Cheesy Broccoli & Winter Squash Soup ~ this time, "Cutting the Cheese" can be a good thing!

Cheesy Broccoli & Winter Squash Soup ~ Using cooked winter squash is such a tasty (and sneaky) way to amp up the veggie count & replace some of the cheese in this soup.  It gives the soup a wonderful thickness and richness, making it seem like there is much more cheese in the soup than there actually is. 

I love a traditional ~ Broccoli-Cheese Soup ~, but I'm not as fond of all the calories that can come along with it.  I decided there must be a better way.  When I came across a couple of boxes of frozen Cooked Winter Squash in my freezer, I knew what I was going to make, my own veggie packed spin.  I'm calling it my ~ Cheesy Broccoli & Winter Squash Soup.  I feel that it's a much more figure-friendly take on the usually high fat/calorie soup classic.

Chicken, Broccoli & Mushroom Alfredo

Chicken, Broccoli & Mushroom Alfredo ~ Sometimes following the recipe on the back of the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup can is a good thing. I was uninspired for dinner & had all the ingredients to make this.  It's a quick dinner that was no fuss.  J liked it, so it's kid approved.  :)

Trio of Broccoli Salads ~ Pick the one that tickles your taste buds!

Broccoli Floret Salad with Bacon, Cashews & Cranberries ~ I was inspired to make this broccoli salad when I was reading the vegetarian cookbook, Peas & Thank You.  I was feeling the broccoli vibe...but, also the bacon vibe.  There is something about broccoli & bacon, the two together are magical.  So, since I was looking for a recipe with bacon, I surfed around some food blogs & found this wonderful recipe.  I tweaked it a bit, using dried cranberries instead of raisins/red peppers (I was all out of raisins/peppers) & used regular jarred bacon bits (I can't have real bacon in the house, Roy is uncontrollable around bacon :). I cut the broccoli up into little florets & only let it sit for about 30 minutes. Roy & I both LOVED it!  Check out the recipe, over at the blog, Foodess.

'Cheesy' Broccoli Bowl ~ This is a vegan recipe made with nutritional yeast instead of cheese. It can be heated or served uncooked, as a 'raw food' dish.  It tasted good, but it doesn't really have a cheesy flavor, more of an oriental taste. Tasty enough to make again. The recipe is at the end of the post.

Simple Broccoli & Radish Salad ~ I was feeling a little 'crunchy' the day I made this salad.  I was missing Colorado ~ Boulder, Summit County, the mountains... So, I decided to make something like I would have ordered at one of my (long gone) favorite shops ~ Alfalfa's Market...who was bought out by Wild Oats Market...who got bought out by Whole Foods Market. (isn't that just the way it goes...little fish, getting eaten by bigger fish)  A little bit of chopping, shaking, tossing and.... Ahh, tastes just like the deli counter back home.  Crunch, crunch.  heehee  :)

Simply Perfect Broccoli & Radish Salad

serves 2

2 cups     broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup       thin sliced celery
1 bunch   radishes, sliced
1/3 cup    chopped parsley

basic salad dressing  (double if you like more dressing)
2 Tbsp      olive oil  
1 Tbsp      cider vinegar
1 Tbsp      water
1 tsp         lemon juice
~               salt & pepper, to taste
~               your favorite spice blend, to taste

1)   toss first 4 ingredients in a large bowl

2)   place olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, water & salt/pepper/spice blend
      in a jar w/lid ~ shake until well blended

3)   pour dressing over veggies & toss all together, check for seasoning
      & adjust as necessary

Enjoy!