Quick and easy and kid friendly too!

My kids love potatoes! We eat a lot of them, any shape and form. I am a big fan of potato leek soup myself, and have made several different varieties of such a soup throughout the years. The kids always complain about the "green stuff", so today I decided to leave the leeks out and make a plainer potato soup. My husband very accurately described it as "Clam Chowder without the clams". It is very rich and creamy, but a light version nonetheless. The original recipe was from Cooking Light Magazine, (October 2010), but I tweaked it quite a bit. For starters, I doubled the recipe to fit the size of my family. We had an extra child at the table (a common occurrence!), so we were 7 all together. Doubling the recipe was just enough for a nice healthy bowl for most of us, and a couple smaller portions for the kids. In addition, I added a clove of garlic to the sauteed onions and I put in a little red pepper (cayenne). This is a very versatile soup. I think it would be excellent with rosemary in it as well. You could even add some broccoli florets. Just experiment and let me know what you come up with.

Potato Chowder

7 large red potatoes

3 t olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

6 T all-purpose flour

4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 t salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1/4 t hot red pepper(Cayenne)

For topping:

8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Peel potatoes and pierce with a fork. Microwave on High for 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1 cup of milk to make a "slurry"; add to pan and add the rest of the milk. Bring to a boil; stirring often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, cayenne and black pepper. Add potatoes and mash to desired consistency (It should be lumpy). Serve with cheese, green onions and bacon.

We had fresh bread and fruit with this meal. Very satisfying!