Easy Broccoli Soup

It's been sooo long since I've posted! I've been very, very busy working on a few different exciting things, hopefully which I finish soon and can share with you!

In other news, I recently signed up to get a Farm Fresh to You box every other week. It's a CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] box chock full of local organic produce that gets delivered to my doorstop every other week. You never really know what you're going to get, but you can check off things you prefer not to get on their website.

I received my first box last week. I ordered the smallest box, and it came with a giant onion, two  oranges, one lemon, two apples, two artichokes, a big bunch of butter lettuce, two huge heads of broccoli, and four baby bok choy. It's really pretty great and worth the [very reasonable] $25 considering that it just shows up on your doorstep and it's all local and fresh. Oh also it all tastes really, really good.

So with this arsenal of fresh produce at my fingertips, here's what I made for lunch today. It was kind of a cold, dreary morning here in Santa Monica, and a steaming bowl of homemade soup sounded just about perfect. It really hit the spot, and I have to say it was a pretty great way to get my veggies.

P.S. If you don't have an immersion blender, get one! They aren't very expensive and so much easier to get out / clean than a regular blender. I use mine to make smoothies directly in the glass. Pretty nifty.

Easy Broccoli Soup

Makes 4 servings

2 heads broccoli, roughly chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp garlic powder [or 1 clove of the real deal, chopped]

3 tbsp flour

1 14oz can vegetable broth [you could also use chicken broth]

1.5 c water

1/2 c milk [I used 1%]

1/2 c shredded cheese [optional - I just think everything's better with cheese]

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter and saute broccoli, onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir to ensure even cooking.
2. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook about 3 more minutes until flour starts to thicken, stirring.
3. Add vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. Puree soup with an immersion blender. Stir in milk and cheese.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

The weather has finally dipped here in La La Land. The nights are cold and damp and the daytime sun doesn't quite break through the chill. It's the perfect weather for fires, hot tea, blankets, and homemade soups.

I love making soup in the crock pot. Just dump in and turn on. The end. Plus there are always leftovers to enjoy the next day, and the day after that.

This vegetarian tortilla soup is rich and hearty and soul-warming. As a meatasaurus [technical term] I sometimes find that I miss the solidness of meat in vegetarian recipes, but this soup is not the case. It doesn't even need it. If you wanted to, you could throw a chicken breast or two in with everything at the beginning and cook on high instead of low, then shred it with a knife and fork before serving. But you really don't have to. Honest.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 bunch green onions

1 small bag frozen corn

1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 4oz can diced green chiles

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans vegetable broth

2 cups water

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste 

[I used a chipotle hot sauce]

1 bay leaf

For garnish:

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

lime zest

1. Cut bulb ends off green onions. Chop into small pieces, stopping just when the leaves start. Reserve a handful of the greener part for garnish.
2. Saute the remaining chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix green onions with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 hours.
4. Garnish soup with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla strips, a few slices of avocado, some of the reserved green onions, and a little bit of lime zest. Serve.

Black Bean Sliders with Creamy Chipotle Sauce & Cornbread Buns

Yes, I know. Two recipes in a row. I just want to make sure everyone is BBQ ready for this weekend.

I've said before that I love things in miniature. Sliders are no exception. Baby burgers! These hearty little bites are full of a mouth-stuffing goodness that's actually pretty healthy. They're also vegetarian. They would be PERFECT with the spiked lavender lemonade I posted last week. And how about some Blue Moon cupcakes for dessert?

If you can't find Chipotle hot sauce, feel free to use your favorite kind. I just love the smokiness of chipotle.

Also just a warning: the corn muffin buns are pretty crumbly and make eating these a little messy. You might want to have a bag of dinner rolls on hand just in case. You can also just buy premade rolls or muffins and skip making them completely!

Black Bean Sliders with Creamy Chipotle Sauce and Cornbread Buns

makes 12

For the burgers:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 small egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chipotle hot sauce

1 tbsp barbeque sauce

1 tsp chili powder

For the chipotle sauce:

1/4 c greek yogurt

2 tsp chipotle hot sauce

For the buns:

2 packages Jiffy corn muffin mix

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

OR 12 premade dinner rolls or corn muffins

For burger assembly:

2 small tomatoes (like Roma)

lettuce

toothpicks

1. Follow the package instructions on the Jiffy mix to make 12 corn muffins, or buy them premade. Let them cool and carefully slice them in half.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly mash black beans. Add onion, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, barbeque sauce and chili powder. Stir until well combined. Mixture will be sticky.
3. Heat a grill pan or skillet or line your grill with heavy duty foil. Brush with oil. Make patties by the heaping tablespoon and grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
4. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and 2 tsp hot sauce until well combined.
5. Assemble sliders: on bottom of corn muffins, stack burger patty, dollop of chipotle sauce, tomato, lettuce, and top of corn muffin. Use a toothpick to hold it all together if necessary.