Roasted Broccoli Soup

Getting older is not for the faint of heart. I injured my jaw last week when I yawned and turned my head at the same time. The consequence of this is that my jaw is misaligned and needs some time to heal, which means I've been making soups, pudding, and smoothies. This Roasted Broccoli Soup is one is my absolute favorite simple soups. While Broccoli soup is usually best served with a tower of cheese on it because the broccoli in this soup is roasted it can go in a whole different direction. It's definitely delicious with a mountain of cheese on top but this soup is even more beautiful and sophisticated when topped with cilantro, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Note About Trimming Broccoli: For this recipe you want to cut your broccoli florets and branching stems into pieces that are the size of 1-2 bites. The thick stems need the bottoms where they're dried out, and the sides trimmed off. Some people use a vegetable peeler to trim their broccoli stalks, I find that it's easier to do with a sharp knife. Once trimmed, the stalks can can be sliced into 1-2 inch pieces.

Note About Finishing this Soup: If you have some eaters who would rather cheese than lemon juice and cilantro, Parmesan or another hard cheese works well. Garnish each bowl with tablespoon or two of cheese.

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Roasted Broccoli Soup

Cook time 45 minutes (once oven is preheated). Serves 5-6 as a meal. Freezes well. Requires and emersion stick blender or regular blender.

Ingredients

2 medium heads of broccoli (about 1.5-2 pounds)

1 large sweet onion chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

4 tablespoons of olive oil (plus more to drizzle for serving)

1/2 pound yellow potatoes (cleaned and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)

4 cups commercial low sodium chicken stock (or 2 cups homemade stock plus 2 cups water)

red pepper flakes to taste

sea salt

black pepper

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

slices of lemon for serving

Chopped cilantro for serving

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Toss your broccoli with about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and then spread out in a rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until broccili has browned around the edges. Check broccoli after about 15 minutes and if broccoli seems to be burning turn oven down to 400.

STEP TWO

While the broccili roasts chop your onion. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a medium or large sized soup pot and heat over medium low. Once the oil has warmed add your onion. Turn heat down to low and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. During which time you can finely chop your garlic and add it to the pot too. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon). allow onion and garlic to cook stirring occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom of your pot (about 10 minutes). While they cook, clean and chop your potato into roughly quarter inch pieces.

STEP THREE

After your onion and garlic have softened (about 15 minutes) add 4 cups commercial chicken stock (or 2 cups homemade stock and 2 cups water) to the pot with the onions then add chopped potatoes (skin can be left on) and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover pot and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until potatoes have softened. (At this point your broccoli should be about to come out of the oven).

STEP FOUR

Once broccoli is roasted, add it directly to the soup pot and bring soup back to a low boil. Allow broccoli to cook in the soup until it becomes soft (5-10 minutes), then turn off the heat and add the lemon zest.

STEP FIVE

Puree your roasted broccoli soup: If using an emersion blender (my preferred method), then you can puree it right in the pot. If you're using a blender, allow soup to cool for a few minutes and then carefully blend it a few ladles full at a time, and place the blended soup in a bowl until it's all blended. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Garnish with cilantro, lemon wedge, and olive oil. Serve right away. Extra soup can be frozen or stored for 3-4 days in a closed container in the fridge.

LBD Tofu

This is the Little Black Dress of Tofu. I KNOW it's weird to compare tofu to a little black dress, but hear me out. This tofu is simple, it's a staple, it goes with almost everything, and you can dress it up in so many different ways. It matches Asian flavors, Italian flavors, and Tex/Mex flavors.

This is not the dress/tofu that will stand out in a crowd, but it is the protein that will make everyone notice how delicious your dinner is. In fact, if you serve this to your family, they'll think you're a good parent without you actually having to think about dinner. Ok, maybe I over sold that. But we are currently eating this tofu 1-2 dinners a week and everyone is always happy to see it on the menu.

ABOUT LBD TOFU FOR PESTO PASTA: If you're going to mixed into this pesto pasta, just cook as described below and add an optional 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and a few grinds of pepper. Mix tofu directly into pasta and fold into pesto! Kids (and some adults) might even mistake it for cheese!

ABOUT LBD TOFU FOR ENCHILLADAS: Cook tofu as described below, but add 1/2 teaspoon cummin and a bit of paprika or chili pepper. I had grilled a poblano peppers and corn the night before and I sliced up a pepper and an ear of corn, and added it to the cooked tofu along with a handful of chopped cilantro. Proceed with your enchillada recipe.

ABOUT OTHER LBD TUFO MEALS: Enjoy this tofu: 1) With hot honey lime sauce (1:1:1 honey, hot sauce, lime juice. 2) With soy sauce and sautéed spinach over rice. 3) With steamed veggies and sweet chili sauce. On it's own when your kids reject whatever fancy food you're making for dinner.

