Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Soup

Souper Sundays is run by Debbie in Hawaii.  Let’s all go visit her.    She is doing a great job with this and the many other ventures in Blogging, she is involved in. 

Three   cheers for Deb.                           .                                                                                   

Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Soup                    

1 bag of frozen broccoli

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onions

2 cups vegetable base

seasoning of choice

looking down into blender

Place ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil.

Simmer until vegetables are cooked through and slightly soft.

 Cool.

Put in blender and whir until pureed.  I put in small amounts and kept adding.  Of course, my blender is about twenty years old and I doubt at top proficiency.   added a few tablespoons milk to each addition.

Return to pot and blend in 1 – 2 cups grated cheese.  That is dependent on if you want the broccoli flavor or the cheesy flavor.  I used one cup.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat thoroughly.  Plop a tablespoon of sour cream on top, if you like adornment and a good taste addition.

Enjoy every spoonful.

Broccoli Perks up Pasta

 

Reminder:  Send your BSI broccoli recipes to chayathecomfycook@yahoo.com now, please.

When I cook, I love adding reds, oranges, purples and greens.  What a red pepper or broccoli or purple onion does for the appearance of a dish.  They taste better and they look better.  I would even say, some of these, also improve the aroma.  Good reason to add color to recipes.

Pasta is one of those foods that needs something, whether it be a marinara sauce, spinach in the recipe, yellow peppers or some nice cheddar cheese.  They bring that pasta to life with their bright addition.

Gluten free pasta is now, relatively easy to purchase.  This is one that I don’t have to go online for although I am finding it challenging to get the large shells to stuff.  I have one box and I keep NOT using it, so it will be there.  I am not sure for what but, I know I can stuff shells, if I want to.

Perky Pasta 

I used very little in the way of spices in this dish and it was very tasty.  Can sesame oil do that?

Broccoli – our secret ingredient – BSI

 

8 ounces of  gluten-free spaghetti (not a very thin one – you need some body to attach the sesame oil to.

We don’t use garlic but I think you should.  Use your judgement as to the amount. 

3/4 of a pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 bag of broccoli florets (16 ounces)

1/2 a medium sized onion

1/2 of a red peppper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain, keeping one half cup to add to the vegetables later.  Set aside for now.

Heat olive oil in medium skillet.

 Cook the onion, red pepper and tomatoes in the olive oil for about five minutes.  Onions should have that glazed look.

Add the broccoli and the water that was set aside.

Place pasta in a baking dish. 

Add sesame oil and coat spaghetti.

Cover with vegetables and sauce.

Season accordingly.

Serve as a main dish or a side.  We had it as a side with chicken.

Serves 2.

Stir Fry Chicken Teriyaki

This is one of our favorites.  I usually make it slightly differently from the previous time.   I play it my ear and thus trying to get a recipe here was not easy.  As I cooked, I wrote notes to myself but not necessarily in the correct order.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 large chicken cutlets, cut into thirds

1/2 red pepper

1/2 medium sized onion

1 large carrot

1/2 cup ready made teriyaki sauce, gluten free (I added as it cooked)

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely cut

1 cup snow peas which I thought of in the middle of cooking

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in large skillet.

Add cutlets and lightly brown.

Add teriyaki sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil. 

Cook chicken in liquid for 5 to 10 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, cut the red pepper and onion coarsely.

Cut carrots in thin slices.

I had a container with a few pecans left and pecans go with everything so I added these also.

When chicken is brownish and saucy, add the vegetables.

I decided we need green in this dish, so I added about one cup of snow peas.

Cook another five minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of water.

Transfer to baking dish.

You can see the snow peas are still frozen and will cook in the oven.

Cook in oven at 359 degrees until veggies are tender, about ten minutes.

Enjoy!