Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I am one of the many that was in love with Panera's Broccoli Cheddar soup until it turned out that yummy, creamy, salty soup they were marketing as Vegetarian wasn't really Vegetarian at all. The day I walked into Panera and looked up at the list of soups and saw that the small "V" was no longer next to my favorite soup, was a sad day. After having lunch at Panera the other day and settling with the good-but-not-as-good Black Bean soup, I decided there must be a way to recreate that yummy, creamy, salty soup without the chicken stock. This is my take on Panera's signature soup and my dinner guests thought it was pretty darn good too!

 

 

Prep Time: 10 Min

Cook Time: 30 Min

 

Ingredients

 

- 1 cup of broccoli soup (I used Imagine Soups)

- 3 cups of vegetable broth

- 1 1/2 cups almond milk (you can substitute cream if you like)

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1 block of raw sharp cheddar cheese

- 2 cups chopped broccoli

- 1/2 cup shredded carrots

- 1/2 cup chopped onion

- 2 tsp nutmeg

- salt/pepper to taste

- 2 tbs butter

- Parmesan (optional topping)

 

Directions

 

- In a sauce pan, saute onions and butter on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes

- In a large pot, on medium heat, whisk together the flour and almond milk. Continue to whisk until smooth about 5 minutes

- Add the vegetable broth and continue to whisk

- Add the broccoli, carrots, sauteed onions, nutmeg, salt and pepper

- Bring to a boil and then reduce and allow to simmer for 20 minutes

- Add the sharp cheddar cheese and simmer for another 10 minutes

- If soup needs additional salt, add some parmesan cheese instead of adding more salt

- Serve and enjoy!

 



Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Ratatouille Soup

These vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms are filling and delicious. I have eaten stuffed mushrooms a number of time as hors d'oeuvres but never as the main course. I roasted some vegetables and made a ratatouille soup to serve alongside. There are so many possibilities for stuffing these mushrooms...a sweet potato and pumpkin stuffing or even a baked marsala mac n' cheese and for the carnivores, sausage and peppers. Yum!

Prep Time: 15 Min

Cook Time: 45-50 Min

Ingredients

Mushrooms

- 4 large portobello mushrooms, gills removed

- balsamic vinegar

- olive oil

- 5 red potatoes, peeled and cubed

- 1/4 cup of organic ricotta cheese

- 2 tbs mascarpone cheese

- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and additional for topping

- garlic salt

- pepper

- 4 tbs of hazelnut milk (any milk or cream could substitute)

- panko breadcrumbs

- handful of feta cheese (optional)

Soup

- 1 small eggplant

- 3 tomatoes

- 1/2 cup of red onion

- 1/4 cup of white onion

- 1/2 cup of red pepper

- 2 zucchini

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- olive oil

- 3 tbs of red wine vinegar

- salt/pepper to taste

- fresh basil

Directions

- Preheat oven to 400 F

- Bring a pot of salted water to boil, add the cubed potatoes, cook for about 15 minutes until tender

- Peel and slice the eggplant, place in a bowl of salted water and let soak for 10 minutes

- Meanwhile, chop the remaining vegetables (tomatoes, onions, red pepper, zucchini and garlic)

- Remove the eggplant from the water and drain on a paper towel

- Toss all of the vegetables in a little olive oil and spread out on a lightly greased baking sheet

- Sprinkle with salt/pepper and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes. Toss the vegetables around with a spoon once or twice to ensure even roasting

- Then add the portobellos to a large bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic, set aside to let marinate

- Drain the potatoes, in a large bowl mash with cheeses and milk, add desired seasoning

- Lay portobellos in a lightly greased casserole dish. Fill with potato stuffing.

- Top potato stuffing with some breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

                                    

- When vegetables are roasted, remove from oven and reduce temperature to 375 F

- Bake mushrooms for 15 minutes

- Meanwhile, in a blender, puree the roasted vegetables with red wine vinegar and a pinch of fresh basil. Keep adding more vegetables as your puree making more room in the blender. If you need some liquid to help with consistency, you can add a little hazelnut milk or cream. Soup will be slightly chunky.

                                  

- When mushrooms are done, turn broiler on in oven and let broil for 1-2 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden.

- Serve mushrooms alongside the soup. Enjoy!





Curried Cauliflower Carrot Soup with Baked Portobello Fries

While at Publix in the Greenwise section of the soup aisle, I saw they had some new organic soup options. One of the soups by Imagine Foods was Organic Carrot Almond Soup. I had no idea what I could use that as a base for...I have been experimenting more with organic box soup options using them as bases for pasta sauce, cooking flavored rice etc. I have seen curried carrots before in my local health foods store and I started to think that curry and cauliflower would be good additions to the soup.

The thing I love so much about this recipe I created is 1) it is easy 2) it is quick and 3) it is good for you. I decided to make Baked Portobello Fries as well from one of my favorite food blogs, www.inspiredtaste.net. I have had an obsession with making these delicious healthy fries since first having them while out to eat at Ciccio's in Tampa. They were served with a truffle aioli and were delicious but not cheap. You can't find them on their menu anymore but now you can make them at home yourself, while saving money and lowering you sodium content.

Curried Cauliflower Carrot Soup with Baked Portobello Fries

Curried Cauliflower Carrot Soup with Baked Portobello Fries and Honey Dijon Sauce

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 35 Min

Ingredients

Soup
- Imagine Foods Organic Carrot Almond Soup (Available at Publix)
- Head of Cauliflower, Chopped
- 1/2 cup Onion, Chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
- Olive Oil
- Curry
- Cumin
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Ginger
- Sour Cream (Optional topping)

Portobello Fries
- 2 Portobello mushrooms

- 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

- Seasoning (I used a dash of pepper and garlic salt)

- Honey and Dijon Mustard (optional, I mixed for dipping sauce)

Directions

Soup
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- On a mixing bowl, mix the chopped cauliflower with about 1/2 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of curry.
- On a lightly greased baking sheet, spread out the cauliflower and roast in oven for 25 minutes.
- In a deep pan, saute on medium heat with a little olive oil: onion, garlic and spices. 5-8 min
- Add the box of soup to the pan and simmer on low.
- Once cauliflower is done, add to soup and let simmer.
- Continue to simmer on low while you make the fries.
- Serve in bowls and top with sour cream if desired.

Portobello Fries
- When cauliflower is done, leave the oven on and increase temperature to 425 F for the fries.  
- Wash the mushrooms and slice off the stems. Using a fork or spoon, scrape out the gills.
- Pat dry with a paper towel if necessary to remove moisture
- Slice the mushrooms in about 1/4 inch wide pieces
- Setup a breading station: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs
- Dip each mushroom slice into the flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs
- Spread out on lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning once during baking
- Meanwhile, make a dipping sauce. I mixed about 2 tbs of dijon mustard with 3-4 tbs of honey.

Here is the original recipe for the baked portobello fries. I have made them before with other recipes, sauteing in a pan, but because these are baked they are delicious and good for you. This recipe only makes enough fries for about 2 people. I would suggest using more than 2 mushrooms if you want more fries because they are addicting.