Broccoli and Cheese Soup

It's been a tough, but rewarding, week. I'm in the 2nd week (of 7 total) of our LILY study at UCSF, and truth be told, I'm exhausted. I love being a part of this work, but my body hurts from my 5 hours of driving per day and I can't seem to get enough sleep, no matter how hard I try.

For Halloween I was a real-life mommy zombie. No makeup required.  Finally, finally the weekend is here! I have big plans to stay in my bed as much as possible. But with three kids, it's not likely to happen. Still, I can dream, can't I. (Get it? Sleep humor...I'm extra hilarious when I can't think straight).

What started out as a last-minute quickie dinner "for-the-kids" ended up a full fledged family dinner because it was just so darn tasty. And quick! (Did I mention quick? Seriously!)

The trick is to use baby broccoli, if you can, instead of regular broccoli, because it is tender and has a much milder taste.


Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of shaved parmesan cheese
a handful and a half of finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped baby broccoli

Melt the butter in a hot stock pot. Stir in the flour and cook until mixed and lightly toasted, about a minute. Pour in the broth and water, salt and pepper and get it hot, but not boiling. Next add in the cheeses, a little at a time, stirring as you go. Continue to add and stir in the cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes, again, not boiling hot, but almost. Add in the broccoli, cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Tofu Cutlets, Cheesy Cauliflower Mash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

It's fall and the supermarket is packed with pumpkins and gourds and Brussels sprouts. I didn't discover Brussels sprouts until I was into adulthood, and I've never had a bad one! But my husband is convinced he doesn't like them, so when I brought home a gorgeous stalk of them, he was not impressed. But it's not the first time I've changed his mind about food, so I charged on ahead anyway.

I set the kids to task on mashing up the cauliflower and shredding and mixing in the cheese, they had a blast doing it. But it gets cold fast, so wait until the end to do it and keep it covered until ready to serve.

First, start the sprouts:

Brussels Sprouts

2 cups whole brussels sprouts, outer leaves peeled and discarded
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 and oil a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix the sprouts, salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Toss to coat. Cook for 45 minutes, or until browned and fragrant.

Then start the cauliflower:

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup of butter

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the cauliflower for about 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher, mixing in the cheddar, butter and green onion as you go. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Tofu Cutlets

1 package of extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp ranch dressing

Combine in a bowl  2 eggs and ranch dressing. In another bowl combine the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and the Italian seasoning. Heat a few spoonfulls of oil in a large skillet. Coat the tofu with the eggs wash and then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Cook until browned on both sides.