Recipe - Potato Cheese (And Optional Vegetables) Soup

1 tablespoon Butter
1 Clove garlic; large one
1 lg Onion; coarsely chopped
2 cup Potatoes; peeled & coarsely
chopped, that's about 2
potatoes
1 Carrot; cut or sliced up into 1/2"
pieces
1 cup Chicken broth***
1 cup Water***; or veg broth
1 cup Skim milk
4 ounce Cream cheese*
1 teaspoon Dried dill
One fourth teaspoon Powdered cayenne
1 One half cup Sharp cheddar*; grated
1 cup Fresh broccoli**
Salt & pepper
Chopped parsley or chives;
opt.

Brenda's Notes:

This is a yellow, cheese saucy looking soup base with green broccoli added
at the last. It is yummy just as it is. (The kind you can't have just one
bowl of.) Even with the lower fat ingredients, it tastes fattening!

You could add more last minute veges and meats leftovers, perhaps. Could
work as an easy 'cleanoutthefridge' soup.

IT IS GOOD! Next time I make it, I will also parboil up some celery and
(more) carrot chunks and (more) onions to throw in at the last with the
broccoli.

* I used fat free cream cheese. For the Cheddar Cheese, I used mostly (8
ounces) Bandon's reduced fat cheddar cheese (the best tasting lower fat
cheddar found in Oregon) and about One half cup of full fat cheddar.

** Can use frozen. I used chopped up fresh and let it be a tad crunchy.

*** I used 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth, poured into measuring cup and
then added water to bring measure to 2 cups.

Directions for soup:

In soup pot, saute garlic & onion in butter until lightly browned. Then add
vegetables, chicken broth and water (or veg broth) to pot. Cover & simmer
for 3040 minutes until veggies are tender. Use emulsiphier to puree. (OR
add the milk and pour mixture into blender & puree.) Return to pot, add
milk and spices, cheese and broccoli (and other vegetables/meats, if any)
and simmer until cheese melts and broccoli softens a little. Serve topped
with chopped chives or parsley (optional).

Notes that came with the original recipe:

This cheese soup is lower in fat than standard versions. If you want to use
low fat cheese to reduce the amount of fat even further, make sure it has a
strong, aged flavor. I recommend using a low fat yellow smoked cheddar.

Originally posted to EATL by twallace@BIDDEFORD.COM on 10/21/96. MC
converted by MC_Buster, minor edits and taste testing done by Brenda Adams
adamsfmle@sprintmail.com (see Brenda's Notes). Thanks for posting this
very good recipe T. Wallace! It's a keeper. :)

Recipe by: Mother Earth News (Feb/Mar 94)

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #891 by Badams adamsfmle@sprintmail.com on
Nov 22, 1997