Clean Eating's Picadillo Chowder: A "Super Bowl" of Healthy Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Happy Sunday! Whether you are watching the Super Bowl or enjoying a "souper bowl" of soup like this hearty, healthy Picadillo Chowder I adapted from the current issue of Clean Eating magazine, I hope you are enjoying the day.

Clean Eating says, "In Latin America, a picadillo usually consists of finely chopped well-seasoned meat and vegetables served alongside a bed of rice. Here, we've transferred the concept to the soup pot, turning it into a healthy chowder meant to spice up your cold winter nights."

I loved the concept of this recipe but I did made several changes--subbing ground bison for the pork, increasing the amount of brown rice, increasing the beans and adding kidney beans to the black beans called for in the recipes, adding tomatoes (good for lycopene and vitamin C and makes for a prettier broth too), increasing the seasonings and subbing out cilantro for the parsley garnish. (All changes are noted in red below) It resulted in a very flavorful, hearty but not too heavy bowl of soup.

Picadillo Chowder

Clean Eating Magazine, February 2011

(Serves 4)

Hands On Time: 30 Minutes / Total Time: 1 Hour

1 lb lean ground pork (I subbed bison)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

32 oz low-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed (added 1 can of beans)

(added 1 can of no-salt kidney beans)

(added one package Pomi chopped tomatoes)

1/4 cup brown rice (used 1 cup)

1 tsp ground cumin (used 2 heaping tsps)

1 tsp chili powder (used 2 tsps)

juice 1 lime (used 1 and 1/2)

salt and black pepper to taste

chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional (used cilantro)

Place a large stockpot on medium heat. Add pork and onion and cook for 3 minutes or until pork is opaque and onion begins to turn translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove pot from the heat, pour pork mixture into a heat-proof colander and drain fat from meat. Return pork mixture to pot and add broth. Stir in beans, rice, cumin and chili powder. Bring chowder to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in lime juice and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

Notes/Results: A filling and tasty soup--almost like a brothy chili. The lean ground meat and brown rice with the beans provide lots of protein and fiber. The cumin adds that warm, slightly smoky flavor which goes nicely with the kick of chili and the brightness of the lime juice. (Clean Eating sometimes holds back a bit on the seasonings so I added more--clean eating doesn't have to mean less flavor!) It also needed a good pinch of salt and some black pepper to pull out all the flavors. Another soup that is even better the next day when the flavors are blended together and more pronounced. I would make this again.

It looks like we have some hearty soups, salads and sammies in this Super Bowl Sunday edition of Souper Sundays--let's take a look.

From Michelle at Ms. Enplace, it's Creole Vegetable Soup, or "Wisdom Tooth Soup" as it is known in her house. She says, "The Husband made Creole Vegetable Soup for me years ago when I had my wisdom teeth out. He called his dad to get the recipe. I still have it scribbled somewhere. Chopped everything itty bitty knowing my condition. Worked all day while I was passed out on codeine. For true. It makes me faint. He chopped, boiled, shredded, simmered. And then we ate. Then I ran to the bathroom. Apparently codeine makes me puke too. It took a while to shake the teasing that followed. Both of us."

Julie from Little Bit of Everything made a creamy Wild Rice soup and says, "There's something hearty and almost meaty (or so I tried to tell Tim) about Wild Rice Soup. When I told Tim I was making Wild Rice Soup, he said chicken and wild rice soup? I said no, besides the bacon, there's no meat in this recipe but aren't you happy it does have bacon it? Actually lots of bacon. This recipe called for 1 pound of bacon, I scaled it down to 1/2 pound. Seriously, a pound of bacon?!! Like many soups, this one is better on day two or even day three."

Lovely Lori from Fake Food Free has Green Chili with Pork and Chickpeas to share and says, "When you first read this title you might have thought of chilies as in peppers. That wouldn’t be completely off the mark. This dish does contain green chilies, but it is also a twist on the classic that can be found everywhere from Texas to Cincinnati and in between. I have had this recipe for several years and I make it at least once every winter. It is such a nice break from red chili with its beans and ground beef. Over time, I’ve adjusted it to my tastes. I add canned green chilies along with salsa verde and I use less pork."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes has a Chicken Vegetable Soup to share but wants to be all about the topping, a yummy Parsley Pesto from her freezer. Pam says, "It’s about what is floating (not quite attractively) on top of the soup. The garnish. See, what happened, is that as I was rifling through the freezer, trying to use up some veggies frozen during last summer’s surplus, I stumbled upon a ziploc bag. A ziploc bag containing Parsley Pesto and I thought…hey, that is why I make and freeze these things…to use them! Only I usually forget. Only this time I didn’t. And it was good, added just the right touch to my basic, no frills, soup. So, this is just a tip, a reminder, don’t have naked soup. Garnish it."

