Healthy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

 The weather has dropped and got quite cold here in Florida and also the pollen has left us all feeling as if we are sick. My husband and sister were in the mood for soup so I looked in my fridge to see what I had. I recently purchased a bunch of organic cauliflower and broccoli. I decided these two items would be my main ingredients along with some carrots, shallots, red onion, S & P, fresh herbs; rosemary, thyme, sage and chives.

When making vegetable soup I always feel roasting the veggies gives it a more full flavor.
I combine all the ingredients above and toss them with some good olive oil and put them in the oven for 30-45 min.

In the meantime I heat up some homemade chicken stock. In a large stock pot I crisp some prosciutto slices then remove. In the same pot I add some butter and chopped shallots with S & P. Once they start looking translucent I pour in a bit of Sherry wine and let it reduce.

Once the veggies are finished I let them cool then place them in my Ninja blender with some of the heated stock until puréed.

I combine the purée and shallots and add extra stock to the stock pot.

If you want here you can also add a container of fat free Greek yogurt for added protein and great supplement to heavy cream or half and half. Today I just used broth and cream.

To prepare for serving I grated some Gouda cheese then topped it off with left over fresh chopped herbs from the garden that I used when roasting and crumbled the prosciutto all over! Was so delicious and filling!

Asian Craving

My sister brought up memories of the best Chinese restaurant back in our hometown Pittsburgh, PA, that serves the most delicious lo mein noodles. I have never been able to find a restaurant in Florida quite like that one, but since my sister is living with me I decided to try to make our own version at home. Of course, our own version means tweaking ingredients in order to get premium health benefits. I purchased a pack of soba buckwheat noodles, which are high in protein and amino acids, help reduce cholesterol by acting as an absorbent in the small intestine, have been studied for reducing blood glucose levels in diabetes patients, and are high in fiber. I sauteed the red onion and garlic in coconut oil for a few minutes, adding a little salt and pepper. I then threw in the fresh minced ginger, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, orange bell pepper and allowed them to cook for a few minutes. When they started to crisp I added baby bella mushrooms and shaved a carrot in order to add Chinese authenticity to the lo mein. In a separate pan I heated hoisin sauce, less sodium soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, with white rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, a little corn starch, and a little sweet chili sauce. Once it was bubbling I cut the heat off, and combined the pasta and veggies in the sauce. Before serving, I added chopped cilantro and scallions and drizzled a little more sweet chili sauce across the noodles. The final product was a healthier twist on our family classic favorite, and most importantly, satisfied our craving!