Lower Calorie/Lower Sodium Vichyssoise

I know, you are thinking that I am over the top by making Vichyssosie in the Winter since it is cold Leek and Potato Soup and should be eaten in the Summer. But ever since I decided to create a blog on Lower Calorie/Lower Sodium versions of wonderful recipes, I have had an urge to make this because it brings back fond memories of my days chairing the Gourmet Group of the Pleasantville Newcomers Club where I was introduced to "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and fell in love with Julia Child's recipes.

Of course, I did not bother to read page 37 of Julia Child's book before I went shopping. Here she explains that 3 cups of potatoes/leeks is about 1 pound of potatoes/leeks. By the time I realized that I did not know how much I needed, I had already started cooking, so the calorie/sodium counts are based on the ingredients that I used. The wonderful thing about cooking soup is that you really can't mess it up. As long as you use a proportion of liquid to solid that you like, the soup will be fine. Although it is delicious hot, I think I did not use enough leeks, but you, my readers, must let me know what you think.

Basically you slice the vegetables, and simmer them in a large pot in the broth and salt for about an hour. Once the vegetables are tender, puree the vegetables in a food processor. Return to the pot and add the Fat Free Half and Half. If you are Kosher or Vegetarian, you can use Vegetable broth instead of Chicken broth. I ate it hot, but you can chill it and eat it cold. Next week we will be getting ready for the SuperBowl with our modified version of Rachael Ray's Chunky Chicken and Chorizo Chili. In the meantime, "Bon Appetit" as Julia would say.

Just as an update - I just had it cold and it is better cold than hot, but either way it is delicious.

Calorie count Vichyssoise		makes 4 quarts
Regular recipe		Calories
Potatoes	3 Pounds	1,048
Leeks	1 Pound	277
Chicken Broth	2 Quarts	120
Whipping Cream	1 Cup	789
		2,234
Per Serving 8 large servings		279

Low Calorie Alternative Calories Potatoes 1 1/2 Pounds 524 Turnips 1 1/2 Pounds 191 Leeks 1 Pound 277 Chicken Broth 2 Quarts Low Sodium 120 Fat Free Half and Half 1 Cup 158 1270 Per Serving 8 large servings 159