I made up this recipe and it actually turned out good! This is good considering I don't cook!

Creamy Chunky Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 small/medium turnips (or 1/2 head cauliflower, your choice), cubed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 to 1/2can of spam (thinly sliced) or at least 4 strips of bacon
1 cups heavy cream
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder (or could do 12 oz chicken broth)
2- 6.5 oz cans chopped clams

I didn't have several ingredients for a normal clam chowder, so this came about. Either fry up your bacon in a pan, or the can of spam. I cook the whole can and save the rest for breakfast with my eggs. Cut the spam thinly and fry it until it is crispy, kind of like bacon. Take it out of the pan and throw in the onions, celery and turnips. fry them in the grease until they brown just a bit. (cut spam or bacon up into bits while waiting.) Pour the clam juice from the canned clams into the pan and continue to simmer until the turnips are slightly soft. Add cream, water and bouillon to the veggies and simmer (try not to boil it so it won't burn). After it is heated up, add the spam/bacon bits and the cans of clam meat. Add pepper, salt and parsley to taste. Heat until hot, but not boiling. Serve hot.

Makes 5 servings. Carbs 5, Fiber 1.

Breakdown for Fitday.com (per serving):
Calories:443
Total Fat: 42
Sat Fat: 24.4
Poly Fat: 2.26
Mon Fat: 13.4
Chol: 146.3
Sod:424.8
Pot:408.5
Carbs: 5.03
Fiber: 1.27
Prot: 10.62
Alco: 0

Sounds good I'll have to try it out! I love clam chowder

Oh you've made me such a happy camper... I miss soup, but have a hard time getting excited about a lot of the low carb offerings. Clam chowder used to be one of my all time favorites, so I'm definitely going to have to try this.

Thanks!
Leesa

If you are worried about so much cream, it works just as well with half the cream and just make up the difference with water. I think you could make it taste even 'clam chowderish' by adding clam juice from a bottle. I think it may be fishier. I just couldn't find it in the store, so I went with the can juice. Why waste it?! ha

I am gonna try to adapt this to my crockpot tonight!

IT would work in there, the only thing I would suggest is don't put the clams in, until about 20 mins before you are ready to serve. THey just have to heat, not cook, kwim? If they cook too much, they get rubbery... Enjoy!

Shoot, I just realized my original recipe post called for 1 cup of cream. I meant 2 cups of cream. For some reason I can't edit my post...

Well, I made this yesterday following the original recipe (with one cup of cream) and it's pretty darn good! I'll have to try it with two cups of cream next time.

I also might try running the whole thing through the blender before adding the clams to add to the overall thickness and creaminess.

Also, I don't think that I'd knowingly ever eaten a turnip in my life, so I was a bit leery, but they added an interesting flavor.

Yum!

Leesa

Leesa - Sorry about that. It made it thicker didn't it? I made it yesterday with only 1 cup of cream and 2 cups of water and like it much better. I think the 2 cups of cream set my stomach on edge. Too much fat or something? I dont' know... I have 1 cup of soup left over to have for lunch. Had to hide it in the fridge or DH would have taken it to work. We all love it! ha The turnips take the place of the potatoes you normally put in clam chowder which of course are a no no on lo carb. After all that cooking and soaking, they don't taste a bit like a turnip. Hadn't thought to blend it up. We really like that chunkiness. Have fun experimenting!

I made it in my crock pot, it was fabulous!!!!!

I did this in a crock pot last night with the turnips and spicy SPAM. Enjoying it right now. It is sooo good. Thank you!