Cheddar and broccoli soup

Some broccoli cheese soups are more broccoli than cheese. I don't like that. If it claims to be broccoli CHEESE soup, I expect to see and taste more than just a garnish of shredded cheese. This soup delivers in the cheese department, rich, deep and flavorful.

I used a bit of dry mustard in this recipe. Dry mustard is spicier than regular mustard, its the ground mustard seed with out any vinegar or water added. Don't try to use regular mustard for the dry. Theres something about the way the dry mustard makes the cheese taste, it brings out the sharpness of the cheddar and is wonderful. There's also a few dashes of tobasco in this soup. Much like the dry mustard, tobasco helps the soup have a depth of flavor with out spicy heat, I mean after all theres about 1/4 t of tobasco to almost 6 cups of liquid, how spicy can it be?

Lastly I like to use the broccoli stems in my soups. They're filled with nutrients and fiber and its just so wasteful to throw them away in favor of their prettier friends the florettes. I simmer the stems in water and puree them so I get a lot of broccoli flavor in the soup, along with all the vitamins and fiber, but no one knows it in there. Witchcraft I tell you!

If you're looking for a soup that delivers big in the cheese flavor this is the one for you. If you like broccoli soup, this is the one for you! So pretty much unless you hate cheese and broccoli, you should like this soup. Enjoy!

Cheddar and Broccoli soup
makes 6 large servings
2 heads broccoli
4 c chicken stock
1 c milk
1 c water
1 onion diced fine
3 cloves garlic
3 dashes tobasco sauce
1/2 t dry mustard powder
pinch turmeric (optional, helps add yellow color to combat the green from the broccoli puree)
kosher salt & pepper
1/4 c butter (half stick)
1/2 c flour
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Prep veggies first, dice onions, mince garlic and reserve. Remove florettes from broccoli and reserve. Slice the broccoli stems thin (1/4 inch thick approx) and place into a small sauce pan with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and allow stems to cook. Once stems are cooked put them into a blender with 1/2 the cooking liquid and puree until smooth.

Meanwhile, heat a large soup pan over medium high heat. Melt the butter in the pan, once it stops foaming add the onions and garlic. Stir well to coat in butter and cook until onions are starting to brown on the edges.

Add the flour and about 1/2 c of the chicken stock, whisk well, this will thicken and become a paste. Keep whisking and slowly add the remaining chicken stock. Whisk until no lumps remain. Add the milk, tobasco sauce and dry mustard and optional turmeric, whisk well to incorporate. Bring up to a simmer.

Once the soup starts to simmer add the cheese and stir well until all cheese is melted. Taste for salt & pepper, add as needed. Add the broccoli puree to the soup along with the reserved florettes.

Simmer soup for 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Once broccoli is tender taste soup again for seasoning, adjust salt & pepper as needed.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 392.9
Total Fat 23.4 g
Saturated Fat 13.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g
Cholesterol 64.0 mg
Sodium 924.2 mg
Potassium 1,046.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 28.4 g
Dietary Fiber 9.9 g
Sugars 2.6 g
Protein 20.6 g

Cheesy chicken broccoli casserole

This recipe is far from gourmet. What it is, however, is a great way to use up left over soup. I made a batch of creamy broccoli soup for lunch the other day. It makes a TON of soup. I kinda forgot about the soup being in the fridge until today. Wow. 4+ cups of cheesy broccoli soup, what ever should I do with this??

If you answered make a casserole, you'd be spot on! That's exactly what the Kitchen Witch did. Broccoli cheese soup is the base, additional broccoli florettes add color, texture and really emphasize the broccoli in the casserole with chicken, noodles and a crunchy bread crumb topping.

To change it from left overs to a casserole I added a few herbs and spices: poultry seasoning to enhance the chicken and ground dry mustard to play with the broccoli (its not mustard-y in the slightest, the mustard just makes the broccoli and cheese taste better). The result was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. And if you don't believe me, ask my husband. He had 2 plates full and is looking forward to left overs for lunch tomorrow.

Cheesy chicken and broccoli casserole
Serves 6
2 chicken breasts sliced thin
1/3 red bell pepper diced fine
2 heads broccoli, florettes removed (save stems for soup!)
4 cups broccoli cheese soup (homemade)
OR can sub. 2 cans broccoli soup and 2 cans milk AND 6 oz cheddar cheese shredded
1 t poultry seasoning
1 T dry mustard
S&P
3 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 c milk
bread crumbs, about 1/2 cup
2 T butter dotted over top of casserole

Mix the soup with mustard powder and poultry seasoning. Add veggies and sliced chicken, stir well. Add milk and noodles, stir to combine. Pour into a sprayed casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and dot top with butter. Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until bubbly in center and browned on edges.



