Broccoli Cheese Soup

Lately with the weather getting colder, I have been craving soup, especially the broccoli cheese soup from Panera Bread.  For those of you who don't know. Panera Bread is a bakery/ soup and sandwich chain found in some parts of the country.  I was introduced to them when I moved to the South.  One of my favorite things on their menu is the Broccoli Cheese soup.  Have you had that one?  It is so good!  I  have tried to make Broccoli Cheese soup several times at home but I was always disappointed (until now:).  It would turn out too thin, not enough flavor or too rich.   Well, it took awhile but I finally found a recipe that I LOVE!  I am not sure it is the same as Panera Bread's but I like it just as well, if not better!

You can make it as rich or lite as you want depending on the milk or half and half you use.  I like it split down the middle with a cup of each.  I use chicken stock, recipe in the How To section up top.  It is so much more flavorful and rich that plain broth. I think it makes a difference !  This is the perfect soup to warm you up on a cold day!  By the way the leftovers are fantastic so you may want to double it!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Author: Melanie

*to make this gluten free like I did--simply omit the 1/4 c flour and use 1/4 c of your favorite GF blend. Our favorite is Pamela's and we buy it on Amazon. It is fantastic! makes the best GF waffles, pancakes and muffins by far!! **Use all milk or all half and half depending on how rich and creamy you want it. Just be careful if you use all low fat milk that the mixture doesn't curdle. The lower the fat content is the easier it is to curdle.

Ingredients

• 4 TB butter


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (*see notes to make Gluten Free)


• 1 cup half and half


• 1 cup milk (** see notes)


• 3 cup chicken stock or broth (homemade is best-recipe under the How to tab)


• 2 bay leaves


• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg


• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)


• 1 large carrot, diced


• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and/or yellow cheddar cheese plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half and milk until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20minutes.


2. Add the broccoli florets and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.


3. Discard the bay leaves.


4. If desired, mash broccoli a bit with a potato masher, or puree soup a bit with an immersion blender. You can also puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli.


5. Return to the pot.


6. Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted.


7. Add up to 3/4 cup broth, milk or water if the soup is too thick.


8. Ladle into the bowls and garnish with cheese if desired.

3.2.1311

Recipe source: adapted from Food Network Magazine

Chicken Pot Pie

I like chicken pot pie, but the recipes I have had have been too time intensive for me to make them often, or much at all. After some time, I came up with this chicken pot pie version, in which I combined the recipes and simplified them into what I penciled-in as my 'quick' version. Last time I made this, it was so delicious and easy that I decided it was worthy of The Sisters Cafe. :) I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie
submitted by Erin - The Sisters Cafe

2 large chicken breasts
5 T. flour
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp pepper
2 ½ tsp chicken bouillon granules (about 2 ½ cubes)- I prefer using "Better than Bouillon"
4-5 T. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into small bite sized pieces (or 1 bag frozen broccoli carrot mix)
1 ½ c. frozen peas
2 c. reserved chicken broth
1 c. skim milk

Prepare Barefoot Contessa’s pie crust recipe below; use half the pie crust dough for this pot pie. Or you may use your own recipe for a pie crust.
Boil chicken breasts in water, cool and chop. Reserve 2 cups of the broth.

Combine  flour, parsley, thyme, pepper, and chicken bouillon. Set aside.  Melt 4-5 T. butter in a large pan and add chopped onion and broccoli. Saute until broccoli is tender, then add peas.  Simmer until veggies are thawed and onions are cooked a little.  Add flour mixture, stir to coat.  Add 2 c. reserved chicken broth and skim milk.  Simmer until thickened. Add chicken pieces. Pour into a glass 9x13 baking dish.

Roll out pie crust thinly and lay on top. Cut off extra dough, leaving an inch of overhang (if there is any hanging over in the first place – this isn’t that big of a deal). Tuck in the extra dough around the edges. (*Be sure to roll out the pie crust very thin so it gets crispy throughout; otherwise, if it is too thick, the bottom of the crust will taste raw.) Cut some slits in the top of the crust.
Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden.

