Another cold, cold day here in Montana, so of course when I got hungry, the first thing I thought of was homemade soup … again. What can I say? I love soup! :)

Today I needed to use up some of my fresh broccoli before it started to go bad, so I thought I might make a cream of broccoli soup. After looking at some other veggies I had in the fridge though, I changed my mind and ended up making this yummy concoction instead:
 

This is a slightly spicy soup, and just perfect for a cold fall day. While the ingredients may sound a tad strange, I can assure you that it is delicious. :)

Ok, here we go!

Creamy Corn & Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 T. minced garlic
3 T. flour
1/2 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, grated
3 cups frozen sweet corn
8 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup organic low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups milk
6 cups water
1 – 8 oz. brick Neufchatel cheese (you can find this next to the cream cheese at the store)
3 T. favorite no-salt seasoning (I use organic no-salt seasoning from Costco)
2 tsp. curry
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

 

Directions:

Brown garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Allow it to start sticking to the bottom of your pot, then deglaze with a small amount of water.

Add onions and celery, and sautee until onions are semi-translucent.

Add flour, and stir well to make a thick paste.

Deglaze again using a bit of your chicken stock, and then continue to add the remaining stock in slowly.

Once stock is mixed in well, slowly add milk, and then water. Bring to a low boil.

Stir in your Neufchatel cheese, until completely melted and incorporated into your milk base.

Add broccoli and grated carrots, as well as your spices.

Bring to a low boil again, stirring often, and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 14 1-cup servings, at only 143 calories per serving.
(yes, I do use a recipe calculator … a lot, lol!)

Here’s to the arrival of fall,