Better Broccoli Cheddar Soup

 Recipe courtesy of Detoxinista

 

Ingredients

-1 Tablespoon organic butter

-1/2 a yellow onion, chopped

-2 cloves garlic

-2 celery stalks, chopped

-2 large carrots, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)

-4 stalks (heads?) broccoli (about 4-5 cups of chopped florets, plus stems)

-6oz. block of raw goat cheddar, shredded

-3-4 cups water

-Pink Himalayan, or sea salt, to taste

-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

-In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat and saute the chopped onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until translucent.

-Add the chopped celery, and a splash of water to keep everything moving (Using water during the cooking process is a great way to keep the fat content low! no need to add any extra oil or butter!)

-While the onions and celery are cooking (about 5 more minutes) I took the time to shred my carrots, along with the broccoli stems that might otherwise be wasted.

-Add the shredded carrots and broccoli stems into the pot.

-Along with the broccoli florets, adding just enough water to cover. (about 3-4 cups)

-Bring the water to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

-Once the veggies are nice and tender, transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor.If you're using a blender, make sure your batches are

small and BE CAREFUL! Hot soups tend to create a LOT of pressure while blending, so hold the top down tight!!Once it's all blended, return the pureed soup to the stove for the finishing touches.

-Re-heat the soup, and add the nutmeg and sea salt, to taste. (I started with 1 teaspoon of Himalayan salt)

-Shred the goat cheddar, then add to pot and stir

Easy Broccoli-Cauliflower Stir Fry

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare broccoli and cauliflower when I don't have much time to cook. It's simple yet delicious.

Easy Broccoli-Cauliflower Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 onions, finely diced
butter or olive oil, depending on preference
soy sauce

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat butter or olive oil over medium heat. When the butter/olive oil is hot, add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add broccoli and cauliflower and cook until lightly browned. Add a few dashes of soy sauce for flavor and serve hot.

Low fat, Full flavor Broccoli Mushroom Soup

This soup is great way to incorporate all the items we willing receiving this week and leftovers from last week! I am not a fan of cream soups so this recipe was created inan effort to get a creamy texture without the heaviness of a cream and its fat.I also had leftover mashed potatoes at the time and they became the creamyelement in the soup. Broccoli andmushrooms are a great combo and sautéing the mushrooms in Marsala or Sherry cookingwine and some evo before incorporating them into the soup, in the end gives thesoup a rich full bodied flavor. Anotheradded richness is the roasted garlic. When I get a sleeve of garlic, I roast half the heads so I always havesome on hand in the frig. It is soft andcreamy, like butter and the flavor is incredible! Kick it up with some truffle oil when bakingand it’s really awesome. Another addedgarnish that I am going to use this time is some oven roasted potato chips tonestle in the bowl when serving to resurface the creamy potato base of thesoup. This is one of my husband’s favsbecause he really enjoys creamy soups and this is one that he doesn’t miss thecream!

Low fat, Full Flavor Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Soup
8-10 servings
3lb organic broccoli heads
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2T Extra virgin olive oil
Splash of white balsamic vinegar
2 T of basil pesto (prepared or homemade)
1 heaping cups of mashed potatoes
32 oz. container + 1 cup of organic chicken broth

1 cup thinly sliced portabella or cremini mushrooms
Marsala or Sherry cooking wine
2T Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
fat-free half and half or 2% milk (optional)

1. Lightly steam the broccoliheads to retain bright green color, roughly chop. Reserve 1 cup of the broccoli for finishing.

2. Heat 2T of oil inyour soup pot. Add the onions and celeryand sauté until soft. Add the splash ofbalsamic vinegar while tossing over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlicbreaks down into the onion and celery mix. Add the broccoli (reserve 1 cup) and potatoes; stir to combine over lowheat. Add the broth slowly, gently foldingeverything together. Let the soup simmeron low heat for about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2T of evo in medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, cook until they start torelease their liquid and add at least a ¼ cup of cooking wine to pan. Keep sautéing on the higher heat, until thewine is absorbed into the mushrooms. Sautéthe mushrooms until they are almost golden and somewhat caramelized. You could add a 1/2T of butter while sautéingthis if you feel you need it.
4. When all the soup ingredients arebroken down, turn off heat and use a hand blender to puree it. If you feel the soup is too thick at thispoint, add a little water or you could add fat free half & half, 2% milk, etc.to thin it out to your liking. Stir inthe reserved chopped broccoli and the mushrooms. Give the soup about two quick hits with theblender if you want to incorporate them a little more. You could also serve them on the side to beplaced in individual servings, as well as a cheddar cheese or oven baked potatochips.

Stir-Fried Kale and Broccoli Florets

From allrecipes.com

"Kale and broccoli are stir-fried with slivered garlic and chopped chili peppers, and finished with a splash of lime juice for a bright-tasting, satisfying side dish."

Ingredients
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
7 cloves garlic, sliced
1 chile pepper, chopped (optional)
1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, cut in thin strips
juice of 2 limes
salt

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Stir in garlic and chile pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli; cook 1 minute. Add kale, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in lime juice, and season with salt to taste. Toss well.

Easy Broccoli Quiche

This recipe is adapted from AllRecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com//Default.aspx).

Easy Broccoli Quiche
Serves 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1½ cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1½ cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 to 5 pieces bacon, crumbled (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables and bacon pieces (optional) into crust and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

Broccoli Shoots/Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli Shoots image courtesy of SustainableEats.com (http://www.sustainableeats.com/).

Many shareholders will be seeing a bag of broccoli shoots in their shares this week from Farmdale Organics and Pine Hill Organics, and Evan and I have received a few emails asking, "What are broccoli shoots??"

Once the central head of broccoli has been removed from plant, side shoots begin to develop from the axils of the lower leaves. These are broccoli shoots! Our farmers can harvest these side shoots for several weeks after they have harvested the main head of broccoli. They will look like small heads of broccoli and can be prepared similarly to a larger head of broccoli.

Enjoy the following broccoli shoots recipe adapted from The Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/):

Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only, well rinsed)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
pinch nutmeg
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 bag broccoli shoots
½ cup heavy cream
1¼ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
seasoned croutons, for garnish

Directions
1. In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and puree in batches in a blender or food processor and return to the pot.
3. Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.
4. Remove from the heat and ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle croutons over the top of the soup and serve immediately.