Before I publish my first recipe, I should explain that Your Mileage May Vary. I try to approximate the amounts of sodium and calories for all my recipes, but of course it depends on the ingredients you have on hand. Where I used a specific brand of a particular ingredient, I specify it so that you know where I got the counts for each ingredient. This does not mean that it’s the only brand you can use, or the lowest sodium brand available (though I do try to aim for the lowest I can find on the supermarket shelf at the time I am shopping). If you substitute a different brand, your sodium and calorie counts will probably be different. One of these days, I will share the spreadsheet I use to make my calculations. It’s not quite ready for prime time yet.

With that said, let’s move on to my recipe for…

Mushroom Soup

(2 Servings)

Ingredients

1 Mission Foods 6″ white corn tortilla
1 small golden potato, with peel on
1 medium carrot, peeled
1/2 vidalia or sweet mayan onion
1/2 small bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup skim milk
2 tbsp olive oil
pepper
curry powder

Directions

1. Put the corn tortilla in the food processor and pulverize into a coarse flour.
2. Chop the potato and carrot into small cubes (1/2 inch). Put in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
   
3. Set aside about 2/3 cup of the nicest looking mushroom slices.
4. Chop the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and the remaining mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the onions, etc. until tender over medium heat, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the potato-carrot mixture to the pulverized corn in the food processor and process until thoroughly mashed. Add the onion mixture to the food processor and process again until the vegetables are mostly pureed — there will still be small bits, but no recognizable vegetable pieces. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and process until well blended.
6. Pour the contents of the food processor into a saucepan. Stir in the remaining milk. Stir in the reserved mushroom slices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, or until mushroom slices are tender.
7. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and curry powder (or your favorite fresh herbs).

Makes 2 Servings. Each serving will have about 98 mg of sodium and 343 calories.
Each serving covers the following DASH food groups:
Grains: 1/4; Vegetables: 4; Milk products: 1/2; Oils and fats: 1.

Additions: Herbs and spices are free, so add more garlic, pepper, curry powder, or any of your favorites.

For a well-rounded meal, serve with grilled cheese sandwiches (made with whole grain bread and low-sodium cheeses such as fresh mozzarella or low-sodium Swiss cheese) and fresh fruit. For a really special grilled cheese recipe, check out Viviane Bauquet Farre’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Garlic Confit and Baby Arugula (just ignore the instructions about adding salt, and use a low sodium cheese).