Broccoli and Cheese Potato Soup

Review from Christin - I made per the recipe but may have added just a bit extra cheese. This was such a delicious, creamy, hearty soup. I can't wait to have a bowl for dinner tonight.

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g


1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup fat free milk
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
salt and fresh pepper
4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
2 slices 2% American cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, then cover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.

Senegalese peanut stew with spinach and sweet potatoes

Serving size: 1 2/3 cup
Servings: 6
Points + per serving: 5


1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 medium onion(s), roughly chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), cored and roughly chopped
1/2 pound(s) sweet potato(es), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium carrot(s), peeled and thinly sliced
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cup(s) vegetable broth, reduced-sodium
6 Tbsp peanut butter, natural, creamy-variety
8 cup(s) spinach, leaves, stemmed, packed, chopped


Instructions

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potato, carrots and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ginger, cloves, salt and cayenne; cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring once in a while, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Yields about 1 2/3 cups per serving.

Notes

Keep the heat low as the soup simmers so the peanut butter doesn't break (that is, in culinary terms, "doesn't fall out of suspension" or separate).