So I want soup. This is the time of year where the comfort food sounds so good. Bread, soup, mashed potatoes, and yummy coffee drinks. I went with soup AND bread last night. I still have goals, however... such as losing another 10lbs by Thanksgiving. My mother freaked out when she heard that goal. Mothers are great... they always think you're perfect the way you are. However, that is my goal and I'm sticking to it.
I'm the type of girl that likes to have goals and still get what I want. I just want it all. HA. So I made clean broccoli soup... I still get the cheesy goodness without all the heavy creams and processed crap. The bread I had to modify the original recipes A LOT to get it cleaned up, but it still turned out amazing.
Clean Cheesy Broccoli Soup:
The original recipe can be found here. I used way more vegetables and so I had to keep adding water until I got the right consistency that I wanted. This also effected my seasonings so I doubled up on everything but the basil. Too much basil is a rough way to go with soup.
4c Water
2 bunches of Broccoli, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 regular potatoes, chopped
2t minced garlic
6T of flour
6T butter
1c Almond Milk
1/2t garlic powder
1/4t nutmeg
1/4t basil
salt & pepper
1c Cheddar cheese (I use a block and shred it myself)
2c Gouda, shredded (it's WAY cheaper in the deli, sliced)
Put chopped onion and garlic in a Stock Pot over Medium/High heat. After about 5 min, add Water and bring to a boil. Add all your veggies. Add more water if needed, depends on how you like your soup. Let this simmer until potatoes are done and carrots are soft.
In a separate pan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk quickly, removing from heat as you do so. Once it's combine slowly add it to your soup creating a thinker consistency. Add almond milk and seasonings.
Add cheese, stirring constantly.
This was by far the best Clean (aka NON VELVEETA) cheesy soup I have made. Usually it comes out all stringy and weird, but this was creamy and smooth, even after it had cooled! I am really impressed!
Now I decided I wanted bread. I'm a carb girl at heart. Seriously I could eat pasta and bread all day everyday. I didn't have time, however, to let it rise and do it's thing. I needed quick bread. Again, Pinterest to the rescue.
Basic Quick Bread
Here is the original recipe. It's actually a very cool sit with a huge variety of way to makes this by adding all sorts of goodies. I kept it simple and modified it so I wasn't eating a bazillion calories with each yummy, crummy bite.
2c Whole Wheat Flour
1/2c stevia blended sugar (it's regular and stevia blended together, HALF the calories)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2t baking soda
1t salt
1c almond milk w/ 1T vinegar mixed and set for 5 minutes
1 egg
1/4c olive oil
Heat oven to 350.
Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients.
Pour wet ingredients onto dry ingredients and JUST mix together. It will be kinda of weirdly lumpy and sticky.
Pour into a sprayed 9x5 loaf pan and level it out.
Bake for 40min.
Now I read a lot of the comments on the original recipe and most people had a problem with the baking time. I check it every 5 min after 30 min and discovered 40min was perfect in my oven: knife came out clean.
Let it rest for about 10min. and then slice and EAT.
OMG was this amazing. My hubby referred to it as the bread version of graham crackers and then added "that's a good thing." HA. It was delicious. I'll add that you store the bread wrapped tightly in Saran Wrap and kept at room temperature. (if you freeze it, it lasts 3 months)
I hope you enjoy these yummy comfort foods on a cold day wherever you're at!! Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite comfort food !
xoxo,
Summer
