Winter Tummy–warming Potato Soup by Lynne Marshall

As the weather gets colder, we hungry humans like something that sticks to our ribs and warms us from the inside. Here's an easy, yet tasty and satisfying recipe for something much, much better than anything that comes out of a can.

Hearty Potato Soup

6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced (Recently I used red potatoes and the soup seemed less starchy, but I love this soup with traditional white potatoes, too)
2 carrots, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
1/2 small onion chopped (If you are an onion fan, use the whole thing)
6 tablespoons of butter or that healthier omega–3 buttery spread works fine, too
6 tablespoons all–purpose flour
1 tsp salt (This can be cut to ½ tsp if you are watching your salt intake)
½ tsp pepper
1–1/2 cups milk (I use fat free milk and it works just fine)

Use Large Kettle: cook potatoes, carrots and celery in water until tender (Usually 20 minutes). Drain, but reserve the liquid in another container and set the cooked vegetables aside. (I keep them in the colander I've just drained them in) In the large kettle, sauté the onion in butter (or omega–3 buttery spread) until soft and fragrant. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until a paste; gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until soup is thickened. This may be very thick, so be prepared to use the reserved vegetable broth to thin it to your liking – usually this takes at least one cup or more.

Hint: Save the rest of the vegetable broth (at least 2 cups) in your refrigerator for reheating the leftover soup the next day – it will thicken up as it cools and will need to be thinned out again.

Serves 8–10 and goes great with crackers or whole wheat dinner rolls, or my personal favorite – homemade cornbread.

This simple meal will stick to your ribs without all the extra calories of restaurant loaded–baked potato soups, and will satisfy your hunger for a healthy but not over–filling winter meal. And your significant other won't even notice you snuck in a vegetarian meal!

You can read about a panic prone foodie who let her budding health food business overtake her life and end her marriage in, TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, Lynne's current romance. If you enjoy second–chance–at–romance stories, this one might be for you.