Baked Potato Soup

Creamy Baked Potato Soup

Who doesn't love a delicious, creamy baked potato covered in toppings?  Now how about you make that into a rich and flavorful soup using ingredients that are tasty and healthy?  That is what I did last night and it was amazing.

Usually if you look up a recipe for baked potato soup, it will be loaded with cream, butter, cheese, sour cream, and probably more butter.  Basically a bowl of saturated fat bound to make you feel awful both physically and mentally afterward.  This recipe is different, without losing any of the flavor.  In my opinion, it probably tastes better because it uses wholesome ingredients that add flavor without fat, to create a satisfying soup that is high in protein and full of comfort.

I was able to whip this soup up very quickly once the potatoes were baked and scooped apart.  I would recommend adding in about half of the milk, and then adding as much more as you need to get the consistency you are looking for.  My mom chose to use vegetable stock in place of half of the milk, and olive oil instead of butter and it turned out just as delicious.  I had it for dinner last night, and for lunch today and I swear it tasted better today.  But that could of been because of the very small drizzle of gourmet white truffle oil I poured on top... so decadent. Regardless of how you choose to garnish this soup, it is a hearty meal for a cold fall day. Eat up!!

Canadian Thanksgiving Casserole

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Canadian and American Flag painted play house in our back yard
(built by my husband, painted by me)

This recipe is in honor of all my amazing family and friends who live in my country's wonderful neighbor to the north, Oh Canada!!! My Canadian husband may not have remembered until I said something a few days ago about today's Thanksgiving, but he was quick to request that I make him a turkey dinner, and knowing that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I had to oblige.  I would much rather celebrate the Canadian fall harvest than the man who accidentally sailed his boat into the Bahamas 500 years ago and then tortured and enslaved the people who had lived there for centuries.  So Happy Thanksgiving it would be today.

However, after a long week of baking, exercising and blogging, I really didn't feel like cooking a turkey from scratch.  I have yet to find any organic turkey at my local supermarket, and since I don't cook or eat meat that often, I decided to cave in and buy a precooked, yet delicious, rotisserie turkey breast at the store.  I had initially planned to just serve it with some gravy from a jar (definitely not a normal staple in my home), a side of fresh veggies, homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes.  But then I got to thinking... what if I tried to do something a bit more creative? The thought of mashed potatoes led me to think about changing up a traditional shepherd's pie recipe using turkey instead of ground beef.  And what if I add in stuffing too?  I am sure I am not the first to think of a creative way to basically heat up leftovers, but I thought it sounded like fun. And then of course it would give me something to blog about as well. 

In order to make my meal as healthy as possible, I am sticking to my usual organic, whole food, whole wheat, full of vegetables style of cooking.  I have tried to make my process as simple as possible to understand, although in the end you can always make whatever stuffing and version of potatoes you prefer and just layer it this way.  But here is exactly what I used and how I put it together.  And it was totally worth celebrating!!  Happy Thanksgiving to the land of maple syrup and polar bears!!! I love you Canada!

Canadian Thanksgiving Casserole