21

Apr

Creamy Low-fat Broccoli Soup

As promised, a creamy (healthy) broccoli soup to pair with a crusty bread (like a baguette!). Sometimes I don’t know what to do with the frozen veggies in my freezer. We get in a veggie rut at times and stock up on broccoli, okra, and stirfry mix…and all that broccoli (while I love it) get bor-ing. So let’s whip up a soup and mix up our veggie tonight!

Creamy Low-fat Broccoli Soup
Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2012
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli (frozen or fresh), cut in bite-sized pieces
4 TB butter or margarine
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1/4 cup flour
4 cups low- or no-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
Dash of crushed red pepper (optional, for a kick)
1/4 milk or cream (optional!)
Salt and pepper, to taste


Gadgets needed: medium pot, knife, wooden spoon, blender

1base In a medium pot, melt butter. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Onion should soften. Then add flour and stir for 1 minute. While whisking, simultaneously add 3 cups broth and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high. (Stop whisking.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, only whisking occasionally.



2green (If the broccoli is frozen, use a 2nd pot & 1/4 cup water to cook broccoli until hot but not tender. Transfer to the butter mixture after cooked. If it’s fresh broccoli, carry on.) Add the broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook until the broccoli is very tender, 20 minutes. (If you want a little kick, now’s the time to add the crushed red pepper flakes.)

3blend it, baby Using a 1-cup measuring cup, scoop a few cups of the broccoli mixture into your blender at a time. Blend until smooth; take care not to burn yourself!! Once the mixture is pureed, return to your pot. 



4season Season with 2 pinches of salt, a dash of pepper; add more, to taste. If you’d like the soup thicker, add 1/4 cup milk or cream. If you’d rather it be thinner, add that extra cup of broth.


Serve with crusty bread, garnished with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, sesame seeds, or shredded cheese. Yum

There ya have it, a healthy and creative way to eat those veggies. Have a wonderful Saturday! We’re off to the Farmer’s Market.

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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22

Mar

Sesame-crusted Stirfry

What a great long weekend we had with Matt’s brother, his wife and our awesome 5 year old nephew!
Along with Matt’s Dallas aunt, she hosted a day of fun at the Dallas World Aquarium. She hired a driver to take us in style and, after seeing the crazy St Patty’s Day traffic in our neighborhood, I am so glad I didn’t have to drive in that! Many thanks to her.
We spent a ton of time together, and we are so glad they came to Texas for a few days.
Here is a quick meal that was too easy and too tasty not to share with you:


Sesame-crusted Tofu Stirfry
(30 min cooking and prep time!)

12 oz package of tofu, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cucumber, sliced into small bites
16 oz package of frozen stirfry veggie mix
1 TB sesame oil
2 TB olive oil
3 TB sesame seeds
Dash each of: salt, ginger, red pepper flakes
1/4 soy sauce
1/4 cup cornmeal or breadcrumbs

1: cut tofu into 12 small triangles. In a nonstick skillet/wok on med-high, drizzle in the 2 oils and 1 TB soy sauce. Place the tofu in the pan as one layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sesame seeds in and 2 TB of cornmeal and let cook for 4 min.

2: in a pot, add 1/4 cup of water and the cucumber pieces. Let cook for a few minutes, then add the frozen stirfry mix. Add a dash of salt, ginger, and red pepper flakes (optional). Cover and let cook on med high for 5-7 minutes or until fully heated and bright in color.

3: in the meantime, flip the tofu triangles and add the remaining sesame seeds and cornmeal. Let cook for 4 more minutes or until crust forms around the edges.

4: stir the soy sauce into the veggies and serve over rice (optional). Add a dash of dried fennel for a tasty twist to the veggies.

Eat!

~Laurel~

14 years ago Short URL

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05

May

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

There are certain places you just don’t go to for produce. There’s one grocery in town that usually has less-than-extraordinary (okay, gross-looking) fruits and vegetables. However, today, they surprised me. The strawberries were absolutely bright, shiny and divine, as were the crisp, green spinach leaves. It is officially my summer (yay for grad school, no finals!), and that calls for the first salad of the season! I grew up with so many spinach and mandarin orange salads, it would make your head spin. But it’s tasty and has ingredients that we’d usually have in the fridge. Here’s a little spin on an old fave.

spinach and strawberry salad

makes 4 side salad servings, double for 4 entrees

6 cups fresh spinach
1 cup strawberries, about 8
1/4 cup chopped pecans

slice strawberries lengthwise. toss all ingredients together and top with sesame dressing.
optional toppings: shredded cheese, mandarin oranges, pineapple bites, grilled tofu/chicken/shrimp


fat free sesame seed dressing
2 TB sesame seeds
3 TB white wine vinegar
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 cup sugar (3 TB agave)
combine all ingredients together, stirring until sugar dissolves. serve immediately and/or store in fridge.
  
Happy Cinco, Happy Summer!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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