Simple Clam Chowder

The protein in the milk benefits hair and skin, and the vitamin B12 from the clams and B6 from the potatoes nourish hair. Garnish with additional fresh thyme.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  bacon slices
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 1 1/4  cups  chopped celery
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 6  (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
• 5  cups  diced peeled baking potato (about 1 pound)
• 4  (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  fat-free milk
• 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, celery, salt, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add clam liquid, potato, clam juice, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard bay leaf.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add clams; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

257 (10% from fat)

Fat:

2.9g (sat 0.6g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

28.5g

Carbohydrate:

27.9g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

67mg

Iron:

26.6mg

Sodium:

475mg

Calcium:

242mg