Cheesy Broccoflower Soup

It was 90 degrees today.  And we spent the day at the beach.  What's for dinner?  How about I have a taste for soup!  I guess I'm ready for fall and all the soups, stews, and pot roasts that come along with it.  Let's roll....

Ingredients
3 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped carrots
64oz chicken stock
1 head fresh broccoli, florets cut off
1/2 head fresh cauliflower, florets cut off
1 1/2 Tbsp garlic
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

 

Get out your dutch oven!!!  I cannot express how much I love and use my dutch oven.  It is perfect for soups!  Add bacon, chopped onions, and carrots and simmer until veggies are softened. Do not let your bacon get crispy. 

Make sure your broccoli and cauliflower are all cut into florets.

These bowls are two different sizes.  I realize it looks like a lot of cauliflower, but it's just a smaller bowl.  Add broccoli, cauliflower, stock, and garlic to the pot.  Simmer on medium low for 20-25 minutes until veggies are nice and soft.  Get your food processor out...this is another wonderful item to have.  LOVE my food processor.  You will need to scoop out the veggies and very little liquid to put in batches in your food processor.

Looks at this steaming!  When you are scooping out the veggies, make sure you get ALL the bacon, but leave a little of the carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in the pot so your soup is just a little chunky.  Return pureed mixture back to your dutch oven.  Add heavy cream and stir well.  Next add cheese, pepper, and nutmeg.  Stir very well so the cheese melts and incorporates well.  You may need to add some salt and pepper, based on what you like.  Again, I don't use a lot of S&P in my cooking, so go by what you like. 

 

I.Love.Soup.

The.End.

 

 

 

Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom Alfredo

OK, so how about I made this weeks ago and I'm just getting around to putting this on the good ole blog.  We had plans with a few friends, so of course I offered to cook!  It had been a while since I had some pasta...you know it's quite frowned upon on the Paleo diet.  But....you gotta enjoy it once in a while. 

This is not a typical uber thick alfredo.  Its light and yummy and comforting.  I am obsessed with spinach and mushrooms, so this combines my guilty pleasure of carbs with both of these veggies.  Lets get started, shall we?

Ingredients
2-4 chicken breasts (I know this is a large variation, but it all depends on the size of the breasts!)
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 16oz package of baby bella mushrooms
1 5oz package of fresh baby spinach
2 Tbsp garlic
16oz heavy cream
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg (trust me, get yourself a microplane and grind your nutmeg!)
6 oz fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1lb fettuccini

Salt and pepper your chicken breasts, to taste.  Grill or sauté the breasts, however you please to cook them.  Just cook them, set them aside, and chop them up.

In a separate sauce pan add your butter and diced onion.  Saute until onions are translucent, 5-8 minutes.  Add mushrooms and let them cook down.  Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture and will release that into your pan, so leave it uncovered.

 

After mushrooms cook down, add your baby spinach and garlic.

It will look like a lot of spinach, but it will cook down quickly, in just a few minutes actually.  Start your pan of boiling water for your pasta.  Don't forget to salt your pasta water!  Get it boiling, add your fettuccini, stir, strain, blah blah blah.  Please tell me you an at least put pasta into water and cook it  Next add your heavy cream, pepper, salt, and nutmeg.  Stir until well combined and add chopped chicken breasts.  Next, shred your FRESH Parmesan cheese and add to your mushroom mixture.  Stir well so the cheese melts.  Simmer for several minutes, the sauce will thicken.

After sauce is well combine and slightly thickened, start adding your well drained pasta to your sauce pan.  Stir together and begin serving! 

Top your portions with some fresh flat leaf parsley and fresh ground pepper.  Hey and maybe some more Parmesan cheese!!!  Yummy.