 

Barefoot Contessa’s Pie Crust Recipe
(This makes two 10-inch pie crusts. Only use half of this dough for the pot pie.)

12 Tbs (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup very cold shortening (I always use butter flavored shortening)
6-8 Tbs (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured lightly- silicone mat, divide into half, and roll each half into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Handle the dough as little as possible, to prevent overworking it.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a rolling pin, roll each disk out on a lightly-floured silicone mat into a circle, rolling for the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the mat. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the the other half and use it as a top crust or another base pie crust.

*For this pot pie recipe, you only need one of the halves of pie crust dough. The other half may be kept in the disk, wrapped in seran wrap and placed in a freezer gallon-sized bag and kept in the freezer until you need it for another recipe.  At which time you may take it out of the freezer, let it soften for only a few minutes until it is workable, and roll out as usual.

Teriyaki Chicken Tinfoil Packets

I have a confession to make.  I don’t like to eat my vegetables.  Luckily my children haven’t noticed yet that I give myself a *small* helping of peas with dinner.  I wonder if that saying ‘do as I say and not what I do’ will have any influence in this case. Probably not.  Well, this is one meal where it's easy for me to be a good example - I actually gobble up my veggies in this teriyaki dinner and love it.  It’s marvelous!  I have been loving this dinner idea ever since my sister-in-law, Emily, introduced me to it. All the veggies are steamed in the tinfoil packets with the teriyaki chicken, so when it’s time to eat, we open up our packets and pour the chicken, vegetables, and juice over a bowl of rice for a delicious and wholesome meal.   Love it! There’s no mess and no trouble, and it helps me enjoy my veggies!  Plus I regularly clear out all the leftover vegetables in the fridge.  Seriously a big WIN.  I hope you enjoy!

 

Chicken Teriyaki Tinfoil Dinner
Submitted by Erin  ~ thesisterscafe.com

4 chicken breasts
Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce (the best!)
About 6 cups of any combination of vegetables – my favorites are broccoli, carrots, white onion, and red bell peppers, plus I usually add whatever else I have on hand (such as sweet potatoes, celery, or zucchini).
Hoisin sauce
Olive oil

Cut up the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. Pour some teriyaki sauce over them and marinate for a few hours or overnight.  Cut up all the vegetables into large chunks. (For instance, I will peel one medium carrot and cut it into 3 or 4 pieces.)  Toss the vegetables with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of hoisin sauce until they are coated.
Place four or five large rectangles of tin foil on the counter and divide the chicken among them.  Divide the vegetables among them, stacking the vegetables on top of the chicken in the middle.  Seal the packets by bringing up opposite sides and folding them together, making a cylinder. Then fold up the ends, pouring some leftover teriyaki marinade into the packets before sealing them.
Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes to an hour. Check for doneness by opening up a packet and checking the veggies and chicken.
Put brown rice on the stove to cook at the same time as you place the packets in the oven.
Serve packet contents (including juice) over bowls of rice.

Broccoli Chicken and Swiss Soup

This delicious soup recipe comes from my friend, Danyal Niedermeyer. She brought it to a church activity for the adult women in our congregation, and I have to confess that I had like three bowls of it!  It was SO good!  When I found out that Danyal made it, I told her how much I loved it. She said that when she was growing up her aunt would make it for all the family, and she remembers being so excited to go to her aunt's house just because of the soup!  :)  Now that has got to tell you how tasty this soup is!  :)   Hope you enjoy it, too!

