My bags are packed and I am ready to hop on a plane and fly to South Carolina for the week. I am leaving my husband behind with my four daughters……. yikes. Tonight I taught him how to do a ponytail in the girls hair for school, he has the schedule of school pick up and dance drop offs, twins nap time and what they like to eat all written down. I am crossing my fingers that all will go smooth. In order to help him out a little, I decided to pre-make the dinners for the week. I searched through our website and considering the cold weather….. I went with soups! They store really well, reheat quickly, and my kids gobble them up. If you haven’t tried these recipes yet, take advantage of this rainy spring time and blend up some delicious soup!
Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, diced
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
6 cups broccoli florets
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups water
CASHEW CREAM SAUCE (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon dried basil (I sometimes add more- depending on taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes, celery, broccoli, onion, garlic and water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until potato chunks are tender and pierced with a fork (do not overcook).
Make CASHEW CREAM SAUCE in a blender. Pour cream sauce into the pot with the vegetables and stir together (don’t forget to add the additional 1 1/2 cups of water…see recipe below). Add basil and black pepper. Begin transferring mixture to the blender – 3 cups at a time. Blend mixture until the vegetables are completely smooth OR leave them slightly chunky, depending on your taste. Pour blended mixture into a clean pot. Once all the mixture is blended, stir in Sesame Seasoning if desired. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until steamy.
Top with diced red peppers or fresh tomatoes.
*My kids will eat this soup with fish crackers on top 🙂
CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
1 cup raw cashew nuts
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
1-2 Tablespoons Chicken-Like Seasoning (or Chicken Paste/Bouillon)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons cornstarch, flour or Clear Jel
1 1/2 cups more water (to be added after blending)
Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high for about 2 minutes until smooth (make sure mixture is smooth- not gritty). Pour into pot with vegetables. Add the 1 1/2 cups more water to the blender, swish it around, and add to the mixture in the pot.
I also made up a batch of CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP , QUICK QUINOA SURPRISE and HUMMUS.
All of these will store really well and I know my kids will not complain to their about what they have for dinner. Now I am just crossing my fingers that things will go as well in real life as it is in my head!
Source: WFM 1-10