No nutrition on this one folks, it was way to complex for me to figure out but based on my best estimates I'd say that its about 450 calories a serving. Not too bad for a cheesy casserole! If you really need a detailed nutrition information let me know & I'll get it figured out ~ Andrea the Kitchen Witch

Creamy broccoli cheese soup

I call this Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup rather than Cream Of Broccoli soup because it contains NO cream! Yes that's right, no cream! You still get all the flavor and creamy texture that you've come to love in a broccoli soup, with out the added fat and calories.

Most people like the broccoli florettes. They're nice & pretty, tender & easy to eat. My preschooler LOVES the florettes, she calls them dinosaur trees & will chow down on them with a quickness. Which is awesome but it leaves me with a LOT of stem ends.

Now if you've learned anything about the Kitchen Witch its that I abhor waste in the kitchen. Ingredients are too expensive to just throw away parts & pieces because they are less pretty or not needed for a recipe. The broccoli stems are a prime example of this. When the little Witch asks for broccoli she expects to see a neatly trimmed florette, leaving behind the stem. I look at this pale green stem and say hmm...you could be made into soup! Its loaded with lots of broccoli flavor, not to mention fiber, perfect! A little cooking and its tender, a little puree and its a soup base loaded with flavor and lends a delightful green hue to the soup.

Kitchen Witch Tip: If you have broccoli stems but aren't ready to make the soup, no fear! Simply put the stems in a freezer zip top bag & freeze until you have enough to make this soup. You can also use frozen broccoli, however please adjust your cooking times as the frozen florettes tend to cook quicker than their fresh counterpart.

This creamy broccoli soup will keep them coming back for more, and at less than 250 calories a bowl, you can feel good about serving it to your family.

Creamy Broccoli Soup
serves 8 generous bowls
2-3 heads broccoli including stems
4 c chicken stock (you do use homemade, right?)
2 c milk
1 small onion
1 rib celery
S&P
3 T butter
1/2 c flour
8 oz Cheddar or colby jack cheese shredded, optional
drizzle of oil


Cut the broccoli florettes from the stems. Set aside. Roughly chop the stems, onion and celery.


Heat a large soup pot over med hi heat. Drizzle oil in pan, once hot add broccoli stems, onions & celery. Cook until the broccoli starts to brown.

Add chicken broth, S&P and simmer about 15 min, until vegetables are very soft. Remove veggie solids into a food processor, add 1-2 c cooking liquid and puree until very smooth. If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or an immersion (stick) blender. Transfer the puree and the remaining cooking liquid to a large bowl.



In the same pot melt the butter. Once melted add the flour and whisk well to make a roux. Cook roux about 3-5 min or until it smells nutty and takes on a light golden color. Slowly add milk, whisking well. This will be VERY thick. Add the puree/stock mixture to the thickened milk and stir well. Bring to a simmer. Add broccoli florettes and cook 10-15 min or until broccoli florettes are tender.



Remove soup from heat. Add shredded cheese and stir well until it melts. Adjust seasonings and serve.


Nutrition Facts
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 241.3
Total Fat 16.0 g
Saturated Fat 9.9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.2 g
Cholesterol 48.8 mg
Sodium 701.7 mg
Potassium 463.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 13.6 g
Dietary Fiber 2.2 g
Sugars 3.6 g
Protein 12.3 g

Chicken stir fry and Asian sauce base

Stir fry is one of our go to easy, low calorie & low fat, filling, healthy and QUICK meals. Asian flavors are simply divine with fresh vegetables. The sauce is light, flavorful, tart and slightly sweet.

Kitchen Witch, why should I spend the whopping 5 minutes it takes to make my own sauce when the supermarket has TONS on prebottled ones for me to buy?

My answer is pretty simple. Flavor and health. If high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and preservatives galore is your thing then go for it, buy what the store has to offer. But if you're like the Kitchen Witch and require some REAL food in your food, make your own. It'll have fresh bright flavors, no preservatives or additives, no HFCS or PHO's. And you can customize it to you and your familys specific tastes. Don't like red pepper flakes? Leave it out! Got a nut allergy in the house? Leave it out! Love ginger, add more. You get the idea.

When you make this stir fry you can serve it with lettuce cups to make lettuce wraps or with steamed rice. Or both :-)

Chicken stir fry/Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4
2 chicken breasts
butter lettuce, pull leaves off to make cups (optional)
veggies: some suggestions
bell peppers (1/2), snow peas (handful), carrot (1), celery (1 stalk), onion, (1/4 small), broccoli (1 head), mung bean sprouts (hearty handful), water chestnuts (1 can), bamboo shoots (1 can)
Asian sauce (recipe follows)

Marinate chicken in 1 T Asian sauce base. Let marinate for 2 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken about 5 min on 1st side, flip when its golden browned and the sides start to turn opaque. Cook an additional 4 min on 2nd side OR until internal temperature is 160*. When chicken is cooled off enough to handle (about 5 minutes) slice into thin strips.

