Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This week has been a nightmare, and it's only Tuesday. I was handed some new, unexpected, unwelcome responsibilities at work, and that has sent me home with a headache on top of a 12 hour work day for the last two days. I'm more than a little cranky, and then last night I got home to a 50 degree house and today I got home to an 80 degree house. I'm just DONE. This soup definitely improved my mood. Based on this one, but I made several changes. Pardon the crappy picture, it's from my phone and unedited.

Ingredients
2 Tlbs butter
1/4 chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
3 Tlbs whole wheat flour
1 cup half and half*
1 cup chicken broth
1-ish cup shredded carrots
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
tiny bit of salt
1 broccoli crown, chopped
about 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
about 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack

Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the garlic and onion. Saute it for a couple of minutes, then add the flour, stirring constantly. Add the half and half and chicken broth and bring to just barely a simmer. Turn it down to low and add the carrots, nutmeg, cardamom, salt and pepper. Let it gently simmer, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, until the carrots are softened somewhat. Use your immersion blender and blend the soup until the carrots are broken down, then add the broccoli and let it continue to simmer for a few minutes until the broccoli is nearly the right texture (for me, that was only 3-4 minutes). Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Serve immediately.

* the original recipe called for 1 cup of half and half and one cup of milk, I had half and half, and I don't normally, so I used it. It would honestly probably be just as good with regular milk, but you might also use Greek yogurt and milk as a substitute. It was amazing with half and half.

The original recipe called for hot sauce, and that would probably be really good, although I might add red pepper flakes instead of hot sauce. Also, she added the broccoli at the same time as the carrots, but I think that would make the broccoli really soggy and over cooked. Adding the broccoli at the end was perfect, in my opinion. Also, she didn't blend it, but I wanted something smoother. She also used velveeta (ew), and Colby Jack, which I didn't have.

Rating? 5/5
Why? It was probably related to my mood, but I needed something cheesy and comforting and this really hit the savory spot.

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

While I technically got this recipe from Pinterest (original link here), I did notice it is similar to a previous recipe that I have posted here. But I am posting this other version anyway, because you can never have too many good chili recipes.

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
1/2 chopped red onion
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 package frozen corn
3-4 chopped Roma tomatoes
1 Tlbs cumin
1 Tlbs chili powder
1.5 cups frozen dark turkey meat*
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tlbs grated sharp cheddar
1 Tlbs Greek yogurt
chopped cilantro

Throw everything except the cheese, yogurt, and cilantro in the crockpot and put it on low for 8-9 hours, stirring occasionally if you are home. Top with cheese, yogurt, and cilantro and serve.

*At Thanksgiving, I generally serve the white meat and freeze the dark meat to use in stews and so on, since no one in my family really likes the dark meat plain.

In the original recipe, she used a can of red beans instead of one of the black beans, used a package of taco seasoning instead of the spices (taco seasoning recipe here), and added chopped chili peppers, which I forgot to buy. She also used 2 uncooked chicken breasts instead of the turkey. If you do that, place the chicken on top of the chili while it is cooking, then take it out and shred it about an hour before serving.

Rating: 4/5
Why? This was all right but I think there was too much cumin and chili powder in it and I would probably cut those down if I make this again.

Lime Tortilla Soup

Normally, I prefer thick, chowder-like soups, but something about this one really appealed to me when I saw it in Clean Eating last month, and the fact that it came together quickly was a big selling point. It was totally worth it! This soup is completely delightful and super easy! I did change the recipe slightly as I was out of some ingredients and didn't realize it until I was in the middle of prep.

2 Tlbs olive oil (divided)
1 chicken breast, in 1/2" cubes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp cumin
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 shallot, finely minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 10" whole wheat tortilla
1 lime, quartered
low-fat Greek yogurt for garnish

Heat 1tlbs oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the chicken, jalapeno, cumin and green pepper, and cook 2-3 minutes, until chicken is done. Add the chicken broth, water, shallot and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. When mixture is at a hard boil, remove it from the heat and add the tomato, cilantro, and remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the soup and let it sit for 5 minutes to let the flavors blend. While the soup is resting, mist a non-stick pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Using a pizza cutter, cut the tortilla into narrow strips (1/8" wide) and then each strip into 2" lengths. When the pan is hot, toss the tortilla strips in and toast them, turning constantly to prevent burning. When they are crispy, remove them from the heat. Put soup into a bowl, then add a dollop of Greek yogurt and garnish with tortilla strips and squeeze a quarter of a lime into the soup.

This soup is so delicious, I will definitely be making this again. The original recipe called for scallions in place of the shallot and 3 cups of chicken broth instead of a chicken broth/water mixture. It also called for baby spinach and a corn tortilla instead of whole wheat.

Rating: 5/5
Why? So good....perfect flavors, light and filling.

November Chili

Living in the Pacific Northwest, we either have absolutely glorious Novembers, full of crisp mornings and flaming yellow leaves, or we have dreary, sodden, dripping days of rain. Apparently, this year it's our turn to have a dreary November, and there is nothing better to ward off those days than slow-cooked chili. This recipe is adapted from one off of allrecipes.com.

1/2 bag of mixed dried beans from the back of the cupboard
2 cans of low-sodium black beans
2 cans of organic tomato soup
6 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb low-fat ground turkey, cooked
2 Tlbs ish of chili powder
1 Tlbs basil
1 Tlbs oregano
2 Tlbs red wine vinegar

Soak the dried beans overnight, covering them in at least an inch of water.

In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Add more chili powder if you want it to be more intense. Bring it to a boil over medium or medium-low heat, then turn down to low and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

This recipe is infinitely malleable. I also call it "end-of-the-month-chili" since you can throw leftovers in there too - like rice, peas, broccoli, whatever. The original recipe called for 1 can of crushed tomatoes, but I just got regular tomatoes instead, and added the tomato soup since I happened to have it on hand and wanted to adjust the consistency of the soup.

Rating: 5/5
Why? There is nothing better than opening the door to the smell of chili after a long, cold day. This recipe is amazing, and the red wine vinegar totally makes it. I also recommend replacing the red wine vinegar with cider vinegar, as that tastes pretty good too!

Mashed Potato Leek Soup

I love thick soups. I have never really liked broth based soups, but I really like thick soups, especially on a rainy day. It hasn't been raining, but it has been cool and cloudy, so it counts as soup weather. This recipe originally came from Real Simple, but I have changed it quite a bit.

olive oil

3 leeks, cut into 1/4" pieces

salt and pepper

3 cups mashed potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)

1 bulb fennel, cut into 1/4" pieces

1 cup chicken broth

1.5 cups milk

1 cup water

2 cups corn

grated cheddar

Saute the leeks and fennel in a pan with a little olive oil until soft (about 5-6 minutes)

Put all the ingredients into a large pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours (or as long as you want). Puree in the pot using a blender and serve with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese on top.

rating - 4/5
Why? I liked the use of the fennel and the leeks and the simplicity of the ingredients, but I think there are unnecessary steps in this recipe. If I were to make it again, I would not mash the potatoes first, but just put them into the pot as is and simmer for several hours. I do like the smoothness of the soup, but the original recipe called for more liquid and I may add a little more to make it just a bit smoother.