Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

So today I decided to do something with that lovely head of broccoli I had in the fridge. I had finally gone to Whole Foods and had Goat Yogurt and some good Goat and Sheep Milk Cheeses. I was ready to cook something yummy and one of my more favorite "comfort foods".

Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup!

3 cups (1 large head) - Broccoli - cut into small pieces
1 cup - Celery - chopped
3 cups - Chicken Stock (No Salt Added if on salt free diet)
9 Large Cloves Garlic - Chopped
1 Tblsp - Smoked Paprika
1 tsp - Cumin
1 tsp - Lime Sea Salt (Optional, again leave out if on salt free diet)
2 cups Cheese Grated (I mixed Goat Mozzarella, Sheep Manchego & Naked Goat)
1 cup - Goat Yogurt
2 cups Goat Milk
1/2 cup Rice Flour

First in my Dutch Oven I put the cut up broccoli, celery, garlic and spices with the chicken stock on medium heat. When it starts to lightly boil I turned the heat down and let cook for 45 minutes. When the broccoli is tender to a fork I got out my stick blender and carefully mixed everything until mostly smooth. You will have some small bits of the florets still, but the stems will go totally creamy smooth.

Set the stick blender aside for further blending.

Add the rice flour with some goat milk til smooth and then add to the hot broccoli mix in the Dutch Oven. Stir until the Broccoli soup starts to thicken. Then add the milk and goat yogurt and keep stirring. I then started adding the cheese a little bit at a time. Stir slowly and keep adding the cheese until creamy smooth. If needed go ahead and use the stick blender again to remove any lumps.

Turn the heat to low and let simmer with the lid on for another 15 minutes, stir occasionally. This allows the soup to thicken a bit more.

I ate this as is, Richard added crackers. The cumin and smoked paprika gave this the nice warm flavor and it was so creamy and yummy. Once again, comfort food extrordinaire.

Mexico Restaurant in Richmond's West End

Today Richard and I went and had a fun day at the Richmond Home & Garden Show! What a great day. I got so many great ideas for decorating. Yeah, 3 months being laid up really gave me time to watch lots of Home & Garden TV. Needless to say, I became addicted to Design on a Dime. Richard isn't totally happy about all the ideas that gave me. LOL I actually would love to start my own design business. But for now, it's just fun to see what's new and there is a lot of great design out there. Glass counter tops that are backlit with LED's. Sinks that appear to float in a fountain. And the Marble and Granite Counters are beyond beautiful. I was definitely inspired.

After we left the show, we headed out to the West End to have dinner. We had planned to go to Silver Diner, but they were totally packed. As we left there, I suggested we try one of the Restaurants in Innsbrook and we ended up trying "Mexico Restaurant". First, when you enter, the decor is not overstated. It's Mexican Cantina with a better class neighborhood feel. We were greeted right away and taken to a booth. Our waiter appeared seconds later and took our Drink orders and asked if we needed help with the menu. They also brought out fresh tortilla chips and a mild pico de gallo sauce as we sat down. Those chips were fresh from the oven and still warm and very crispy. Heaven. I did order a side of Guacamole and it came out quick. You could tell it was made fresh, with cilantro and had the most wonderful creamy flavor that only a good, nicely ripe Avocado can have.

As you know, I have food allergies. Because of this I normally avoid Mexican food. Mainly because it is primarily loaded with cheese or Beans or even both in the same dish. This menu gave me instant hope for a meal that not only could I eat safely but would really enjoy. And they did not disappoint at all. To see their menu online and list of locations go to Mexico-Restaurant's Website. Suffice it to say, they had Seafood, Steak, Pork, chicken and even a full range of Vegetarian Dishes. Since they do add some cheese or sour cream to the Veggie dishes I won't say fully Vegan. But they are very happy to hold or put on the side items in a dish that may be in question for a particular diet. Our waiter was so nice about this for me. I chose the "Vallarta" which was a seafood and chicken dish with pineapple, onions, 3 types of bell peppers and a special sauce over Mexican White Rice. When asked about the sauce he said he thought it would be safe for me as it wasn't too spicy, but to be safe he would have them put it on the side. When it arrived I found the sauce to actually be sort of sweet, no pepper or chile kick to it. My best description would be a warm, orangy duck sauce in flavor. Since I am a HUGE fan of anything with such a nice citrus flavor I poured it on and enjoyed. This is a picture of my dish...

Not sure if you can tell, but there were Scallops, Shrimp and white meat of Chicken in this dish. And it was fresh pineapple, not something from a can. Total bliss in every bite.

Richard had Crab* Enchiladas. A very large serving loaded with filling and topped with a wonderfully creamy melted cheese sauce. We both ended up getting to go boxes as we couldn't finish our meals.

Add a Corona Beer for Richard which came out in an ice cold bottle with the traditional lime wedge and our total bill was $28.63. Not bad for such large and delicious meals.

I would highly recommend trying this restaurant. And since they have so many locations in the Greater Richmond area, I am sure you can find one close to you. But for me, the Innsbrook location will be my go to spot for great food.

Mango Teriyaki

So we have this terrific diner in Richmond called Silver Diner. They make really great food and as Mom would say, the best Chocolate Milkshake in Richmond. Since I can't try the milkshake I will have to take her word for it. But they believe in locally grown and organic foods. Which for a diner is awesome. For me, my favorite dish is this wonderful veggie pasta with Mango that they serve. I usually have them add shrimp since I like the seafood.

Well, the other day I thought I bet I can make something similar. We had Mangos 10 for $10 at Kroger so Richard bought me a few. Same with Broccoli. So I sat down and started cutting lots of veggies and 2 mangos up. Richard thought I was going a bit nuts with the veggies, but he had to admit, the final meal was fantastic. So here is my version of the Silver Diner Dish, with a few variations. Just remember, there is a Whole lotta choppin' goin' on here!

Mango Teriyaki

1 head of Broccoli - diced into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of baby Carrots, julienned
4 large stalks Celery, cleaned and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
10 Shiitake Mushrooms, julienned
1 cup Sugar Snap Peas
1/2 cup of fresh Cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of Radichio, julienned
2 Mangos, diced
1 cup of shrimp
3 Tblsp Teriyaki
1/2 Lemon Juiced
2 Tblsp Wok Oil (Safflower infused with Thai Basil and Lemon Grass)
1 Tblsp Agave Syrup
Whole Grain Pasta (I used Spaghetti made with Whole Wheat this time, though I prefer Rice Pasta best)

I heated the wok and added the oil, lemon juice and agave. Once hot I added the broccoli, Carrots, Celery first. After they had cooked 3 minutes I added the Sugar Snap Peas. I put the lid on for just a bit to give these a chance to soften.

While the lid was on the veggies, I started the water boiling for the pasta. I know once I add the last ingredients and the shrimp I won't want to let it cook too long, so the pasta needs to be ready.

Once the Broccoli and Peas appear soft enough to poke with a fork I add the Cilantro, Radichio, Mangos and Shrimp with the Teriyaki Sauce.

When the Noodles are cooked, remove from the water and serve right away. This dish made enough for about 5 servings.