After living in Boston for a bit, I became a connoisseur of Clam Chowder..And let me tell you there are so many ways to make this soup good and some just plain awful..But I found a couple of recipes that I did like and incorporated them into one with a healthy spin on it…So here it is! Hope you love it as much as we do.

1 small butternut squash peeled and idce into cubes

1 large onion diced and divided in half

6-8 cloves of garlic minced and divided

4 stalk of celery chopped

2 carrots chopped coarsely

2-3 lbs of little neck steamers ( when I can I use the Ipswich Steamers..the absolute best steamer I have ever had in my life..I’d do a commercial for them if I could!!)

6 cups fat free chicken broth

2 cups fat free creamer

3.4 cup cooking white wine..(A dry Chardonnay is also helpful)

2 cans of white beans undrained..1 can pour into blender and puree, the other can add to soup

1 tbsp thyme

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

5 slices of Canadian bacon diced

1 a large pot with lid..add half of the onions and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter…Cook for about 5 min on high heat and add in white wine, reduce heat slightly. add in rinsed steamers and cover with lid cook for 8-10 min. All the clam should be open and smiling at you. resist the urge to eat one..one less for the soup. Set colander on top of a bowl and drain steamers in the colander. Let cool. Once cooled off remove all the steamers and put into another bowl..Rinse and strain them once, Stir the remaining broth from the steamers and pour again thru colander into another bowl..slowly so that the sand stay in the bottom. Set aside as well.

Place all the veggies into the pot , drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Cook for 10 min stirring often..Add in Canadian bacon can of beans, chicken broth and seasonings plus the bay leafs. Add the broth from the steamers as well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat..Simmer for awhile. Add in steamers…again resist the temptation to just eat one of those succulent things!Take 2 cups of the soup into a measuring cup and add in the fat free creamer slowly and then return back to the pot.  Simmer on low for about 20 in and then place lid on stock pot and turn off the heat!

Ladle into BIG bowls and serve with a warm Whole Wheat Baguette to soak up all the broth…Don’t forget the hot sauce

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