Loaded Broccoli and Cheese Soup

PEARL CHATS: This may be one of the creamiest broccoli & cheese soups you have ever eaten, but there is very little cream & very little regular cheese. Only 1 cup of grated cheese for this big pot of soup! On the Trim Healthy Mama plan we don’t shun foods like heavy cream and cheese, but we shouldn’t abuse them. We need to respect them. While this is almost a meatless meal (except for the bacon bits), it is chock-full of protein from the cottage cheese, whey protein, & collagen. Hey, please don’t get frustrated if you don’t want to use special ingredients. No worries! Serene & I were both determined to put our versions of this soup in the book because we both believe our own are the best. This recipe is a family-serve recipe that feeds 6 - 8 people. This recipe is found in the "Big Eats Soups" section on page 152 of the Trim Healthy Table cookbook.

Cooking Method: Blender, Stove Top

Courses: Dinner, Lunch, Soups

Servings: 6

Description

PEARL CHATS: This may be one of the creamiest broccoli & cheese soups you have ever eaten, but there is very little cream & very little regular cheese. Only 1 cup of grated cheese for this big pot of soup! On the Trim Healthy Mama plan we don’t shun foods like heavy cream and cheese, but we shouldn’t abuse them. We need to respect them. While this is almost a meatless meal (except for the bacon bits), it is chock-full of protein from the cottage cheese, whey protein, & collagen. Hey, please don’t get frustrated if you don’t want to use special ingredients. No worries! Serene & I were both determined to put our versions of this soup in the book because we both believe our own are the best. This recipe is a family-serve recipe that feeds 6 - 8 people. This recipe is found in the "Big Eats Soups" section on page 152 of the Trim Healthy Table cookbook.

Ingredients

28 oz frozen broccoli (2- (14- to 16-ounce) bags frozen broccoli florets, or 1 large head fresh, cut into florets)
10 cups water (or 2 quarts chicken broth plus 2 cups water, with an optional 3 to 4 tablespoons TH Just Gelatin or TH Integral Collagen, see page 40)
2 cups frozen okra (2 level cups frozen diced okra)
2 cups 1% cottage cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup TH Pristine Protein Powder (2 scoops)
2 tsp TH Mineral Salt (2- 2 1/2 teaspoons TH Mineral Salt, you’ll need more salt or Bragg liquid aminos if you use water versus chicken broth, so start with less, then taste test at the end)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or more if you love it)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (really helps to bring out the flavor of the small amount of cheese, so if you are afraid of spice, don’t leave it out but reduce to ¹⁄8 teaspoon)
2 squirts Bragg's liquid aminos (or coconut aminos: optional)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 1/2 tsp TH Glucomannan ("gluccie") (1½ to 2 generous teaspoons of Gluccie)
2 oz bacon bits (2 to 3 ounces real bacon bits, I use turkey, but you can use any kind)
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
2 cups chicken (pre-cooked chicken of choice)

Instructions

1
Put the broccoli and water or broth with the optional collagen and gelatin (if using) in a large soup pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer the broccoli until tender.
2
Put all the remaining ingredients except the Gluccie, bacon bits, and cheddar in a blender. Add about one-third of the cooked broccoli to the blender and just a small amount of the hot broth to help things blend. Add a generous 1½ teaspoons Gluccie, hold the lid down real tight, and blend for about 30 seconds. Let rest for a few seconds, then blend again until completely creamified. Don’t let us find any little flecks of okra . . . blend, girl, blend! (If you’re a guy, same goes.)
3
Pour the blended mixture back into the soup pot. Add the bacon bits. Break up the remaining broccoli pieces with a fork or potato masher so they are more bitsy but not smashed up completely. Stop worrying about the frothy white stuff on top of the soup . . . it will go away and become perfectly creamy. Cover, reduce to a low simmer, and go away while it cooks. Come back in 20 minutes, stir, and behold the miracle of creaminess. Add the cheddar, stir again, then taste and adjust the seasonings until you love it. If it is not thick enough for your preference, scoop some more broth into the blender, add that other ½ teaspoon Gluccie, and blend for a minute before returning it to the pot.

Note

Intro continued...You can find Serene's Trimmy Bisque version on page 173 of THT. Yes, it's good, but put hers and mine side by side for a cook-off? I mean, I know pride cometh before a fall, but you’re going down, Serene!

From Trim Healthy Table~

MAKE A FAMILY MEAL:

For the weight-loss plan, this soup is perfect with buttered on-plan bread from the Breads chapter (page 240, THT). Or simply pair with a side salad and have a couple big bowlfuls of soup.
Crossover family members can enjoy buttered sprouted-grain toast on the side.

Read it online: https://trimhealthymama.com/recipe/loaded-broccoli-and-cheese-soup/