Prep all veggies. This is important in a stir fry because things go QUICK. You won't have time to get your veggies ready to go while other things are cooking so do your prep work first!



In the same skillet add onions, celery and carrots. Cook 1 min or until they start to soften. Add the broccoli and 1/4 c water. Stir well, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan. Put a lid on the pot & allow it to steam for 2-3 min.

Add the bell peppers, snow peas, bamboo shoots & water chestnuts. Cover again & cook 1-2 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts, stir well and cover. Cook 1 minute additional.


Slice the chicken and add it to the veggies in the pan, cover & cook 1 minute to warm chicken through.

Serve with lettuce leaf cups and drizzle with Asian sauce.

Asian style sauce/dressing base
1/2 c white wine or rice vinegar
1 T sugar
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 orange
1 clove garlic smashed
pinch crushed red pepper
2 T tahini (sesame seed paste, can substitute peanut butter or omit if desired)


Make sauce first. In a saucepan add vinegar, orange juice, garlic, sugar & red pepper. Bring to a boil & cook 3 min. Add soy sauce and tahini, stir very well, simmer 2 min longer. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove solids.



This base can be used as a marinade for shrimp, chicken or pork. It can be diluted with oil to become a salad dressing (2T base to 1/4 c oil and 2 T white wine if you want more acidity (opt), shake well). Its also fantastic as a dip for fresh veggies or can be used as a sauce on stir fry or lettuce wraps.

Nutrition Facts
Chicken lettuce wraps
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 205.8
Total Fat 2.2 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Cholesterol 68.4 mg
Sodium 140.4 mg
Potassium 1,020.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 15.4 g
Dietary Fiber 6.6 g
Sugars 2.3 g
Protein 33.4 g

Nutrition Facts
Asian style sauce,
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 53.9
Total Fat 2.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 469.9 mg
Potassium 39.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.4 g
Sugars 7.3
Protein 1.0

Shrimp scampi with broccoli and tortellini

Garlic, white wine and butter, classic scampi ingredients. What makes this so different is the calories, or lack there of! Imagine eating a nice full bowl of pasta, tender veggies and big plump shrimp in a decadent sauce for LESS than 350 calories! The prep on this is quick - almost as fast a microwaveable meal - you'll be eating in 20 minutes or less!!

Other flavorful, low calorie additions could include sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, wilted spinich, olives, really anything you like! And if shrimp isn't your thing feel free to use chicken or pork.

I used pre-cooked shrimp because that's what was on sale at the store this week. I had reservations about heating the cooked shrimp in the wine garlic sauce because I didn't want them to get too tough, a very common problem with shrimp. I am happy to say that the quick boil was enough to thaw & reheat the shrimp, while adding a nice seafood flavor to the sauce, and the shrimp were still nice & tender. If you have raw shrimp cook in the wine sauce about 1 min longer than directed or until shrimp turn pink & curl.

The amounts shown below are for 1 lunch size portion. If I were making this for dinner I'd double it for myself & the husband and pair it with a salad to round out the meal.

Shrimp scampi with broccoli and tortellini
makes 1 serving
7 large (21-30) shrimp, precooked is fine
1/4 c Barilla 3 cheese tortellini
1/2 head broccoli, cut into very small florettes
1 clove garlic minced
1 dash salt
1 t butter
1/4 c white wine
1 t crispy onion toppers, optional (I found these in the crouton area of my local store. You could use french fried onions if you can't find the Fresh Gourmet Crispy Onions)

To a pot of boiling water add the tortellini. Set timer for 10-11 minutes. 5 min after adding pasta add broccoli. At 10 minutes test pasta for tenderness. Drain pasta & broccoli. Put into a bowl & cover to keep warm.

In the same pot add the butter, frozen shrimp, garlic, salt & wine. Bring to a boil, simmer until shrimp are heated thru, about 1-2 minutes max. Remove shrimp, arrange on top of pasta.

Crank the heat up to HI and reduce the wine by half. Pour reduced sauce over top of shrimp and serve.



Andrea the Kitchen Witch will now be posting nutritional information for recipes. I hope this is a feature that will help you plan healthy nutritious meals for your family! Its one thing to look good, its another to taste good & its the best of all when it does both of those AND is good for you! Healthy can be tasty, with a little Kitchen Witchcraft!
Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 329.2
Total Fat 11.2 g
~~Saturated Fat 6.7 g
~~Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
~~Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g
Cholesterol 114.5 mg
Sodium 828.3 mg
Potassium 221.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.1 g
~~Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
~~Sugars 1.7 g
Protein 14.2 g