MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER AND CHEESE SOUP - SERVES 4

It's not exactly soup weather but I had things to use up in the fridge and this is the first recipe I came across. It comes from Now Cook This hosted by Michelle. You can see the original recipe here. It's a delicious soup, a ten out of ten to our own taste. I will be going back to see Michelle's other recipes many times I can tell.

Broccoli Cauliflower and Cheese Soup - serves 4 and if you are watching such things, approximately 471 calories in a serving.

2 tablespoons olive oil, use regular or light – not extra virgin (we used avocado oil)

2 medium to large carrots, diced

2 large ribs celery, diced

1 small to medium onion, diced

salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups water

4 teaspoons chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon

3 cups fresh broccoli florets

3 cups fresh cauliflower florets

1 cup half and half

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot (4-quart size or larger), heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the carrots, celery, and onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 

Sauté until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour and cook for another minute, stirring. Important to cook the flour first. In my early days I remember missing this step and there was a raw flour taste in every bite of soup.

Combine the water and chicken base. Add to the pot along with the broccoli and cauliflower.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Using a potato masher, mash the veggies until they reach the desired consistency.

Add the half-and-half and the cheese. Stir until the cheese is blended into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Michelle's notes:

This recipe makes 4 generous servings of about 2 cups each, which is perfect for a bowl of soup as the main dish, but you could stretch it out to 6 servings of about 1-1/3 cups each if you were serving it as a starter – more like a cup of soup rather than a bowl.

You can use frozen broccoli and cauliflower. Just be sure to reduce the cooking time so that they don’t get mushy.

You can use 4 cups of canned or boxed chicken stock in place of the chicken base and water, but the flavor will be a bit different (I think the chicken base has much more flavor).

Omit the flour to make the soup gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free thickening agent and method to thicken the soup (cornstarch, arrowroot, tapioca starch, etc.).

I don’t recommend freezing this soup. Soups with dairy can separate and take on an odd texture when frozen and reheated.   

What did we change?  Not much, we had all the ingredients and was very happy with the way it turned out.

I served it with cornbread and we had a mixed salad. We had arugula and much to my surprise I disliked it very much. It had been a long time since we bought it and now I know why. Gregg on the other hand enjoyed it. I like every other kind of lettuce but apparently not arugula, I couldn't even eat it. I picked out the black olives, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, diced sweet bell pepper strips, diced onion and was happy with those.

We did add an extra carrot and we both agree, it was a good choice.

I added a few drops of Sriracha to mine.

We used an emulsifier instead of the potato masher and mixed it to a texture we both liked. There were still little nuggets of broccoli and cauliflower surprises left.

This is a great soup for hiding vegetables, especially for those who don’t like broccoli or cauliflower, big kids and little kids.  My dear other half for instance, can’t abide broccoli. The good news is he loves this soup. Our tastes occasionally part ways, like me with arugula. 

I wouldn’t hesitate to use regular broth instead of the chicken base, commercial or homemade. I think it would still be a great tasting soup.

If you prefer to copy and paste the address below, I have left it in full.

https://nowcookthis.com/broccoli-cauliflower-and-cheese-soup/

That's about all I can think of but if you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section. I will be happy to answer if I can.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP FROM SCRATCH

I found my recipe at Cafe Delites hosted by Karina.  The link is here.  I would like to thank Karina for a great tasting soup.

A first-class replacement for the canned variety by the way.  We both gave this soup a 10 out of 10.

Serves: 6

Calories: 271 per serving

 

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds (750 g) fresh brown mushrooms, sliced

4 teaspoons chopped thyme, divided

1/2 cup Marsala wine (any dry red or white wine)

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock

1-2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste

1/2-1 teaspoon black cracked pepper, adjust to taste

2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled

1 cup heavy cream or half and half (evaporated milk can be substituted)

Chopped fresh parsley and thyme for garnish

Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until melted. Sauté onion for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.

Next add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add mushrooms and 2 teaspoons thyme, cook for 5 minutes. Pour in wine and cook for 3 minutes.

Sprinkle mushrooms with flour, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock, mix again and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium heat, season with salt, pepper and crumbled bouillon cubes.

Cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, while occasionally stirring, until thickened.

Reduce heat to low, stir in cream or half and half. Allow to gently simmer (do not boil). Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Mix in parsley and remaining thyme. 

Serve warm. 

I read a lot of comments underneath the original recipe at Cafe Delites, and got some great ideas.  I highly recommend going to the original to read those.  Also for more information at the beginning from its host.

I was looking for a replacement to a chicken pie recipe I am making, which calls for 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup.  As I did not have the canned and like the idea of making something from scratch, I found this one.

Changes made because of what was in the pantry:

I used 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead of the four garlic cloves

Also 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead of the 4 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme, or to taste  

White mushrooms instead of brown.

Instead of the Marsala wine we had a bottle of Beringer's White Zinfandel.  This is a wine we both enjoy occasionally.

No fresh parsley to garnish but used plenty of black pepper to sprinkle over.

Instead of the bouillon cubes which I did not have, I used a tablespoon of HP Brown Sauce.  It is like A1 steak sauce here.

If I couldn't find HP I would use A1, which was my next choice except that it was way in the back behind loads of other items, and I put my hands on the HP first.  You could also use Worcestershire Sauce.

If I knew ahead of time that I was going to make this recipe, I would probably get all fresh herbs, but the dried worked just fine.  I would probably have a lot more flavor if I used fresh.  But honestly?  This was one of the best mushroom soups - for both our tastes - that we have ever come across, and will most definitely be making it again.

Apparently you can freeze it.  Another commenter mentioned that it looks curdled when it is thawed, but heats up well.  I am wondering, as I read from another commenter, if you added the dairy after thawing the soup, this might stop the curdled look. I would add the cream when the soup is heating up on a medium-low heat   

I used 2% milk and the soup was still very creamy tasting.

I like to read the comment section afterwards, and saw a lot of interesting tips on there.  

Someone said they would use this soup as a gravy at Thanksgiving. Another said they would put it into the green bean casserole instead of using the canned variety.  I make green bean casserole every time for Thanksgiving, and I can see doing this.   I can also see using it as a gravy.  We also thought this would be delicious over rice or noodles or mashed potatoes.

There were a lot of different ideas that you might enjoy tailoring to your own taste.  These were a few of them.

I served this with a crusty bread which I sliced and toasted.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, and I hope your week is a great one.