Creamy Potato-Veggie Soup

Living in the tropics, we usually get about 5 minutes worth of weather that's cold enough for long enough that the hubby will be willing to eat soup. The weather has been "so chilly" lately that I decided to capitalize on prime soup season. Mmmmmmmmmm, soup. My favorite! I was inspired by the delicious simplicity that was the potato soup on my friend Ashley's blog, and decided to make another type of potato soup tonight. I have a lot of potatoes, and had a couple of bags of fresh vegetables that I got on sale for $1 each this week. Creamy potato-vegetable soup started to take shape in my mind. Ok, now get to work.

5 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes

3 cups broccoli florets, stems removed

2 cups cauliflower, stems removed 

8 cups water (you will remove 2 cups...read the directions!) 

2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

4 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

3 tbsp corn starch (Rumford brand is non-gmo!) 

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for about 7-8 minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Bring to a boil and stir in the chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, & herbs, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer about 15 minutes, until the potatoes and veggies are tender. I know it sounds crazy, but now, REMOVE 2 CUPS OF WATER, then add the butter. Once the butter is melted, it's time to puree the soup if you want to make a cream soup. I used an immersion blender and it took about 2 minutes to get the thick, creamy consistency I wanted. (You could also leave it alone, or puree it only slightly.) 

 Next, stir the corn starch into the cold milk, until well blended, then add to the soup and once again return to a boil. Return heat to low and stir in the cheese until melted. I cooled my soup for about 15 minutes before serving it with julienned cheese topping and warm yeast rolls. ;-) 

After I served our bowls, I managed to drop my iPhone into the soup on the stove. I went after that phone, plunging my hand into boiling, creamy soup as if I had dropped an infant into the ocean. In the dark. During a tsunami. Thankfully I was able to rescue it, and its otter box prevented damage from being done. ;-) Enjoy your soup. The burns on my hand will thank you. (Snicker!!!) 

Allow 45 minutes from start to finish! ****Lifestyle tips: Use low-fat dairy products. This recipe has a 10-cup yield. Each cup is approximately 193 calories. If you are trying to reduce fat and carbs in your diet, try the soup before adding the cheese! It's actually pretty good, and brings the calorie count down to 127 per cup. A little cheese garnish might do the trick.