Cooking for yourself and those you love should be easy and fun! These recipes are just that, plus healthy and inexpensive. Are your kids picky eaters? Are you vegetarian and your partner is a conscientious-carnivore? Are you pressed for time or money? No problem! No fancy ingredients or extensive preparation here, just wholesome, delicious food that appeals to everyone. Measurements are approximate, and recipes can easily be made vegetarian or not, kid-friendly or super-spicy. Enjoy!
Friday, February 17, 2012
STICK-TO-YOUR-RIBS POTATO & BROCCOLI SOUP
So good, your kids may even eat it.
Caveat: I'm not sure how *real* potato broccoli soup is made...I've never made it nor even seen a recipe. I totally made this up on the fly after a failed attempt to make potato pancake thingies, and I liked it a lot (and so did 1/2 of the kiddos), so here it is!
Ingredients:
(3-4 entree servings)
5-6 smallish red, purple and/or yellow potatoes
1 tomato (I used a huge heirloom)
Garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 bag Trader Joe's organic broccoli florets
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese + extra for garnish
1/4 carton Trader Joe's low sodium veggie broth
Directions:
1. Preheat toaster oven to 350. Poke holes in tomato, cut out center and fill/sprinkle with olive oil and dusting of garlic powder. Wrap in foil and heat in toaster oven until warmed, then thickly slice.
2. Poke holes in potatoes. Nuke together in a circle on a plate for 3 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other side.
3. Nuke broccoli in open bag or in bowl covered with microwave-safe plastic wrap for 2-3 minutes until soft.
4. Add 2 slices tomato, broccoli, whole potatoes, and all cheese (except garnish) to a large food processor. Process until completely smooth (will be extremely sticky and may even stop up the processor).
5. Scoop potato mixture into pot over low-medium heat. Immediately add enough broth to cover and stir well. Continue stirring and adding broth until all lumps are gone and soup has reached desired consistency. You can use a hand blender in the pot if necessary.
6. Serve immediately with extra cheddar cheese for garnish with toasted sourdough slices on the side.
Notes:
*Can use raw tomato to speed the process.
*Add 1/2 jalapeno to the mixture before processing to add some pizzazz.
*Letting a kid put her own cheese on top of her soup seems to increase the likelihood of said kid eating said soup (at least according to my own entirely non-scientific research).
Made this again yesterday--it's a staple around here now--with continued rave reviews from the 19 month old (and a couple of adults and a visiting 3 year old)!
ReplyDeleteTo make it a one dish event, I dump everything (tomato, potato, broccoli, garlic clove, onion) in one pot, cover with broth and boil. Take off the heat, add the cheese, immersion blend and VOILA! Such a delicious meal--and easy if you don't have a microwave or dish washer (or you don't feel like using either).
Thanks again for the recipe!!