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LBD Tofu

Cook time 20 minutes. Prep time 5 minutes. Use cast iron or non stick pan for easy cleanup. Serves 3-5

Ingredients

1 pound super firm tofu

2-4 tablespoons avocado oil

1-3 scallions sliced, green and white parts seperated (red onions or shallots work too, but we like scallions the best)

1/2 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt (or to taste)

Optional Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

STEP ONE

Pat dry your super firm tofu. Grate it with a box grater. Set asside.

STEP TWO

Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan on medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of your neutral cooking oil, and cook the white part of the green onions for 2 minutes. Add your tofu, salt, and any seasoning, and increase heat to medium high. Set a timer for 14 minutes. Cook stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes.

STEP THREE

You'll notice that at about 7 minutes your tofu will start to crisp and start to stick to the pan a bit. If tofu seems super sticky, you may need to add the extra 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Keep cooking your tofu on medium high heat for another 7 minutes. Tofu should be crispy without seeming dried out. Once it's cooked through you can add the green parts of the green onions. Serve immediately!

Fall Salad With Maple Vinaigrette

This Fall Roasted Vegetable dish is the salad version of Thanksgiving Stuffing. It has all of the key thanksgiving flavors, but with more texture and less mush.

This salad is fantastic when made ahead and served at room temperature. The roasted celery, hazelnuts and the warm spices make it just different enough from other roasted veggie dishes to make it both familiar and unique, and the hint of sweet from the maple syrup and dried cherries will entice kids who usually prefer their vegetables "plain."

We didn't roast cauliflower (or celery) when I was a kid. In fact, I remember when roasting cauliflower became a "thing." About 10 years ago. I started seeing it served roasted with sumac or with a sprinkling of za'atar, and it was delicious. Then, there was that phase where restaurants served whole heads of roasted cauliflower on cutting boards with aioli on the side, and while I am sure that there was a delicious version of whole roasted cauliflower somewhere, I never had it.

I think it's time for a cauliflower update: Roasted Cauliflower and Celery! They go so well together and roast at the same speed, so I was astonished to see that celery and cauliflower are not paired in Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's The Flavor Bible. (For those who don't know it's a nerdy book that tells you what ingredients go with what). In fact, roasting celery isn't even mentioned as a possible technique for cooking celery in The Flavor Bible! That is a terrible omission. When roasted, celery's punchy grassiness turns becomes more mild and sweet (as opposed to just becoming kind of bland the way it does when you braise it). Also, I will definitely be roasting my celery this year before adding it to my TG stuffing.

I am currently working with only one rack in my oven as well as crazy sports/lives schedules, so I like recipes that can be made ahead so that dinner is waiting when we get back from lacrosse, gymnastics, school events and other such things. This salad will make an ideal side for thanksgiving dinner! The veggies can be roasted the day before, stored in the fridge over night, then brought to warm on the counter and the chopped apples and dressing can be added right before serving.

Note about Seasoning: I didn't add any heat to this recipe, just a bit of black pepper. I think a pinch of cayenne pepper added before roasting would give the recipe even more warmth, but my kids asked me not to mess with "perfection".

Note about Roasting Hazelnuts: I keep roasted hazelnuts on hand, but if you don't have any the fastest way to toast them (stir them and watch them like a hawk) is in a large skillet over medium low heat. I do not recommend toasting them with your roasting vegetables, it's too hard to gauge the timing and you'll likely end up with charred nuts.

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Fall Roasted Cauliflower and Celery Salad

Takes about 40 minutes to make including 20-30 minutes to roast the vegetables. Serves 5 as a side.

Ingredients

1 medium-large head of cauliflower cut into large bite-sized pieces

1-2 stalks of celery cut into 1 inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup roasted, unsalted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/8 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 scant teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 medium apple, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 425 or 400 convection. Combine large bite-sized cauliflower pieces and celery pieces in a mixing bowl and drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over top. Mix them to combine then add a few grinds of black pepper and about 1 teaspoon of diamond kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and mix to combine.

STEP TWO

Spread celery and cauliflower out on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until cauliflower starts to take on a roasted brown color and celery starts to brown around the edges (20-30 minutes). Once vegetables are roasted, remove from oven and set aside to cool until you're ready to build your salad.

STEP THREE

To build your salad, add celery, cauliflower, dried cherries, and hazelnuts to a serving bowl and sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of allspice over top. Add chopped apple, dried cranberries and chopped hazelnuts, toss again, and set aside. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon each of maple syrup, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. Whisk to combine. Pour dressing over your salad, then top with chopped parsley and serve.

If you're going to make this salad a few hours ahead of time, you can dress it, just hold off on adding the chopped apple and parsley until just before you serve it.