Creamy Radish Soup ♥ Week Three, Day One - EatingWell Meal Plan

This was not on the meal plan, but should have been. It was a recipe on EatingWell.com so I added this to replace the day we were suppose to eat the other half of the shrimp dumplings that would have been in my freezer (not gonna happen).

There is always a reason why I replace one dish with another that is already on the menu. In this case it was the bag of radishes not being consumed quickly enough. I have used baked radishes in this side, and knew when roasted or braised they turned from a spicy bite to a sweet earthy flavor. I had to make this soup.
I hoped that The Nudge would embrace this as much as I did.

He proclaimed this soup a keeper (yay!!), and although I served it hot, we both agreed it would be great cold with a finishing swirl of creme fraiche. The perfect warm weather starter and something no one would guess at but would like, very much.

Not only is this low in calories and carbs, it is also low in fat.
Often at 5:00 am, I find myself surfing the TV and there was Dr. Oz talking about the 5 epic diet mistakes smart women are making and why diets fail and that most people are eating the wrong "diet foods". He peaked my interest, so much so that I found myself here and I highly recommend you bookmark it, and download this. It made so much sense that I am ordering a copy of the book that was the basis for the segment I watched, Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Super Immunity Diet.

While eating only those foods on the list would require something of a miracle and only for those training for a huge physical goal, actually including a few in your everyday eating is not all that hard to do and as you read the list, will realize that we were quite familiar that most of the ones at the top are super foods.
The beauty of tucking this list into your pocketbook or on your phone/iPad would be if someone needed to choose grapes or strawberries when shopping. This list will make that decision for you.

I would have loved to discover this list a few weeks ago, while embarking on this meal plan review, because I could see, now, where a sub from this list for one in the original recipe would have really upped the benefits of an already healthy dish.

There is so much information thrown at us that I can see where making a personal meal plan can be a daunting experience. Do I cook for hubby, who loves steak but has high cholesterol or, grandpa's blood pressure problem or Johnny's need for protein during football season? How about my diabetes? My daughter's recent announcement that she's now eating Vegan! OMG.

I do agree that less dairy and meat is a good thing. The Nudge will always eat the meat first, than the vegetables and then the carb. His favorite meal is meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Lima beans and while traveling, will always plan a steak dinner. At least he will get a salad now. I feel like I have to hide the vegetables as you would for a tot.

My advice for multi-health-diet families is to make a dish for each, make them as healthy as you can and let them choose the ones they want or can, eat.

Creamy Radish Soup
Makes: 4 servings

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 cups sliced radishes (I had smaller ones, so two bunches)
* 1/2 cup sweet onion
* 1 medium carrot, chopped
* 2 teaspoons potato flour or, 1 tablespoon potato flakes
* 2 cups low-fat milk (not skim)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4-1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
* 1/4 cup lite sour cream
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh radish greens or parsley (optional, I wanted no specks)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 3/4 cups of the radishes, carrot and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are beginning to brown and the radishes are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix the potato flour with a little milk to dissolve and add that along with the rest of the milk and stir, until the mixture comes back to a boil. Reduce and cook for 1 minute. Remove to cool. Meanwhile, julienne the remaining 1/4 cup radish slices.
2. Using a stand blender or a stick blender, puree until smooth. Reheat before serving, adjust the seasonings and add the sour cream. Sprinkle julienned radish over soup and serve.

Per serving: 203 calories; 10g fat (3g sat, 6g mono); 12mg cholesterol; 22g carbohydrates; 6g protein; 3g fiber; 395mg sodium; 610mg potassium

1 1/2 carbohydrate serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 low-fat milk, 2 fat

My diabetic recommendation: Omit the potato, add in a carrot and use a mere teaspoon of potato flour as the thickener. This will lower the carbohydrate lower.