Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Been to Panera Bread?  If you have, you know exactly what I am talking about! Their broccoli cheddar soup is to die for.  I love, love, love it.  It’s creamy, it’s thick, it’s hearty.  It’s just good for you soup. The only problem is, this is EXPENSIVE soup! I mean come on, how much does the broccoli cost?! Why do they have to charge so much for the soup? Just because it’s made fresh, doesn’t mean it should costs arms and legs, right?  I tried and searched and finally found this recipe that tastes almost exactly as theirs! I said almost exactly because I tried to go for even lighter ingredients for the soup. I did try to use butter and cream, and trust me, it turned out exactly like that soup I always enjoy at Panera Bread. So give this creamy and delicious soup that tastes just like Panera Bread a try! You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s how I made it:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon melted butter

½ medium chopped onion

¼ cup EVOO(use butter for full flavor)

¼ cup flour

2 cups evaporated milk (half-and-half cream in theirs)

2 cups chicken stock

½ lb fresh broccoli (about 1 cup)

1 cup carrot, julienned

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

How to:

Saute the onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside.

In a large pot whisk together the EVOO and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk and chicken stock.

Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions.

Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese.

Let the cheese melt and then serve.

For a smoother soup puree it in a blender... but I love the chunks!

Enjoy!

Homemade Wonton Soup

I always, always, always have wonton wrappers in my fridge. They are so versatile, come in handy whenever I am in a rush to make something very quick. This soup was just another one of those I Want Something Hot N Steamy To Warm My Soul kind of dishes. We were buried in snow last week. What a blizzar it was. We had an unexpected long weekend. It was Friday and I need to make room in the fridge to put the groceries after Saturday grocery shopping. I found mushrooms and tofu and the wonton wrappers. I thought, hmmm, now what to do with these wrappers? And someone knocked on the door of my brain, asking me to make dumplings. Which I did. And then, boom, from dumplings, I took a U-turn and made this soup.

It is so easy, so satisfying, so comforting. Make it tonight friends!

Homemade Wonton Soup

Ingredients:

For Wontons:

12 wonton wrappers

½ cup shredded cabbage

¼ cup shredded carrots

1 tbsp soy sauce

Ginger and garlic paste as per taste

1 tbsp oil

How to:

Cook the veggies in hot oil with ginger,garlic and soy sauce until the water evaporates.

Keep it aside to cool down.

Once cooled down, fill the wonton wrapper with about a tsp of the mixture, dip your fingers in the cold water and seal the wonton wrappers.

Make all the dumplings.

For Soup

Ingredients

1 litre chicken broth

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup sliced tofu

Soy sauce per taste

Chili sauce per taste

Rice noodles as required

How to:

Boil the chicken broth.

Add mushrooms, tofu and wontons.

Cook for about 5 minutes or until wontons float on the top of the broth.

Remove from heat.

Add rice noodles, soy sauce and chili sauce.

Serve hot soup with garnishes of your choice, like cilantro, Thai Basil or sliced spring onions.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Well, this was actually the first course of one of my fall dinners that I’ve been posting so far this month. I promise, no whining, only dining this time!

Fall is the season when the super markets and farmer’s markets show basketfuls of rainbow peppers. I just so want to grab one and bite into it just like I would an apple. They are seriously inviting to bite into them. I have jars full of roasted peppers to use for the whole year. I have roasted eggplants, sitting in sealed Ziploc baggies in my freezer to make caponata, eggplant dip or simply eggplant bhurta. So, back to roasted peppers. What is better than the hot n steamy soup on cold evenings? And if the soup is loaded with red peppers, which is so high in fiber and antioxidants, I am all for it. Here’s how I made it.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients

3-4 large red peppers
1 large red onion
3-4 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 litre broth or water( I used chicken broth)
Sour cream, basil for garnish, optional

How to:

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Cut the peppers in two, place them on a baking tray and roast them. Alternately, you can grill them until they are charred.
Place the roasted peppers in a zip lock bag, seal the bag.
Once they cool down, skin them.
Heat up the oil on medium high heat.
Saute onion and garlic till translucent.
Add roasted peppers, salt and pepper and broth.
Bring to boil, cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Puree with the hand blender or in a mixie.
Enjoy hot soup with garlic bread, garnished with sour cream and basil.

