Blog Love - Cheddar and Cauliflower Soup

This recipe comes from finecooking.com  - Please click on the link to be taken to their website

She Loves Wine Broccoli Mushroom Soup - Low Sodium, High Flavor

Serve with crusty bread… makes a great winter night dinner, very filling an loaded with flavor. I like to serve the multi-grain brain from Kroger Deli that you finish baking in your oven with this. 8-10 servings.

2 Heads of Broccoli chopped

1 large onion,diced

2 sticks butter (unsalted for low sodium)

1 cup flour

4 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (Krogers sells it in the health food area)

4 cups Half & Half

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin

1 tsp. crushed, dried tarragon

1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic

½  teaspoon pepper

(Add sea salt at the table for those who are not on a sodium restricted diet)

(Can add a small bag of frozen sweet corn... have also added cauliflower and left out the shrooms)

Combine  broccoli and onion in a large saucepan with some water  and cook until tender. Drain. Set aside.

With the butter and flour  you will make a roux. Melt butter over medium heat,  remove from heat  when melted, slowly add flour stirring constantly to remove lumps. 

Slowly, add vegetable broth as you stir constantly, to remove any lumps….when smooth return to medium heat and bring to a boil, all the while stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. 

Stir constantly and allow to boil gently for a few minutes to thicken…. Remove from heat..then slowly add 4 cups of half and half….stirring constantly.

Turn down heat to low, return pot to stove and add cooked broccoli and onion mixture, 8 oz of thinly sliced mushrooms, 1 heaping  teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tsp. crushed, dried tarragon, ½ tsp of pepper. 

Continue to cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked. Stir often.

Serve with crusty bread.  Yummo!

Quick and Easy Carrot Soup

2# carrots
1 onion
2 potatoes
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon rosemary
olive oil
1 gallon vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper


Pre-heat the oven to 350℃. Wash the carrots - scrub well. Cut the carrots in smaller pieces, cover with olive oil and all the herbs  and bake the carrots in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Peel and slice the onion and sauté it in a pot. Peel the potatoes and cut those in small pieces and add to the pot together with the baked carrots and vegetable stock . Let it boil for about 15 minutes. Take the pot away from the heat and blend it into a nice puree. If using a blender, put it back into the pot, add the cream (optional) and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes. Serve it with croutons.