INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion (large)
• 1 potato (large)
• 1 carrot (medium)
• 1 package Harvesting Good Broccoli
• 1 stalk celery (medium)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ teaspoons canola oil
• 1 bay leaf (whole)
• 1 cup milk (low-fat)
• 2 cans broth (low-sodium, chicken or vegetable)
• 1 ounce cheddar cheese (low-fat)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rinse and peel onion, potato, and carrot. Rinse broccoli and celery. Peel garlic.
• Dice onion and celery. Slice potato and carrots into thin slices. Cut broccoli florets away from the stem. Slice stems thinly. Mince garlic.
• Grate cheese.
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add celery and onion. Cook until soft and lightly golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir. Cook about 30 seconds more.
• Add potato, carrot, broccoli stems, bay leaf, milk, and broth to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are soft, about 15 minutes. Add broccoli florets in the last 10 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaf. In a blender, puree about half the soup. Return blended soup to pot.
• Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Simmer to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes.

NOTES

• Add a dash of ground cayenne pepper or paprika for heat.
• Keep pot uncovered when cooking green veggies like broccoli. This will help keep the color.
• Be careful when blending hot soup. Fill the blender only half full. Blend in batches, if needed. If your blender lid has a removable cap, remove it. Then, cover the lid completely with a kitchen towel. This allows hot steam to escape.
• If you do not have a blender, gently use a potato masher to blend hot soup.