Vegetable Chowder

Yesterday I sampled a new recipe and then made it for dinner because it was YUMMY. It's called Vegetable Chowder. It's delicious and a lot like soup you would get in a restaurant. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup broccoli, chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups low fat milk

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

In a pot, saute the pepper and onions in olive oil until tender. Add remaining vegetables, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. In a small bowl or cup, combine flour and milk and mix with a whisk until smooth; stir slowly into soup. Bring soup to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes to allow to thicken. Just before serving, mix in the parsley and cheese until melted. Serve with whole wheat toast. Serves 6

I actually used Colby jack cheese instead of sharp cheddar because that's what I had but I would recommend using sharp cheddar if you have any, it will leave the soup with more flavor. Because I was missing a few other ingredients I used dried parsley instead of fresh, a cup of potatoes instead of a half a cup of celery and a half a cup of cauliflower. Here's how it turned out!

On a different note, my herbs are growing!!

Herb garden

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I'm starting a little herb garden in my windowsill. I found these adorable little pots at JOANN'S and I'm really hoping it all works. I planted basil in one and cilantro in the other. So excited to use fresh herbs in our food.

Delicious dinner and some gardening

Earlier this week I discovered something DELICIOUS. It's not exactly the healthiest thing but it is sure YUM. I actually got the idea from the movie Julie and Julia when Julie was making dinner for her husband near the beginning of the movie. I sliced some french bread, sizzled it on both sides in a pan with butter and then used diced tomato, Mozarella cheese, Italian dressing and some salt, pepper and dried basil to go on top. It was SO good we ate it again the next night.

Last night Taylor and I planted our first garden! When I say garden I mean two box plots here at the apartment community garden. We are a little late getting it started but we're hoping we still have some growing success. We planted corn, squash, some flowers and we will also be planting tomatoes. I'm also planning to grow some herbs indoors by a windowsill. Super excited!