Sections
June 21, 2026
Serving Columbus & Starkville, Mississippi
Due to federal holidays, no print edition on Fri., June 19 and Sat., July 4
Food

Light and easy

By • March 27, 2019

  • 4 mins to read

Light and easy
As our wardrobes transition from sweaters to shorts, here's a "skinny" broccoli soup that comes in at about 200 calories a serving. Photo by: showmetheyummy.com

Somewhat to my pseudo-horror, I overheard a group of teenage girls in a local restaurant this past week. (I wasn’t eavesdropping; it was unavoidable.) Their topic reminded me of all those impending “swimsuit seasons” when I was a teen. The girls were talking about suit styles and how many pounds they wanted to lose before school’s end and the annual bolt for the beach. First of all, they each looked perfectly lovely already. Second of all, I allowed myself a chuckle of gratitude that I’m past the age of fretting over high school beach bodies and bikinis. But they did have a point: Spring compels us to put away our layers and comfy bulky sweaters. The season of sleeveless and shorts will be upon us. For many, it brings an added awareness of what we’re eating. We wouldn’t mind tuning ourselves up for spring and summer.

As we turn the calendar to April in just a few days, it’s a good time to turn the corner from winter’s comfort foods to lighter fare.

We still have some coolish temps ahead, which is why a lightened-up recipe for “skinny” broccoli cheese soup is timely. At 200 calories a serving, it’s “perfect for cool evenings or chilly rainy spring days, or when a spring or summer thunderstorm calls for cuddling up,” says showmetheyummy.com.

An eggplant pizza — a “cheater’s pizza” — is a low-carb, gluten-free alternative to its calorie-laden cousin. It takes less than an hour to prepare.

The fruit tart recipe below calls for just five ingredients and takes about 10 minutes to make. The crust made of cashews and raisins is topped with vanilla Greek yogurt and fresh raspberries. Call it a healthy breakfast — or a decadent dessert.

Each of the recipes is considered easy to make; each is a healthier, flavorful option to heavy versions. Beaches or not, that’s always in style.

SKINNY BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

Total time: about 25 minutes

1 tablespoon butter

1 small yellow onion (roughly chopped)

1 stalk celery (roughly chopped)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (more, as needed)

1 cup skim milk

1 16-ounce bag frozen cauliflower florets

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar, about 6-8 ounces

  • In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium/medium high heat.
  • Add chopped onion, celery, and garlic, and spices and cook, about 5 minutes. Add in broth, milk, and cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Simmer until cauliflower is fork tender, about 3-5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend.
  • Add in carrots and broccoli and simmer until broccoli is cooked to your liking, about 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend.
  • Stir in cheese until melted. Taste and re-season, if necessary and serve

    (Source: showmetheyummy.com)

    EGGPLANT PIZZA

    Makes 6 servings

    1 large (or 2 medium) eggplants

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

    1/2 cup torn basil leaves

    1/3 cup olive oil

    1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)

    2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved.

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cut ends off the eggplant(s) and then cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheets and brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Roast eggplant slices until nearly tender, 10-12 minutes.
  • Remove trays from oven and spread 2 tablespoons marinara sauce on top of each piece. Top generously with mozzarella and arrange 3 to 5 cherry tomato pieces on top of each.
  • Return pizzas to oven and roast until cheese is melted and tomatoes are blistered, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve pizzas hot, garnished with basil.

    (Source: purewow.com)

    HEALTHY FRUIT TARTS

    Total time: 10 minutes

    Makes 3 tarts (serves 6)

    For the crust:

    1 1/2 cup cashew halves and pieces

    1 cup raisins

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste

    For the filling:

    3/4-1 cup vanilla honey Greek yogurt

    2 6-ounce packages raspberries

    Optional toppings:

    Honey

    Powdered sugar

    Fresh mint

  • For crust, in a food processor, pulse together cashews, raisins, vanilla and salt. It’s ready when cashews have broken down and dough sticks together when you squeeze it together in your hands.
  • Grease 3 (4.75 inch) round tart pans and press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of each tin. Freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • To assemble, remove tarts from freezer. Place about 1/4-1/3 cup Greek yogurt into each tin. Top with raspberries and optional toppings. Serve immediately.

    (Source: showmetheyummy.com)

    Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.

    You can help your community

    Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

    You can help your community

    Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

    • Related Photos

    Eggplant pizza is a low-carb, gluten-free alternative if you're looking for a lighter pizza. Photo by: purewow.com

    Crusts for these fruit tarts are made with cashews, raisins, vanilla extract and a bit of salt. Photo by: showmetheyummy.com

    Unlock this article. Just sign in.

    Have an account? Sign in. New here? Get more access in seconds.

    Yes! I would like to receive content in my inbox.