Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Yum you guys, this recipe is fabulous!  I bookmarked it almost a year ago and remembered it when we were working on our grocery list for the week.  I wanted potato soup, Tyler wanted a veggie soup, this was our version of compromise.  I ended up leaving out the carrots as my digestive system does not like them, even though my tastebuds do.  I served it with some Tastefully Simple beer bread and we scarfed it down.  I may even take leftovers for lunch tomorrow, and that is rare for me!  Try this soup, you won’t be sorry!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (adapted from Food Network, as seen on Amber’s blog)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups broccoli florets, stems removed (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese.

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Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu

This recipe was Tyler’s pick, but I indulged it (with a big glass of milk to combat the spiciness and you betcha I pulled those hunks of tofu out of my bowl after I photographed it!)  I would put wontons in this soup rather than tofu, but that’s just me.  It really was a great, easy to make soup!

Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1  (14-ounce) package firm water-packed tofu, drained
• 1 3/4  cups  water, divided
• 1  (1/2-ounce) package dried sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  white vinegar
• 2  tablespoons  less-sodium soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 3/4  teaspoon  white pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 2 1/2  tablespoons  cornstarch
• 1/2  cup  canned sliced bamboo shoots, drained and cut into julienne strips
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2  cup  thinly diagonally sliced green onion tops

Preparation

1. Place tofu on several layers of paper towels. Cover tofu with several more layers of paper towels; top with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan. Let stand 30 minutes. Discard paper towels. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.

2. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in mushrooms; let stand 30 minutes. Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture, tofu, and bamboo shoots into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Slowly drizzle egg into broth mixture (do not stir). Place pan over low heat; cook 1 minute. Stir soup gently to combine. Sprinkle with green onions.

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Beef Stew with Red Wine

Tyler found this recipe online that made use of many of the leftover ingredients we had from the bolognese the other night (needed to use up that red wine since we don’t really like to drink it).  This stew took just over an hour to make and was delicious!  Next time we will definitely add potatoes though!

Red wine beef stew (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds stew beef

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 to 2 medium carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, or a dash of crumbled dried rosemary

1 jar (15 ounces) small onions, or 10 to 16 ounces frozen small onions, thawed

Preparation:

Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces. Put in a food storage bag with the flour, onion powder, and seasoned salt; toss to coat well.

Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the onion and celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add carrots, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add drained or thawed onions. Continue cooking for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until beef is tender. Serve with biscuits or hot cooked noodles

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Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ya’ll, this soup is simply amazing.  Thanks a million to Nemmie who brought this soup to Cooking Club last week. It is my new favorite!  Easy to whip up in less than an hour.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
– 3 Tbsp. butter
– 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
– 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 lb. ground turkey
– 1 c. flour
– Lots of portabella mushrooms, cut into chunks*
– Lots of button mushrooms, cut into chunks*
– Lots of any other mushrooms you love, cut into chunks*
* Okay, to be fair: you’ll need about a pound or so of mushroom chunks total, your preference
– About 4-6 c. milk, stock, or half-n-half (depending on the flavor/healthiness/thickness you want; I tend to do a mixture of all three)
– Salt and ground pepper

Add the butter to a large heavy pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the melted butter, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown. Add flour and make the mixture thick, get that flour mixed into the turkey really well (you’ll have a thick, sticky, lumpy mass on your hands. That is fine, it’s what you want).

Add mushrooms and cook for awhile, until juices and flavor are released (about 15 minutes). Slowly add your liquid of choice (milk/broth/half-n-half). Cook until thickened as desired while on medium heat, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Soup soup wonderful soup

This recipe has been circulating the blog circuit just like the stew recipe from below, I knew the moment I laid eyes on this recipe I had to make it.  It combines my 2 favorite soups: potato and broccoli cheddar.  The bag boy’s efforts to thwart me failed (he didn’t give me my bag of produce so I was missing a bunch of ingredients).  I was committed to making this soup and made a second trip to the store, this time carefully watching as they bagged and loaded my groceries.  I would not lose my spuds again!  Tyler and I loved this recipe, next time I might add more seasoning, maybe more salt and pepper and some basil & thyme (which I usually put in my potato soup so I think it would work well for this too).  For a creamier consistency I might try fat free half and half next time instead of milk, although the 2% was somewhat thick, better than the skim milk we usually cook with.  I bought bread bowls from Panera because I go there a couple of times a week and have a strange pull to their bakery that is hard to resist!

Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup (original recipe from Cooking Light, posted on Annie’s blog first but I saw it for the first time over at Sugar & Spice )

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14.5-oz) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups cubed, peeled potato (1.25 lbs) – I used 3 medium potatoes, because I love potatoes
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped (I bought a bag of frozen broccoli florets and did not thaw before cooking)
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup reduced-fat 2% milk (could also use 1% or skim, but would have a thinner broth)
1 (8-oz) block 2% reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (do not buy the preshredded stuff, buy a block and shred yourself for the best results!)

Preparation:
Whisk flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cooking, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 oz. shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Serve with additional shredded cheese, bacon bits and chopped scallions.

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another crock pot wonder

Oh crock pot, how I love thee on a cold autumn day when I am lazy and in need of a no fuss meal. I have never been a huge fan of stew, but when I saw this recipe over at Good Things Catered I was intrigued and knew I had to try it. It just looks so…tasty. I modified the original recipe for the crockpot and subbed beef broth for red wine, I’ve posted my version below. This was a delicious stew, I’m sad I left town after I made it and wasn’t able to enjoy the leftovers!

Hearty Beef Stew (original recipe found here, taken from America’s Test Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 in. cubes
salt and ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped coarse (about 2 c.)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1.5 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 can beef broth
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 medium red potatoes cut into 1-in. cubes
2 large carrots (about 1 lb.), peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. minced parsley

Directions:
-Dry beef throughly and season with salt and pepper.
-Place all ingredients except for the peas and parsley to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
-Add the peas and parsley and cook for another hour or until peas are tender.

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A cold day in September

Well I was trying to hold off on making soup until the first day of fall but it is 59 degrees outside right now and the sun hasn’t even gone down yet! I am so pumped I am slowly letting fall creep into our apartment, I put out my fall pillows and plugged in a nutmeg air freshener yesterday. The rest of the fall decor WILL wait until the 23rd though!

So for dinner tonight I made broccoli cheddar soup, a kind of soup I love to eat but had never made before. I was a little skeptical about the noodles in the soup, but they were perfect and made it a much heartier soup. I would like to figure out a way to make it a bit thicker/creamier next time. Maybe I won’t use skim milk or I’ll try adding cornstarch or something. Overall I really enjoyed the soup, Tyler said it was good but kind of “plain” (I don’t really know what that means but I think he prefers soups with some kind of meat in it). I will make this soup again on another chilly day!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup, from JMitchKC-another KC real bride.

3/4 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. olive oil (or vegetable, canola)
6 Chicken Boullion cubes
6 c. water
1 pkg. Egg Noodles (8oz)
2 – 10oz pkgs. of frozen broccoli (I used mini florets)
6 c. milk (I used skim, but the soup may have been creamier if I’d used 1 or 2% instead)
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese (cubed)

Directions:
Add oil and sautee onions, not brown. Add water and dissolve Boullion cubes.
Bring to a boil and add noodles. Cook until noodles are soft, then add
broccoli. When broccoli is thawed and not hard, add milk, garlic powder,
salt and pepper. It is very important the milk DOES NOT BOIL.
Add cubed velveeta and stir frequently until melted. You will cook
this slow, so that it doesn’t boil or the milk & cheese will curdle.

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Warm soup, Cold day

This is one of my favorite recipes. My friend Kristen gave it to me in college and it’s the only potato soup recipe I’ve made since. It is thick and creamy and perfect on a cold day. Since winter seems to keep going on and on this year I figured mid-April was still okay for soup. Usually we only make chili’s and soups from the first day of fall to the first day of spring. I love this soup so much I may make it year round…hope you enjoy it!

Restaurant-Quality Baked Potato Soup

3 russet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream (I always substitute fat free half & half or skim milk to make it healthier)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces bacon – cooked and crumbled (turkey bacon is a tasty and healthier alternative)
2 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1
hour, or until done. Set aside to cool. (I pop them in the fridge for 3o minutes)

Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until
tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a
roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato
flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil,
reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the
potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the
half-and-half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into
bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

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