Pretty Purple Potato Soup

It's not often, OK it's been never before, that my husband has said, "take a picture, it's so pretty" about a soup. It's also not often that I watch him dig into a bowl of nothing but vegetables cooked in some broth and topped with a little cheese and some greens ... then go for seconds. That certainly says something about how visual perception affects taste. Here's what he was so excited about!

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (as needed)
10 purple, blue, or any color new potatoes, halved
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
2 green onions, white parts with some green, cut into 1/4 inch lengths
2 Tbs shredded yellow cheese
1/4 tsp salt, to taste
1/4 tsp pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add chopped onion, red pepper, and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add chicken broth along with potatoes, corn, and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Cook about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Add some or all of the water, if needed, to make sure the vegetables are covered with liquid while they cook. Taste the soup, and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with the cheese, the remaining parsley, and the green onions.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This is a variation on a basic corn chowder ... and shows what I had (and didn't have) when I made it. I was out of bacon or ham, white potatoes, and creamer necessary for corn chowder. The addition of the purple potatoes to a soup was one of those strokes of luck that turned out better than expected. It's a testament to trying out new things, and coming up with a winner! Feeling free to experiment with what's on hand means that eaters probably already like the ingredients ... and may well like the resulting combination.

Parmesan Potato Bites

Do you have kids or adults who like "tater tots"? These potato bites are the perfect replacement! Made from small, new potatoes with just a spritz of oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan, they're a great side dish and very kid friendly.

Ingredients:

20 small 1 inch diameter potatoes
olive oil spray
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Scrub the potatoes, then add to the boiling water. Return water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare a non stick oven proof pan by spraying it with olive oil. Drain the potatoes, then place them on the pan. Squash each potato by pressing down in it with a flat object, like a flat bottomed cup or a kitchen mallet. Spray the potatoes with a more olive oil, then sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese on the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is browned.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Here's a tip for easy portion control. First of all, only cook 5 potatoes per person, then add the potatoes to each plate before it's served. There's no seconds available, and each person gets a single serving size.