The trick: Just add a slurry.

　　To thicken soups, Terry Conlan of Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas, adds slurries, cocktails of flour stirred with a low- or nonfat liquid, such as broth or skim milk. The texture of his Bay Scallop and Corn Chowder comes from a mix of flour and fat-free cream. Use slurries for any soup that calls for full-fat cream by substituting a slurry of flour and nonfat half-and-half.

Ingredients

　　3 ears corn (fresh or frozen), kernels cut from the cob (reserve cobs)

　　1 1/2 cups clam juice

　　1 tsp canola oil

　　1 cup sliced leeks (whites only), well rinsed

　　1 rib celery, diced

　　1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

　　2 cups 2 percent milk

　　2 potatoes, peeled and diced

　　1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

　　1 lb (about 2 cups) bay scallops

　　2 cups fat-free half-and-half

　　3/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　Olive- or vegetable-oil cooking spray

　　4 thin slices prosciutto

　　Fresh chives and basil, chopped

　　Simmer cobs in clam juice in a large pot over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove cobs and set liquid aside. Put oil in the same pot and cook leeks and celery on low for 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, clam-and-cob liquid, milk, potatoes, and cayenne. Simmer 5 minutes; add corn kernels and scallops. Whisk together half-and-half and flour to form a smooth slurry; add to pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Salt. Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; lay prosciutto on sheet and bake 10 minutes. Crumble into soup. Garnish with herbs.

Nutrition Per Serving

　　8.6 g fat (1.9 g saturated fat)

　　78.5 g carbohydrates

　　31.3 g protein

　　3.8 g fiber

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by Self