Creamy Pumpkin-Apple Bisque

Recipe courtesy of the American Diabetes Association.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1/2 medium Gala apple, peeled and chopped
1 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 of (15-ounce) can solid pumpkin
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups fat free half-and-half
1/4 cup fat free sour cream

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and apple; cook 5 minutes or until onions begin to brown.
2. Place onion mixture in a blender with 1 cup broth. Secure lid, and purée until smooth. Return onion mixture to saucepan; add remaining ingredients, except half-and-half and sour cream. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover tightly, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and gradually add half-and-half while stirring. To serve, spoon equal amounts of soup into four shallow bowls and top with dollops of sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Flavorful Tip: Adding the apple while browning the onion brings out the sugars of the apple and richly browns the onions quickly.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe; 1 cup): Calories: 175; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Total Carbs: 26g; Fiber: 3g; Protein: 6g; Sodium: 635mg.

Recipe courtesy of "The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen: Fresh, Fast Flavorful Recipes" from the American Diabetes Association, copyright 2009. Photo by Taran Z. 2009 from "The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen."