Broccoli, broccoli everywhere: Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Soup (vegetarian recipe)

Luc called the soup, "his favorite" and we enjoyed it on day 2 with long noodles

Broccoli is overflowing in our garden and I began to think of ways to use it. Large quantities of vegetables usually brings me to the idea of soup. Soup, soup . . . maybe a creamy, sort of cream of broccoli or chowder soup. Some brainstorming came up with this vegetable version of clam chowder sans the clams, instead, I used mushrooms, also slimy ;-)

White Sauce:
1/4 cup butter (1 cube)
2/3 cup flour (substitute wheat for a wheat free flour mix, try quinoa flour)
1 quart milk (I used whole milk)
2 1/2 quarts soup stock or water (chicken or vegetable, make your own for best flavor and freeze extra for recipes)

Saute:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds mushrooms, washed and quartered
1 large onion or 2 medium, sliced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for cooking

Other Important Stuff:
1 pound long green beans, sliced into approx 1/2 inch pieces
2 large head of broccoli or approx equivalent in small pieces, chop into smallish florets
2 ears corn, cut kernels off ears, set aside
2 large russet potatoes, chopped into small 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
2 TBS fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by making the White Sauce: melt butter in large 5 quart size soup pan, slowly add flour while stirring. Add quart of milk to flour and butter mixture, whisking it while it heats up. Stir frequently until sauce has thickened then add 2 1/2 quarts of water/soup stock. Stir frequently and heat slowly to avoid burning the flour mixture on the bottom of the pan.
Once you add the water/soup stock you can add the chopped russet potatoes, green beans, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes*, then add Mushroom-onion saute (see below), corn, and broccoli. Cook soup for another 30 minutes or more on a slow, slow boil.

*Meanwhile start the mushroom-onion saute on medium heat with chopped onions and olive oil. When the onions have softened add the mushrooms and garlic, stir, cover and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add to soup.

mushroom-onion-garlic saute

Vegetarian Sweet Artichoke, Basil and Cherry Tomato Pasta

Like most people I like a good pasta sauce and noodle dish. My kids and husband like it even more, and they inspired me to make a special recipe just for them (the artichokes are for me!). A little basil for its sweet fragrance and its flowery, earthy flavor. Artichoke hearts for a sweetness that lingers in your mouth, and cherry tomatoes for, well, a fresh tomato flavor!

Here are the ingredients:

Pasta Sauce
1 large can of tomato marinara sauce (I used some from Trader Joe's)
2 ears corn, cut kernels off ears
2 shallots chopped
1 can artichoke hearts in water, chopped into halves or quarters
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
4 TBS chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup red wine ( and some more for your glass)
soy sauce to taste
butter for frying shallots in pan
pepper to taste

Pasta: 1 package spaghetti noodles, try ones made of rice for a yummy wheat free alternative
Garnish: chopped basil, pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan

How to make the Pasta sauce:
Begin by heating a pan on medium heat. Add a TBS butter and stir in chopped shallots. After 5 minutes (the shallots should be lightly browned and soft) add a large can of marinara tomato sauce, stir and bring mixture up to medium heat. Then add cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and red wine. Cook for 5 minutes then add corn and chopped basil. Continue to cook the sauce for another 5 minutes or so. Serve with noodles, soy sauce, fresh basil, pepper and freshly grated Parmesan.*

Noodles:
Use spaghetti size noodles, cook according to package directions.

****Serve also with a spinach and carrot side salad. Try my favorite dressing:

Easy Homemade Sweet Balsamic Dressing
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp honey
Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a fork, toss with salad and serve. Especially good with spinach salads, and the spinach will not get soggy overnight like lettuce does.

Balsamic Spinach, Noodle, and Chicken Salad: Spring Recipe that Kids Love!

Chances are, if it has noodles, my kids will like to eat it. In an effort to incorporate healthy vegetables I combined spinach, carrots, celery, artichoke hearts and baked chicken with long spaghetti-style noodles, which you can chop into shorter pieces (makes the salad easier to toss). For vegetarians, substitute a good vegi-burger with the chicken, or marinate bite-size tofu in balsamic vinegar overnight (or for 2+ hours). I use my favorite balsamic homemade dressing with the salad. This meal satisfies all appetites as it combines a great protein source (chicken or tofu), carbs, and a great vegetable mix. I love making a salad as a dinner's main course, and this one is excellent. Even 1-year old Stella enjoyed the noodles and chicken, which we chopped small for her.

