Friday, March 20, 2009

Creamed Vegetable Soup with Toasted Pita Bread

1/4 cup "butter"
2-3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 can broth
16 oz Jewel frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, or peas
water
salt

Opaa! whole wheat pita bread

Melt the butter in a soup pot over low heat as you chop the celery and onions. Turn up the heat to medium-high & saute the chopped celery and onions until softened, about five minutes. Stir in the flour until the butter is absorbed & then stir in the chicken broth; bring to a strong simmer, about five minutes. Stir in the vegetables, as much water as broth you used, and about a teaspoon of salt; bring back to a strong simmer until the vegetables are cooked, about ten minutes.

You can also add a pinch of nutmeg along with the salt, good with broccoli or peas. Or I should mention, spinach. I had to stop making this soup with spinach, too Exorcist—

Puree the soup with whatever you have, like a food processor or a blender will work. What I have is the Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender, which is awesome and also as easy to wash as a spoon.

Eat with toasted whole wheat pita bread.

What I do is eat a little bit of this soup for Sunday lunch, with the pita bread. The rest gets packed into lunches for the week with rice, beans, and vegetables... don't wash the soup pot just yet.

Curry Creamed Vegetable Soup
Add 1 tablespoon curry powder with the flour. Good with carrot, cauliflower, or corn.

Chili Creamed Vegetable Soup
Add 1 tablespoon chili powder with the flour. Also good with carrot, cauliflower, or corn. You can also add 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped, with the celery and onions, very good with corn.

Per 1 cup serving plus one round pita bread: broccoli, 330; carrot, 336; cauliflower, 325; corn, 399; peas, 370 calories