Cream of Broccoli/Cauliflower Soup

Sorry to totally rearrange the menu on you, but we had company for dinner last night and I thought this meal would be nice to serve. I really like this soup, but for some reason it turns out different every time I make it. Same recipe, different results each time. I prefer to use fresh broccoli, but sometimes I use the frozen bags for convenience. I also prefer to leave the veggies in pieces, but last night my daughter asked me to blend it up. She said she could eat broccoli if it wasn't in big pieces, so I did that for her. I guess it worked because she ate two bowls of it.

I also made bread bowls for this meal. My husband and I LOVE Panera Bread. My soup bowls didn't look as nice, they were huge shallow bowls, but they did taste good. I just realized as I was typing this that I need to use a different bread recipe than what I actually did last night. I used my wheat bread recipe, but I should have used the french bread recipe. I'll have to give that a try and then report on the differences.

This recipe comes from the Set for Life cookbook, pg 122. It makes 8 servings (I get more) at 94 calories, 1g fat, and 402mg sodium.

Cream of Broccoli Cauliflower Soup in Bread Bowls

*1/2 medium bunch of broccoli
*1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
*1 stalk celery, finely chopped
*1 large potato, diced
*1 small onion
*1 small carrot
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/4 cup cornstarch
*2 cups skim milk
*1/8 teaspoon white pepper
*1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon
*1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. In a large saucepan, combine broccoli and or cauliflower, celery and potato. Peel, then cut onion and carrot in quarters. Place in blender with 1/2 cup water and pulse until finely chopped before adding to vegetables in pan. Add salt and enough water to barely cover vegetables. Cook unitl tender, but not mushy.

2. Mix cornstarch and milk. Stir into undrained vegetables and add pepper, bouillon, and Worchestershire sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Thin with more milk if desired.

3. Ok, here is where I deviate from the recipe. I add 1 can of condensed cheddar cheese soup to the pot for a little cheesey flavor.

For dessert we had fruit parfaits. These are so easy and so versatile! We kept it simple last night. I divided some frozen strawberries, thawed into the 6 bowls, topped with Yoplait french vanilla yogurt and then sprinkled granola cereal on top. You can use any mixture of fruit in any form--frozen, fresh, canned(drain), and any kind of yogurt.