Hearty Turkey Chowder and Sage Soda Bread

 Friday is my day off. And today, I decided to spend the day cooking and baking. Last night, I made Sage Soda Bread. I don't have that much experience with bread making, other than using a bread machine but I guess I almost feel like that would be cheating. I wanted to try my hand at "real" bread. Bread that you have to knead yourself and hope that it rises correctly. Since I'm doing my best to incorporate low fat and healthier foods into our

 diet, I used a recipe from a cookbook I bought years ago, called Low-fat Baking, by Linda Fraser. I bought this cookbook because, not only was it on sale but almost all of the recipes appear to be easy. When trying something new, easy is always good. No point in getting discouraged right from the start. This bread was much easier than I thought it would be. It didn't actually require kneading. And it turned out looking almost exactly like the photo in the book!

The bread has a dense chewy texture, perfect to serve with a soup or stew. Along with this tasty  bread, I prepared Hearty Turkey Chowder. Another lower calorie recipe from the book Great Taste- Low Fat by TimeLife. This soup came together in no time and made the house smell so good as it was cooking. Thick and creamy, loaded with veggies, and herbs. And of course, there is enough for leftovers. There always is.


Sage Soda Bread

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbs shredded fresh sage or 2 tsp dried sage
scant 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the sage and add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough.
3. Shape the dough into a round loaf with your hands and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
4. Cut a deep cross in the top. Bake for about 40 minutes, until loaf is well risen and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Serves 10
Calories: 125
Fat: 9.2 g
(I ended up using about 2 cups of buttermilk to get the right consistency of the bread.)


Hearty Turkey Chowder

1 tbs olive oil
6 tbs chopped Canadian bacon (2 ounces)
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 lbs skinless, boneless turkey breast, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup frozen peas
1 small can water chestnuts, drained
1 1/2 cups evaporated skimmed milk
2 tbs cornstarch mixed with 3 tbs water

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil until hot but not smoking, over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon, onion and leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, 3 cups of water, rosemary, thyme, pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and turkey, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the soup is richly flavored and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the peas, water chestnuts, and evaporated milk and return to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the soup is creamy, about 1 minute.