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broccoli and cheddar soup

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On a recent trip to Vegas, while waiting for our flight back, I enjoyed some broccoli and cheddar soup. It had been a long time since I had that type of soup and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I have stayed away from making too many cheesy things since it can’t be enjoyed by all of us but lately there are some great lactose-free cheese options. Since broccoli is one of the vegetables that my kids will actually eat, I thought this was something I really wanted to try at home.

I made this soup last month and it was a keeper. The cheesy broth with chunks of broccoli was tasty and comforting. This paired deliciously with the homemade cheddar crackers – there’s no such thing as too much cheese, right? This will definitely be keeping us warm during those cold days of Fall and Winter.

I’m happy to be participating in the Canadian Food Creatives Autumn Soup Collaboration. Thanks so much to Diana for hosting! Check out all the fabulous recipes and see this recipe below.

Roasted Chicken Minestrone Soup by My Kitchen Love
Lighter Potato Leek Soup by Fuchsia Freezer
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup by 365 Days of Easy Recipes
Cream of Spinach Soup by I Say Nomato
Miso Noodle Soup by The Refreshanista
Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup with Polenta Croutons by Flavour and Savour
Creamy Carrot Orange Soup with Cashews by Making Healthy Choices
Roasted Butternut Squash Ginger Pear Soup by She Loves Biscotti

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Oil or butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups broth
1 small broccoli, chopped
2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese
salt
pepper

In a pot, heat some oil and saute the onion until translucent. Add some more oil or butter and cook the flour. Whisk the milk into the flour, then the broth, stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Let the broth mixture cook for ten minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until the florets until tender. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers or bread.

cheddar crackers

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It’s getting cold. As much as I want to hold on to summer, there’s no denying the chill in the air. Reports of snow on it’s way make me want to get cozy and enjoy comfort foods like steaming hot soup.

What goes great with soup? Crackers! Bowls of delicious broth topped with buttery cheddar crackers. Yes please! These crackers are topped with nigella seeds giving it an extra burst of flavour. Not only are these crackers super easy to make, they are great on soup, a nice addition to any charcuterie board and they make the perfect snack!

Cheddar Crackers

1 cup flour
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 TB butter
4 TB cold water
1 TB nigella seeds

In a food processor, pulse the flour and the butter. Add the cheese and pulse again. Add the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for half an hour. This will make the dough easy to roll. Roll the dough, sprinkle the nigella seeds and roll again. This will allow the seeds to stick right to the dough. Cut into squares, or use a cookie cutter for your desired shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

the great cream challenge: roasted tomato and red pepper soup

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I’m excited to once again be participating in the Great Cream Challenge. This month’s challenge was chilled soup, perfect for the hot weather we have been having!

I wanted to make something that even a five year old would love. Q has been a big fan of roasted red pepper soup since he was little and this variation with tomatoes was a hit.

I’d love your votes! You could even win a stainless steel cookware set! Thanks for your support.

shrimp wonton soup

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I have always wanted to try wonton soup but it seems like every restaurant has their wontons with pork, which I don’t eat.  I came upon a few recipes that had shrimp wontons and I knew I just had to try it.  I combined a few different recipes and came up with this.  I don’t think greens are normally in the broth but I added spinach for more nutrients.  The first time I made, we loved it but since we hadn’t tried it before, we had nothing to compare it to.  The next time, we had friends coming over that had tried wonton soup before.  They loved it and went back for more – always a good sign.  This will definitely be a regular at our house.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset.

Shrimp Wonton Soup
Wontons:
1/2 pound shrimp
2 green onions
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
Broth:
4 cups chicken broth
1 TB soy sauce
splash of fish sauce
2 green onions
spinach

chana bateta

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It was quite the week last week, even though I had it off!  My parents had gone away with the family for the week and since I had no childcare, I was lucky enough to spend the week with my toddler.   I thought that I would be able to update this blog every couple of days, completely forgetting how much attention little ones need.  We enjoyed our week with playdates and trips to the zoo and I even managed to do some experimenting in the kitchen.

This is a dish that I have eaten since childhood, called Chana Bateta.  Literally, it translates to “Chickpeas and Potatoes”.  I would consider this as more of a soup or a stew than a curry as it is not eaten with rice or a bread, like naan or chopati.  It is eaten with a spoon, topped with the indian snack Chevdo, or what I prefer, potato chips!  If you have some tamarind chutney, add a bit of that too.  I couldn’t believe how easy this vegetarian recipe was to make, 20 minutes and it was ready to serve. 

Chana Bateta

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3 curry leaves
2 TB gram flour
1 large can of plum tomatoes, blended + 1 TB of its liquid
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 medium potatoes, boiled and cubed
1 large can of chick peas
1 cup water
3 TB lemon juice
salt

Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves.  When the seeds start to pop, add the gram flour and cook for a few minutes.  Add the tomotoes and cook for another five minutes.  Add the turmeric and some red chili powder next.  Mix and add the chickpeas, water, lemon juice and salt and cook for 10 minutes. 

it was a soup kind of day

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Being sick and teething has got to be hard for a little boy. Q, my one year old has been having a hard time lately. It is no wonder that he had lost his appetite for a couple days, choosing to only take nibbles of various food rather than eating a proper meal.

The entire household was sick and I figured we needed something to comfort us and warm our bellies….soup!

Q loves things with flavour and I discovered his love of garlic when I made this soup a few months ago. Roasted peppers, onions and garlic combined to make a chunky (or velvety, if you prefer) soup.

Exactly what we needed!


Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 red pepper, quartered
1 onion, quartered
4 – 5 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper
chicken broth
Drizzle the pepper, onion and garlic with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Blend the roasted veggies in a blender and place in a pot. Add chicken broth until you get the desired consistency.