Need me some greens

Sometimes I even surprise myself with how good some of the things I make turn out.  Mr. J actually made it but I was the inspiration for the recipe so I can take the credit right?

I am always on the look out for new recipes with more vegetables in them.  Lately I have been slacking in the whole balanced diet way of life.  I love soup but Mr. J is not the biggest fan.  In the winter it is hard for me to eat cold salads. This normally means I either put hot food on a bed of greens or I eat veggie soup.  When I saw the February edition of Real Simple with a creamy broccoli soup recipe I knew I wanted to try it. 

This recipe called for a small portion of cheese to top each bowl.  I doubled that amount and mixed it all in till melted.  The result was this amazingly awesome soup.  During the making, Mr. J informed me, as the pot of soup was quite full (clearly enough for several portions of leftovers), that he was probably going to have one bowl for dinner and be done.  I tried to be encouraging, something that does not come naturally to me, and then insisted that he must have at least another bowl because I could not possibly eat it all myself.  I would turn green of course.  After a bit more debate about who was going to be responsible for eating all of the soup, we ate dinner.  It was delicious.  Now we will be fighting over the last bowl.


Broccoli cheddar soup
Adapted from Real Simple February 2011

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1⁄8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 bunch broccoli, florets roughly chopped and stems peeled and sliced (about 7 cups) I used one large bag of frozen broccoli
1 large russet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces sharp white Cheddar, grated Cabot cheese is the best!

Directions:
1.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes.

2.Add the broth, broccoli, potato, 2 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 18 to 20 minutes.

3.In a blender, working in batches, puree the soup until smooth.  A few of the batches I pulsed to leave a bit of chunkiness to the soup.  (Alternatively, use a handheld immersion blender in the saucepan.) Put back in soup pot and add cheese.  Stir till cheese is melted and incorporated into soup.