10 Minute Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

This simple and yummy vegetable soup can be made in 10 minutes. No kidding! Cook the broccoli in the store bought broth, puree it, add some yogurt and spices and top with good cheddar cheese. I urge you to get a hand-held immersion blender if you don't already have one because pureeing soup in the blender is absolutely dangerous, messy and now unnecessary thanks to these kitchen gadgets. I love my Braun. Amazon's got them on sale for about $30 so don't be cheap; be safe and quick. Oh yes, the kids absolutely love to use it. I let them stand on a chair next to the stove and puree while I keep one hand on them and the other on the blender with them. They actually squabble over who gets to use it!

This is not the super creamy, fat laden broccoli cheddar soup you get at most restaurants. It’s a much lighter and quicker version that uses bread as a thickener instead of roux (butter and flour). It uses low fat dairy instead of cream so your family’s hearts will thank you. If it seems strange to add yogurt to soup, take comfort knowing that the Turks have been eating yogurt-based soups for thousands of years. Indians use yogurt extensively in their cuisine and this combination of broccoli with garlic and cumin is common in western India.

My kids joke about this soup because I called it Emerald Soup for months to hide the fact that it had broccoli in it. Kids who won’t eat a vegetable off a plate somehow find vegetable soups palatable and even yummy!

Yield: 4 large servings or 8 appetizer-sized servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Trader Joe’s organic low sodium vegetable or chicken stock (1 container)
• 1-12 oz. bag Trader Joe’s organic broccoli florets or about 8 cups broccoli florets. You can also use cauliflower florets.
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 slice Trader Joe’s whole wheat bread, ripped into 4 pieces
• 2 cups Trader Joe’s low-fat or fat-free organic yogurt
• a few drops of hot pepper sauce, like Sriracha (optional)
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup Trader Joe’s shredded aged cheddar cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Heat stock in a medium saucepan until boiling. Add broccoli, garlic, cumin and salt, cover and lower to a simmer. Cook 6 minutes or until just tender. Don’t overcook or it won’t be a beautiful green color!
2. Add bread and puree in the saucepan using an immersion blender (preferred). Or remove from heat and transfer in batches to a blender to puree.
3. Return to saucepan (if using blender), add yogurt and puree or whisk to combine. Reheat and serve. (Yogurt curdles when boiled unless there’s some flour in the mixture!) Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste and serve hot.
4. Top with some shredded aged cheddar cheese and serve with bread.
   

Curried Chicken Salad

This is a rich and hearty yet low-fat and healthy chicken salad recipe that is delicious served not only in pita pockets, but also rolled up in a tortilla or between two slices of good bread. You can also skip the bread and simply serve it on a bed of Boston or Bibb lettuce (both are varieties of butterhead lettuce), watercress or mache. If you’re not up to poaching the chicken, buy Trader’s Joe’s prepared chicken strips, cut into cubes and continue with step #4 below.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe’s Organic Free Range Chicken Breasts (2 breasts)
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
• 1 bay leaf (or curry leaf)

For the Dressing:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise, low-fat yogurt or Nayonnaise (tofu-based mayo)
• 3 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Apple Cranberry Chutney (in the spring and summer use mango chutney)
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon hot curry powder or 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
• ½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
• ½ cup Trader Joe’s Unsalted Dry Toasted Sliced Almonds (optional)

For the Sandwiches:

• 1 package Trader Joe’s whole wheat pitas
• 1 package Trader Joe’s Bibb or Boston lettuce, cleaned and dried

Preparation:

1. In a 4 quart saucepan, bring water, onion, peppercorns, bay leaf and salt to a boil.
2. Trim any fat from chicken and add to pot, returning it to a boil and then lowering it to a simmer. Cook partially covered for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Turn off heat. Remove chicken from cooking liquid and place on cutting board to cool. Cool cooking liquid.
4. Make dressing by mixing mayonnaise or yogurt with chutney, vinegar, curry powder and salt.
5. Once chicken has cooled, using a sharp knife, cut into ¼ inch cubes. Toss chicken with dressing, taste, and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, curry powder or chutney to suit your taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Strain stock and save for making soup. Freeze after it’s cooled in the fridge if not using in the next day or two.
7. To prepare sandwiches, cut a small sliver off the end of the pita pocket to make an opening. Lay a few leaves of lettuce inside, scoop in some chicken salad, and then pat on some toasted almond slices. Voila! If using traditional sliced bread, you may want to save a small amount of dressing and spread it on the sides of the bread, then dip each side (halve or quarter the sandwich) in the sliced almonds. This makes a beautiful presentation.

Both kids and adults enjoy the classic combination of hot and sweet.

Winter Is For Oatmeal

And I mean the real McCoy, as in John McCann's Irish steel cut oatmeal from where else, Trader Joe's. Yes, it takes a long time to cook, but it's worth it. I recommend starting it when you put the coffee on, then putting it on a simmer while you shower. By the time you're dressed, a beautiful pot of hot oatmeal will be waiting for you. I'm wondering if I can make this in my rice cooker? I'll have to try it and be prepared for cleaning up a potentially very big mess. I like dressing it up with all kinds of fruit, cinnamon, black strap molasses, and nuts. A morning snack becomes unnecessary. The kids love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup John McCann's Irish steel cut oatmeal from Trader Joe's
• 4 cups water
• pinch salt
• fresh or dried fruit
• black strap molasses, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup (Trader Joe's grade B is fantastic)
• nuts
• cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and then sprinkle oats over water and stir. Follow package directions and boil until the "porridge is smooth and beginning to thicken".
   
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve hot with fresh or dried fruit, sweetener, nuts and cinnamon.