Gwen from Simply Healthy Family tried a Sauerkraut and Sausage Soup and says, "This recipe came from my '1 Stock 100 Soups' Cook Book. I altered it a bit, omitting the dumplings and sour cream and I added some potatoes, turnips and parsnips that I had to use and to make it heartier. I hesitated making this soup thinking the kids wouldn't even touch it but to my utter amazement, each and every one of my 4 kids had seconds or third helpings! You just never know I tell you. Simmering the Sauerkraut made it much milder and even sweet some how.This soup was a big hit in our home and will make your tummies warm and happy during this crazy Winter weather!"

Denise (aka Denny) of Oh Taste n See made a Red Kidney Bean Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mini Peppers and says, "If there is a dish that has innumerable ways of making it, or no real set way of making it, its a salad. You can throw just about anything edible together and call it a ‘salad’. That's the beauty of the thing. Verdict: I was bored with the usual salad with cucumber, this was a great variation. The crunchy peppers, with the tangy sundried tomatoes drizzled with the spicy citrusy dressing was very refreshing. The beans made sure it was also very filling."

It's a colorful Black Bean, Cilantro and Apricot Salad for Janet from The Taste Space. She says, "The next day, when I tasted it, I was floored. This was an “Oh my gosh, this salad is SO GOOD” moment (it really needs the overnight marinade, by the way). There was enough extra marinade that it was used as the dressing once the spinach was added. I never would have thought to pair all these ingredients together, but the spinach was the perfect accent. It was a great lunch for work, since I packed the spinach separately. Filling, tasty and healthy – what else could you want?"

A warm Souper Sunday welcome to Nashira from Plateful, joining us for the first time this week, all the way from Qatar and with both a salad and a sandwich to share. First up, her Spiced, Colorful, Tangy and Crunchy Salad with Sausage, Olives and Vegetables. She says, "Toss quickly this mildly spiced fresh salad, packed with nutrients, to go with your meals. This recipe adds a delicious crunch and a brilliant splash of color to your eat well goals. This, along with the heat from the pickled jalapeno, makes it a totally irresistable salad. Use firm, fresh vegetables and leaves. Make sure to rinse well before slicing. For a better crunch, you can add icerberg lettuce instead of frisee."

About her hearty Grilled Chicken Mortadella Sandwich, Nashira says, "This is another no fuss recipe. All you need to do is fill two slices of Italian bread with the ingredients and grill--nothing can go wrong. My family enjoys the balance of flavors and textures offered by this delicious, warm sandwich. I hope you try it and enjoy it too." Welcome to Souper Sundays Narisha!

Roz of la bella vita made a Sun-Dried Turkey Burgers with Basil Aioli and says, "It is completely outstanding! No lie, friends! You've got to add this to your healthy recipes file! It is truly the best of the last three healthy recipes that I've posted BY FAR! Once again it is from Cooking Light's "Fresh Food Fast" cookbook, with my own adaptations and additions (that made a big difference!); a resource that is shocking my family and me for the tasty, yet good-for-us recipes that are provided. I'm just amazed! You'll never know that this recipe is actually good for you! And isn't that one of the goals that eating more healthfully is all about: Enjoyment!?"

Libby from The Allergic Kid tried her son's idea for dinner, resulting in these healthy Flatbread Tacos. Libby says, "I could almost see the wheels turning, as he blurted out "Make your own pizza tacos!" which combined his two favorite meals, pizza and make your own tacos. Did he want pizza toppings on tortillas or the other way around? It turned out he wanted the soft dough of a pizza and the do it himself element of taco night at our house.I was sold. Clearly, I need to start asking my kid these kind of questions more often!"

A little something delicious for everyone this week! Thanks to all who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on my side bar for all of the details.

Enjoy your week!