Happy Canada Day N Fire N Ice Gazpacho

To all my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day!

 and to all American friends, Happy Independence Day in advance!

For those long, arid summer days, what is better to cool us down than chilled gazpacho? A hearty and pungent soup that has gained fame throughout the world for its amazing thirst-quenching quality. Gazpacho soup was invented for the summer. Refreshingly cold on hot summer days, this adaptation of the classic Spanish cold tomato soup deliciously combines the best of summer vegetables. Make sure you only use the freshest, highest quality ingredients for this soup.

Today, the Spanish-style soup most nearly resembles a sort of chunky liquid salad, with lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in a broth of puréed tomatoes with chicken stock or tomato juice. In the summer when all of the vegetables are at their finest, this simple, modern soup is full of refreshing good flavor. This soup remains true to its culinary roots that it is one of the finest uses for too many ripe vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. And the original ingredients, especially vinegar, olive oil and garlic, remain essential to a successful gazpacho.

Fiery looking in a bowl but cool on a spoon, this refreshing half salad/half soup that's make-ahead, low in fat and high in garden-fresh flavour has all the potential to be anyone's favorite. As a bowl of this chunky soup makes an easy beginning to summer meal or satisfying weeknight supper.

Fire N Ice Gazpacho

Ingredients
2 tomatoes, peeled
1/2 sweet red pepper, halved and seeded
1/2 green pepper, halved and seeded
1/4 jalopeno pepper, halved(Don't seed the jalapeño if you like a soup with more zip.)
1/2 English cucumber, peeled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
3-1/2 cup vegetable cocktail, (approx. I used V8)
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce( I used Sriracha)
1 pinch salt
pinch pepper
Green onions for garnish(optional)

How to:

Halve tomatoes; scoop out seeds, coarsely chop tomatoes, red pepper, green pepper and cucumber.
In food processor, or in blender in batches, puree chopped tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalepeno, cucumber, garlic, vinegar and oil until small chunks formed.
Mix vegetable cocktail and hot sauce. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two or up to 12 hours.
Thin it out with more vegetable cocktail if desired.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Now, add your chopped veggies and stir them all together in soup and enjoy!!

Ginger Spiced Carrot Soup

Nothing warms up the body and soul than soup in the cold, chilly weather. Soups and stews are my favourites to make when the temperature dips to freezing(BTW, today is one such day here. It's brutal outside and I am in the mood for soup!). A bowl of hot n steamy soup with a slice of grilled garlic toast or grilled cheese … is good enough to bring back the hope that summer will be here, good enough to bring back the much needed sun shine through the hot fire kindling in the fire place. What more can I say?
I love carrots. As a kid, I always loved to munch on carrots. As a perky teenager and a vivacious young woman, I always loved freshly squeezed carrot juice. I still do. Those days in India, carrots were only available in winter. So I only had a few months to juice the carrots. Here in Canada, as we get carrots all year round, I've been religiously juicing carrots for God knows how many years. Mark used to have diluted carrot juice as a baby so I must be juicing for at least 16 years!

Well, today I am going to talk about another way of having carrots. I have grown tired of eating carrots as it is a tedious task! Seriously, all the chewing puts me off. That's why this soup. It is so easy to make and soooo good, you won't even believe it until you try it for yourself.

Ginger spiced carrot soup
Ingredients
1 lb carrots, peeled, cubed
2-3 " piece of ginger, grated
1 medium onion, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
5-6 cups vegetable stock
3-4 tbsp heavy cream(optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:
Boil carrots in enough water so that you don't need to throw away the water.
Heat oil in a sauce pot.
Sauté onion till fragrant.
Add ginger and boiled carrots and cook further for about 2 minutes.
Add vegetable broth and place everything in a blender.
Blend well till you get smooth consistency.
Return to sauce pot, add salt and pepper.
Bring to one boil, add cream if using.
Stir once and serve hot with dunkers.

Sending this to Priya's healthy diet event.