Shrimp and Corn Chowdah Revisited

As we head into the third week of January we've started to grow accustomed to our new, healthier routines. Right? Well, hopefully anyway. Having a salad for lunch every day can get boring so it's about time to mix things up a bit. How about some soup?

Soup makes for a warm and satisfying lunch but unfortunately can be high in fat and calories. With just a few substitutions you can make soups that are good for you and still have great flavor. This is a  Switch to buttery spread, low fat milk and low fat broth, omit the bacon and cream of corn. Then throw in some chiles for heat and you've got a flavorful and healthy lunch.

Healthy Shrimp and Corn Chowdah

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Best Life Buttery Spread
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, undrained
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 15.25-oz can sweet corn, drained
• 1/2 lb peeled and deveined lg shrimp

Directions:

1. Melt BL Buttery Spread in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and pepper to pan and sauté until tender (approx 2 mins).
3. Add canned chiles to pan and cook 1 minute.
4. Add flour to pan and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in milk, broth, potatoes, spices and corn and bring to a boil.
6. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick.
7. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp are done (approx 1 min).
8. Remove from heat and serve.

A couple of notes: Simmer the shrimp shells in the chicken broth before adding to soup for a bit of extra flavor (if you have time.) Also, if you are a fan of cilantro (I'm not) you can add some in before serving.

Enjoy!