Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

This was surprisingly good and slightly spicy. No need to add any salt, either. The recipe is from Cooking Light. Instead of green peppers, I used red. I also used chunky salsa instead of diced tomatoes since I was out of canned tomatoes. Tasty!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground round or ground chuck
2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (14 oz) can less-sodium beef broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10.75 oz) can tomato soup, undiluted
1.5 cups hot cooked white rice

Directions:

Heat a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add chopped bell pepper and onion; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in black pepper, broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato soup; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 45 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 cup hot white rice into each of 6 bowls; top with 1 cup of soup. Makes 6 servings.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, peeled
2 cups water
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red chile pepper, finely chopped (I used red pepper flakes and a dash of Tabasco)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used my wok) over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass; saute 3 minutes. Add water and broth; bring to a boil. Add chicken and pasta; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard lemongrass.

From Cooking Light, August 2004.