Broccoli Chicken & Swiss Soup
Submitted by Erin  ~ The Sisters Cafe.com

1 whole cut-up chicken (I found the "whole cut-up chicken" packages next to the family roaster chickens at the grocery store. FYI, they are fresh, not frozen. Or you can use 5 or so chicken breasts.)
1 large can chicken broth along with some chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 small onion, chopped
1 (16-oz) bag frozen chopped broccoli
Flour, water, and milk
1 (12-oz) package of Kraft Swiss cheese containing 16 individually wrapped slices
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken pieces in chicken broth, bouillon cubes, and some salt and pepper.  Add only as much water as needed to cover the chicken.  It will take about 15 minutes for the chicken to cook. Debone cooked chicken, reserving the chicken meat. If using a whole chicken, skim off most of the clear liquid fat accumulated on top of the broth. (If there seems to be a lot of broth, you can take some out and reserve it to the side, to be added later if necessary. This might help prevent your soup from being too watered down.) Return chicken meat to the broth and add sliced carrots and chopped onions. Simmer until veggies are cooked, about 10 minutes or so.  Add frozen broccoli and simmer until broccoli is cooked, 5-10 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of flour to some cold water and shake together to make a flour paste. Stir paste into the soup to thicken slightly. (If necessary, you may thin the soup with milk, although it was not necessary for me.)
Stir in cheese slices until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Broccoli Florets with Toasted Garlic and Ginger Crumbs

I have often struggled getting my 3 boys (husband included) to eat their vegetables. Especially broccoli for some reason! I can usually get a few choked-down pieces in each of my little guys tummies by the end of dinner, but man is it exhausting sometimes! So to say the least, I was quite astounded and relieved when I served this broccoli for the first time and had 3 boys happily gobbling up their servings. Miracle of miracles! The toasted garlic, ginger, and bread crumbs add just the right touch to this healthy dish and won't be leaving our house anytime soon!

Broccoli Florets with Toasted Garlic and Ginger Crumbs

Submitted by Amy ~ The Sisters Cafe
Recipe Source: Mann's

1 1/2 lbs broccoli florets
1/3 c. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. grated fresh ginger
2/3 c. panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular bread crumbs (this is what I usually use)
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. salt
1 T. grated lemon peel

Put 1 inch of water in a heavy 5-quart pot, then put a steamer basket inside the pot and bring the water to a boil. Add broccoli and steam, covered, until just tender, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over moderately low heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs, soy sauce, pepper and salt, then increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs are golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in grated lemon peel. Remove broccoli from steamer basket when just tender and transfer to a large bowl. Add desired amount of crumb mixture to the broccoli and toss to coat and serve. (Sometimes I add a little less than the entire amount)

California Chowder

I've made this soup a few times this winter, from my Lion House Classics Cookbook.  I love the fresh broccoli and cauliflower in it. This creamy, chunky soup would be perfect served in warm Bread Bowls, or with some fresh baked French Bread. Yummy!

I have a family of four (plus a little baby) and this recipe probably feeds eight easy. So I definitely cut it in half, and even then we still have a little leftover. So unless you are feeding a lot of people, I would recommend making a half recipe. Also, I substituted the cream for more milk, and in this case it turned out great with 3 cups of whole milk. Just fyi!

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California Chowder

Submitted by Erin  ~  The Sisters Cafe

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4 T. butter

½ c. flour

½ T. chicken soup base (chicken bouillon)

1 c. whipping cream

2 c. whole milk

2 c. water

1 c. diced carrots

2 c. diced potatoes

1 c. diced celery

1 clove fresh minced garlic (I use fresh, but you could also use ½ tsp granulated garlic)

½ T. salt

½ T. Worcestershire sauce

½ c. finely chopped onions

½ T. butter

1 c. fresh broccoli

1 c. fresh cauliflower

Fresh parsley for garnish

-

Melt butter in a soup pot. Add flour and mix well.  Add chicken base, then slowly and steadily mix in the whipping cream, whole milk, and water.  Bring to a low boil; then add carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook for 45 minutes (I only cooked for 30 minutes because the carrots and potatoes were nearly fork tender at that point).  Sauté onions in butter for 3 minutes and add to soup along with broccoli and cauliflower.  Cook another 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. (When I say fork tender, I mean that the vegetables give only a little resistance when pierced with a fork. You would say they are mostly tender, but not soft.)  Makes 6 servings.

