Broccoli Cheddar Soup

It's got cheese. What's not to love about soup with cheese?

A word of caution: boiling cheese is a bad idea. Remove soup from heat, add it at the end, and stir like crazy. When reheating, use low heat and avoid boiling.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped broccoli, stems included
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock (or water with bouillon powder)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
  
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, low fat
  

Directions:
Cut up the broccoli and carrot. Cover with chicken stock and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer until carrot is tender - about 10 minutes. Broccoli will be overcooked at this point, but that's okay.

Puree veggies using an immersion blender or in batches in a normal blender. Return to pot over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, and paprika.

Put flour in a liquid measuring cup. Add milk to make 1 cup. Mix well with a fork to remove lumps. It often works better to add the milk a bit at a time, mixing as you go. Add floury milk to soup, stirring well. Bring to boil - stir frequently to keep it from sticking to the bottom. Soup should get very thick and creamy.

Remove put from heat. Add cheese, stirring very well. Serve with crackers or bread, and add pepper to taste.

Per serving (using 1% milk and low fat cheese): Calories 134, Fat 3.0 g (2 g sat), Carb 15.8 g, Protein 11.6 g, Fibre 2.2 g, Sodium 814 mg.