RECIPE: Balsamic Spinach, noodle, and Chicken (or Vegetarian) Salad, for a family or dinner party of 4-ish:

Pre-Preparation:
1. Use already baked chicken the equivalent of 2-4 chicken breasts, but any chicken will do, cut into bite-size pieces.
Or, for Vegetarians: marinate bite size (small squares) tofu in a pan of equal parts balsamic vinegar & olive oil, rolling the tofu in the marinate to cover all parts. I use the plain white firm tofu, for this recipe use a whole package.
2. Precook spaghetti noodles (a day or several hours ahead of time, you can even make them the day before for a different meal and use the leftovers for this recipe) . You can cut the noodles into smaller lengths if you desire, although we kept ours whole.

Vegetables:
6-8 cups of baby spinach washed and spinned in salad spinner
2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into small thin strips
2 celery, cut like the carrots
1/2 can of artichoke hearts, cut into bite size pieces

Mix the chicken, noodles, and vegetables in a nice big wooden bowl, toss with balsamic dressing, see recipe below. Start with less dressing (1-2 TBS) and add as needed. Because there is no lettuce, you can have this salad the next day and it will not be soggy. Yay!

Sweet Balsamic Dressing: this recipe makes enough for a long-term supply, for us it would last about a month. get the best quality balsamic vinegar you can afford (checkout: http://www.balsamicvinegar.com/uk/storia.asp) and mix:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
sugar to taste, I would use about 1 TBS for this amount.

Stir ingredients vigorously, or as I do it: put all ingredients in a salad dressing bottle with a sturdy lid and shake until sugar, oil and balsamic vinegar are mixed. You will need to shake or stir the dressing before you use it. It does not need to be refrigerated as vinegar keeps it fresh. If it is refrigerated the olive oil will harden, bummer.

Peppered Tomato and Bean Chili with Brown Rice Elbow Noodles

(pictured: black-eyed peas)

You choice of black-eyed peas, pintos, black beans, or all three

Yummy tomatoes

A chili is an easy choice for me to make and allows me to be lazy for several days on the cooking front. My family and I eat the chili for several dinners and often a lunch or breakfast as well. I cook up a 5 quart soup pan for this recipe. This particular chili is rich, but watery with a nice tomato flavor, a touch of peppery spice (add pepper to your own spice-o-meter), hearty-hold-you-over beans, and very satisfying noodles. I have noticed that my kids will eat the noodles and much of the soup, if there are noodles. So I like having them too! This recipe takes several steps to make, and may look time consuming, but it is not, and it will give you lots of leftovers for giving away, freezing or having the next few days. Here are the ingredients:

16 cups of water (about 3 quarts or 3/5 of a 5 quart pan): bring water to a boil with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (1-2 TBS fresh thyme), & 2 bay leaves. Add chicken bones and cook for 2-3 hours to make chicken stock or for a vegetarian version (vegetable stock) add 2 whole carrots, 2 whole celery, 2 small potatoes, and 1 TBS olive oil, cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, THEN:

strain out vegetables and/or bones and add:
3 cups (unsoaked amount) black eyed peas, pinto beans or black beans or a combo of the three (soaked for 1-4 hours), cook for 1 hour then add:
-5 carrots chopped small
-5 celery chopped small
-1 large onion
-1 large (28oz) can of chopped, crushed tomatoes
-optional 1 small can strained corn
-4 garlic cloves
-1/4 cup mild chili powder (non-spicy)
-1/2 tsp pepper

Cook above ingredients for up to another hour or until all ingredients are soft and soupy. The beans should especially be cooked thoroughly. The soup should cook at a low boil for the amount of time listed above. While you are cooking the vegetables and beans prepare your noodles:

I used Trader Joes brown rice elbow noodles. You cook for 8 minutes with a little oil, strain, return to pan cover and let sit until just before serving. Add to bowl of soup or serve onto a plate and serve soup on top like a spaghetti dish (especially for kids who love the noodles). Serve with extra pepper to your liking and a tamari/soy sauce/ or Bragg's.

Some pepper . . .

. . . Some tomatoes . . .

. . . and voilà !