Healthy Corn Soup with Cheesy Garlic Toast

We're not "soup people" around here, but I've noticed that many of the frugal bloggers out there make soup. As a meal. I didn't think it would fly with my "where's the meat?" husband, but he loved the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara I made last week and the protein was kind of hidden in that recipe. So I thought I'd try to finally make the corn soup recipe from my meal plan last week, but I wanted to punch it up a bit. It was already packed with veggies and the "cream" base wasn't even cream, but I wondered if I could make it healthier.

I pureed some white cannellini beans for added protein and fiber, plus I reduced some of the liquid because it was too brothy for me. I had planned on trying to make some homemade artisan bread that I have a recipe for, but I cheated and bought some demi baguettes at Costco while I was picking up pictures today. A large bowl of soup and a whole mini-baguette actually filled Mike up. I was shocked.

Healthy Corn Soup

4 cups fresh corn kernels or 2 (10-oz) packages frozen, thawed
2 (15-oz) cans white beans
1 cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Put both cans of white beans, 1 cup of the corn and the milk into a blender or food processor, until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of corn and the broth and bring to a boil. Add the pureed corn and tomatoes and cook until warmed through, but not boiling. Add the salt and season with pepper.

Cheesy Garlic Toast

1 large baguette

1 clove garlic

2 T. olive oil

1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Cut baguette in half, lengthwise. Toast under the broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, rub with garlic clove and drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle cheese on top and put back under the broiler for another 5 minutes, until the cheese and/or the edges of the bread begin to brown. Watch it carefully...toasted bread turns into burned bread really quickly.