Italian Pasta Salad

I have had several requests for this recipe that I had pictured with my weekely menu on my Melandboys blog. It is super simple, so I almost feel silly posting it as a recipe. It comes together super fast and my family LOVES it, so maybe yours will too. This is a throw together pasta dish, so I have never measured. I just put in the amounts I think we would like. I love an easy quick dinner, don't you?!

*I was asked to teach a cooking class next month on how to make family dinners easier. I would love to hear of any ideas/recipes that work for you. Leave a comment here or email me at melandboys@gmail.com. Thanks so much!!

Italian Pasta Salad
submitted by Melanie

1/2 -1 package of bowtie pasta
broccoli florets--bite size pieces
sliced pepperoni (cut in half)
sliced olives
mozzerella cheese-cubed (or just slice up cheese sticks like I did)
cherry tomatoes (I was out so they are not pictured)
favorite italian dressing (I like the good seasonings dry packets, made with red wine vinegar and add a TB or so of fresh parmasen)

Boil the pasta in water according to the package directions. For the last minute of cooking add the broccoli florets. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Add to a bowl with the pepperoni, olives, cheese and tomoatoes. Toss with your favorite italian dressing. Remember that the pasta will soak in some of the dressing so put in a little more than you think. Or add some right before serving, so it is not too dry. Chill and enjoy!

Broccoli Swiss Quiche

Every once in a while I crave a good creamy and cheesy quiche. My mom makes a killer Mushroom Tarragon Quiche; however, since my hubby despises mushrooms I couldn't very well make that for dinner! Instead I made up my own recipe using broccoli and Swiss as the main ingredients. It was delicious and definitely hit the spot!Broccoli Swiss Quiche
submitted by Brittany

1 pastry shell for 9 inch pie plate

1 med onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups broccoli, chopped small

2 Tb butter

1 tsp dried tarragon

3 eggs

3/4 cup cream

3/4 cup lowfat milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 cups Swiss cheese, grated

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Line 9 inch pie plate with your premade crust. (I just use a basic pie crust recipe but you can save time if you want to buy the the premade kind at the grocery store.) Trim extra dough up to 1 inch from lip of plate. Fold dough overhang underneath and flute around edge of pie crust. Bake in preheated oven at 400 for 7 minutes. Change oven temp to 375 degrees.2. Melt butter in pan and saute onion over medium heat. Part way through add the garlic and chopped broccoli. Saute broccoli until just beginning to soften. Stir in tarragon. Remove from heat and spread mixture in bottom of pie crust.

3. Next layer shredded cheeses over broccoli mixture in pie crust. Beat eggs together then add cream, milk, salt and pepper - stir well to combine. Pour over everything in pie dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes* of until crust is golden and knife inserted into the filling comes out clean. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting. Serve immediately.

*Unfortunately I am staying in a rental house right now that has the worst oven! The temp is never accurate and so my times are always off. I'm thinking it should be about 30-40 minutes to bake but check often to make sure! Sorry!!

Broccoli Beef

This is a quick and easy dinner that is very tasty too! My friend, Erin, submitted it to a cookbook we compiled a few years ago, and I'm happy that I tried it out. It's great!

Broccoli Beef
submitted by Erin

¼ c. low sodium soy sauce (I just use regular)
1 T. chunky peanut butter
½ c. water
1 T. cornstarch
2 tsp vinegar
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
2 T. oil
½ lb (or more) diced or cubed beef, chicken, or pork (I’ve tried pork chops & beef)
2 c. broccoli cut into small pieces
steamed rice

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, water, cornstarch, vinegar, pepper, ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well and set aside. In large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Add beef and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli, and cook for another 3-4 minutes (or until meat and broccoli are almost done), stirring constantly. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly, then continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Serve over steamed rice.