Day 306: Fennel Puree ♥

Yes, another puree. I am so loooooving the taste of mashed potatoes and the virtue of potatoes mashed with something lower in calories and carbs. This one is fennel and celery cooked and mashed with potato, then gussied up with a spash of an anise liqueur (Sambuca or Pernod) and cream (or tonight, fat-free half 'n' half). It was just delicious. NUTRITION NOTES Weight Watchers: With no added butter, this clocks in at just 1 point. Carb Counters: With 14 grams of net carbs, it is lower carb but not, I'm afraid, low carb. NEXT TIME I'll use a tad less liquid for a thicker consistency. This could have been fixed by a return trip to the stove but the meat was ready, it was time to eat! I'll also again leave out the butter; it just wasn't needed for flavor or even texture.

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VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES ~ more fennel recipes ~ ~ still more fennel recipes, ones cooked by my fellow food bloggers in February 2006 for a special fennel-only event ~

FENNEL PUREE Hands-on time: 15 minutes Time to table: 35 minutes Serves 4 Water to cover 1/2 pound fresh fennel bulb, trimmed and diced (it took a 3/4 pound bulb to get 1/2 pound) 1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 2 tablespoons chicken stock (or less) 1 tablespoon anise liqueur 2 tablespoons fat-free half'n'half (or cream if you like) 1 tablespoon butter (I didn't find this at all necessary) Salt and pepper to taste Start the water to a boil. Add the vegetables as they're prepped -- there's no need to wait til the water boils -- and bring to a boil. Cook til vegetables are cooked. Drain and transfer to a food processor (the celery and fennel were both too much for a hand mixer). Add the chicken stock and puree until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. Serve and enjoy! NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 84 Cal (4% from Fat, 12% from Protein, 84% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 0 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 17 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb14; 59 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 98 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE Adapted from Greene on Greens by Tom Greene

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