldn't use them yet. Hope these will work! I realize some of them may be a little spicy or something, but I'm trying to find recipes that sound good to me. If in doubt, don't try it just because I posted it, ask your doc or some of the other bandsters first! Enjoy!

Red Pepper Soup

2 red bell peppers

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup sliced carrot

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and flatten peppers with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until skin looks blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, shallots, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and carrot; cook 2 minutes. Add bell peppers, tomato paste, and next 6 ingredients (through beef broth), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place half of bell pepper mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining bell pepper mixture. Ladle soup into individual bowls; top with sour cream and chives.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup soup, 1 teaspoon sour cream, and 1 teaspoon chives)

CALORIES 70(31% from fat); FAT 2.4g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.3g); Protein 2.7g; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 569mg; FIBER 1.5g; Iron 0.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.4g

Split Pea Soup

1 1/2 cups green split peas

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup diced carrot

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves, divided (about 3 cloves)

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, divided

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

4 cups Water

2 cups Vegetable Stock or 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

Sort and wash peas; cover with water to 2 inches above peas, and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and bay leaf; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon rosemary, paprika, and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and soy sauce; cook until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Drain peas. Add peas, 4 cups water, Vegetable Stock, and salt to onion mixture; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Combine 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, 2 teaspoons rosemary, and parsley. Stir parsley mixture into soup. Place of soup in blender or food processor; process until smooth. Pour pureéd soup into a bowl. Spoon soup into bowls; top each with sour cream. Note: If you use canned broth instead of Vegetable Stock, omit the added salt.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 2 teaspoons sour cream)

CALORIES 233(14% from fat); FAT 3.5g (sat 1.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.5g); Protein 13.7g; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 65mg; SODIUM 559mg; FIBER 4.8g; Iron 2.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.7g

Tomato Soup

4 cups chopped seeded peeled tomatoes (about 4 large)

4 cups low-sodium tomato juice

1 cup 1% low-fat milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

Bring tomatoes and juice to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Add cream cheese, stirring well with a whisk, and cook over medium heat until thick (about 5 minutes). Place tomato mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. If needed, return pureed mixture to pan & rewarm; Ladle soup into individual bowls. NOTE: Refrigerate remaining soup in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1 bread slice)

(I omitted the bread from the ingredients list. But the values below include 1 serving of bread. Sorry!)

CALORIES 133(30% from fat); FAT 4.4g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.4g); Protein 5.4g; CHOLESTEROL 12mg; CALCIUM 77mg; SODIUM 310mg; FIBER 1.9g; Iron 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.7g