"Cheezy" Broccoli & Jalapeño Soup

Our weather has cooled off, at least temporarily, so today I made soup. Imagine that. Just a few days ago, we had hot weather and smokey air from wildfires but it only lasted a couple of days and today the weather was typical Seattle weather. We love the cool, marine-layer morning clouds that end up burning-off by afternoon, ending up in the high 60's. That is a typical day here. I was actually cold! So, I pulled out this soup recipe from Hannah Freese, RD that I've been eyeing lately because it looks so healthy. When I served it, Bruce asked what makes it taste so rich; was there a lot of butter in it? or cream? Neither. It's nutritional yeast and the hemp seeds. Nutritional yeast has a nutty and cheesy flavor to it, thus the title of this soup as "cheezy". Vegans often use it in place for cheese. I buy it at Trader Joe's in the spice section and Hannah Freese, RD uses it in a lot of her recipes. It is a good protein source providing 2 grams of protein in 1 tablespoon which is why vegans use it a lot. It also has a lot of trace minerals, B vitamins and antioxidants - therefore anti-inflammatory properties which is why I like it. Hemp seeds are very rich in healthy fats and contain high quality protein. There are about 11 grams of protein per 2-3 tablespoons. They are also known to lower risk for heart disease and inflammation - again exactly what I am looking for. Adding these ingredients in small amounts over the course of your daily cooking will add to improving your health over the long run and that is what I am looking for which is why I am doing The Freese Method. Thank you, Hannah!

This soup was similar to cream of broccoli soup except there is no cream in it. I thought it was similar to split pea soup but with a broccoli flavor. It wasn't that spicy, despite having jalapeño in it. I might add red pepper flakes next time to make it more spicy. I will definitely be making this recipe again. With fall coming, we will be getting a lot more typical Seattle weather ahead that will be calling out "It's a Soup Day!"

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, medium, chopped

1 green pepper, large, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, medium, seeds removed and chopped, more or less on your preference

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. sea salt

6 cups broccoli, chopped into florets or use frozen broccoli

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup hemp seeds

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

optional: red pepper flakes

add baby spinach before blending

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions, green pepper, jalapeño pepper, and garlic. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

2. Season the vegetables with salt, then add the broccoli and vegetable broth.

3. Bring the soup to a gentle boil and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the broccoli is very tender.

4. Let soup cool slightly, then transfer the soup to a blender and add the hemp seeds and nutritional yeast.

5. Add more broth to thin, as needed. Season the soup with additional salt or nutritional yeast to taste.

Meatloaf by Mark Bittman

Once again, I turned on the television yesterday and saw that Mark Bittman was on the Today show and was making his version of meatloaf . This must be meatloaf season. It was surprisingly similar to the Pioneer Woman's version who was also recently on. I was a little surprised of his version because Mark Bittman is into healthy eating and has lost a lot of weight and improved his health by changing his diet which he writes about in his book, Food Matters . His meatloaf recipe also included bacon and cheese! I must be doing something wrong. The thing to remember, which he writes about in his book, is that you can eat healthy without going extreme or changing your whole life. If you don't know who Mark Bittman is, he is a food writer and a four star chef with multiple cookbooks who loves to eat but changed his food philosophy to improve his health. He tells his story in Food Matters and provides a plan for responsible eating that covers a no-nonsense rundown on

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have very many gluten-free cookies on my blog because quite frankly, I usually don't like gluten-free. But occasionally, I do find a good recipe and this is one that is from the back of the Trader Joe's oatmeal and it's a good one. My friend brought some over to our house last weekend when Nick and family were here for our birthday celebrations and we all loved them. My friend lives a few blocks away and we walk the neighborhood together on weekends. We can easily go 5 miles in no time, talking non-stop. She loves exploring our neighborhood as much as I do and we discover so many favorite little spots. We even found a property with a horse (or more like a pony, I should say.) The views are always quite lovely, too. Bruce and I had our thirty-ninth wedding anniversary on July 18th and I made a point of walking past the house where we had our wedding reception. I told my friend, "Thirty-nine years ago today, there was a big party go

Waking Up in Vegas

and just like that...we were Waking Up in Vegas. Just like the Katy Perry song. We went to her 78th performance which was her second-to-last Las Vegas residency show entitled "Play". That was perfect for us because we went to Vegas simply to play. Her concert was a great finale for us because it was high energy and full of silliness, just the way Katy Perry is. And we were feeling it after three nights in Las Vegas. "Get up, and shake the gutter off your clothes now, That's what you get for waking up in Vegas". Here's what she said about her show: "I created this show after the birth of my daughter, Daisy Dove. When I met her, it was like all the love I was ever searching for finally showed up. This show is for everyone’s inner child and for the hope that maybe if we could all see life through the eyes of a child, we would be free. Because never forget, love is and will always be the key,” she said. We went to Vegas spur of the moment because Br

Sylvia's Scenario

Search This Blog