Recipes with croutons

Creamy corn-potato soup pureed thick with skim milk, dry milk powder, mustard, garlic, and a touch of honey. Low-fat vegetarian chowder that tastes richer than its calorie count suggests.

Basic red gazpacho is the classic Andalusian chilled tomato soup: ripe tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, garlic, and stale bread blended with sherry vinegar and olive oil. No cooking required.

Cold avocado gazpacho soup with cucumber, cilantro, lime, and a splash of hot sauce. Mexican-style chilled summer soup, no cooking required.

Caesar salad is delicious and can successfully be combined with such accompaniments as grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp. Here's the recipe I use.

A light and tasty salad takes no time to prepare. All the flavors are just nicely balanced.

Gazpacho done right: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers blended smooth, then topped with the same vegetables finely diced for crunch. A no-cook chilled soup with lime, Tabasco heat, and an optional vodka kick.

Herbed tomato soup microwaves a tomato sauce base with sauteed onion, basil, and thyme into a 15-minute single-serve soup. Low fat, low calorie, served with Parmesan croutons.

Not only delicious, but it also helps you keep a good diet.

Mom's Jersey fresh tomato soup with ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon, and a hint of lemon zest. A summer classic from the Garden State that turns peak-season tomatoes into a silky bowl.

A delicious, filling and well balanced chicken caesar salad satisfies everyone at the dinner table.

I created this super comfort food soup after discovering celery root (celeriac) thanks to my European husband. I combine typical American green celery stalks and leaves with celeriac, which extra enhances the soup's flavor and makes it even creamier with just milk. No real cream needed. I top mine with croutons and extra celery leaves. Can easily be made vegetarian.

This quick and easy caesar salad is surprisingly refreshing and delicious. There is no reason to buy store-bought dressing, when you can make your own fresh dressing at home within a few minutes, and it tastes just delicious!

Leek potato soup with nutmeg simmers tender leeks and starchy potatoes in chicken broth, then purees to a velvety silk. A whisper of nutmeg lifts the cream-free soup into something elegant. Bistro classic, weeknight effort.

A quick easy and refreshing salad is ready in ten minutes or so. Sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes, lettuce, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms and crunchy croutons are tossed with a light and tasty lemon-olive oil dressing.

Tuna (chicken of the sea) Caesar wraps. A crunchy healthy version of a Caesar salad wrapped up in a flour tortilla.

Hot gazpacho built on tomato juice, beef bouillon, peppers, onion, and a hit of Tabasco, heated fast in the microwave and topped with chopped fresh vegetables and croutons.