Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Okay, I know I should just call a spade a spade and consider this an official "SOUP" blog instead of a "recipe" blog with variety.

Anyway, when I was growing up my mom used to make a delicious broccoli cheese soup. Being a kid I wasn't a huge fan of broccoli. Or cheese. Or soup, for that matter (don't worry - I grew out of it), but this soup was an exception. It was totally delectable, as Fancy Nancy would say. This is not the same recipe my mom used (because I don't have it... hm, I should look into that), but it is definitely delectable all the same.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1 cup carrot, grated
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups half-and-half cream (I use fat-free 1/2 and 1/2 and it is just the same! It's my dirty little fat-free secret)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (have I mentioned how much I love Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar?)
salt and pepper

Directions:
1 - Sauté onion and carrot in butter until tender.

2 - Stir in flour and whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
3 -  Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4 - Add the broccoli. Cook over low heat until broccoli is bright green.
5 - Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add cheese.

Fall Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
4 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 zucchini, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 red potatoes, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of baking soda
1/3 cup small shell macaroni (or any small pasta), uncooked
1/3 lb. ground Italian sausage, cooked (optional - if you want a vegetarian dish!)
1 cup fresh baby spinach 
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Saute onion and carrots in olive oil for several minutes; add garlic and cook for one minute longer. Add tomato paste and stir, over med-high heat. Add apple juice or cider and cook for a few minutes until slightly reduced.
2. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and nutmeg. (I also added some basil and Penzey's "Forward" spice blend, which I nurse an addiction to and put on everything - fish, eggs, ice cream...) Add whatever seasonings taste like Fall to you. Sprinkle with a dash of baking soda to cut the acidity - add a little at a time because it will make the soup mad!
3. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for as long as you like - maybe even an hour, if you have that kind of time.
4. Add macaroni, cooked Italian sausage, and spinach. Simmer for about 15 min. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan and serve with bread!

Green Smoothies

***UPDATED:
 I adjusted this recipe a little each time and took advice from some friends who are on the "green smoothie" bandwagon, and now we have a base recipe that is a keeper! Troy and Brooklyn STILL eat it, which is more than I can say for my first few versions after the first try.

I first discovered this new craze via the wonderful world of Pinterest. Smoothies? + Vegetables? My kids eat smoothies! And they do not eat vegetables. Surely we can come to an agreement here...

I have to admit, when I pulled out the blender and then... stuffed it full of fresh spinach... I was skeptical. I mean, well just look.

Yum, right?

No.

So I hit "blend" or something else with a pulverizing description to it and came up with this.

Then we drank it.

Result?

It was a WIN!

WOW, you wouldn't believe how much like spinach this does NOT taste! No really! It was truly delicious. I made a couple alterations to the first recipe I found and liked it much better.

Here ya go.

6 oz fresh spinach, kale, or collard greens
8 oz frozen raspberries or strawberries ( I used strawberries)
1-2 ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
1-2 cups milk
1/2-1 cup yogurt (if using plain yogurt, add honey or sugar)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grape juice
1/4 cup flax seed meal (optional)
6-8 ice cubes (also optional, if the banana was not frozen and/or if you like a more icy consistency)

Place all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Some people prefer to blend the greens and water first, then add the other ingredients, but I've found it makes no difference for me!

Tomato Bisque

I know. I've gone crazy about soup. We literally ate it every day last week. And for lunch too. But this one is fabulous.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped,
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup milk
3 cups beef broth
1 (14.5) can tomatoes, whole in juice or diced, seasoned or not, your choice!
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 bay leaf
Around 1/2-1 tsp. Italian seasoning, basil, or whatever you like to use
Dash nutmeg
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook another minute.
2. Whisk in milk, cooking and stirring until mixture is thickened. Add tomato paste, beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, bay leaf, Italian seasoning/basil, nutmeg, and salt & pepper. Bring nearly to boil and simmer 20-30 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaf. Pour soup into a blender in batches and blend until it's the desired consistency. Alternately, use a stick blender to puree the soup in the pan.
4. Return soup to pan and heat through. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and basil as desired.

Serve sprinkled with fresh basil, grated Parmesan, or a swirl of cream, and definitely with a grilled cheese sandwich. (You may or may not already know of my undying love for Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar.)

Pizza

I am so shamelessly addicted to pizza. I told Travis once that I really don't like to eat anything unless it is sweet or pizza. I'm like a 9-year-old, you know, when you ask what a 9-year-old's favorite food is. It's always pizza. We seriously make homemade pizza almost weekly. Oh and the huge forest of fresh basil growing on our patio doesn't help much. This makes two 12-inch pizzas. (I use 3/4 of this recipe to make one gigantic pizza that fills my pizza stone completely.)

1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. cornmeal,
1 cup pizza sauce
Assorted toppings (pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, peppers, etc.)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine 1/4 cup water, yeast, and sugar in mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining water, olive oil, 2 cups flour, and salt and mix well. Add more flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough forms a ball but is not overly sticky. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled (about 45-60 min.) - (This is where I scrape the dough into a ball and spray the inside of the mixing bowl with olive oil, cover it and put it over a bowl of hot water, which will cut the rising time in half - about 20-30 min.)

Punch dough down, turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide in half and roll each half into a round (if you let it rest for about 10 minutes it will stretch easily to the size you want). Transfer to pizza stone or pan sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake at 425 degrees for about 9 minutes. Remove from oven and top with sauce and pizza toppings; bake for another 15 minutes or until it looks done.

Oh yes, back to the basil. I like to do a "pizza margherita" with sliced tomatoes, snipped fresh basil, and slices of fresh mozzarella. Then you feel healthier because you're eating vegetables (you know, the tomatoes) and no meat.

Rigatoni with Broccoli, Beans and Basil

This was one of those "healthy" dishes that looked like it wasn't going to be that good. You know how healthy dishes are. But it was really surprisingly good! Pretty impressive for a vegetarian meal! This one is also from the March 2010 BHG, but I've included my tiny alterations. (Purists can look up the original on the BHG website.)

Ingredients
• 8 oz. dried rigatoni (about 3-1/2 cups)
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• ¼ cup snipped fresh basil leaves
• 2 slices bread, cut in small cubes
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• Snipped fresh basil (optional)

Directions
1. In Dutch oven cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and broccoli; return to pan.
2. Add beans, garlic, and about 2 Tbsp. of the oil to the pasta and broccoli. Carefully stir in basil, pasta water, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and keep warm.
3. For croutons, in skillet heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add bread cubes and red pepper. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp. Top pasta with croutons and basil. Makes 4 servings.