Super Easy Slow Cooker Cheddar Broccoli Soup

School is in full swing now, busy in-and-out schedules keep us moving all day.  We still manage a family dinner each day and I am now understanding my mother's love of the slow cooker.  Start dinner, run and grab the kids take them to after school activities and come home to a done or nearly done meal.  It's magic!

This recipe was my first attempt at cheddar broccoli soup.  I wanted something that is creamy and hearty but a little healthier than the traditional soup.  I also didn't want to dirty a bunch of pans and needed it to cook while I was running the kids around, hence the slow cooker.  As an added bonus my four year old loved helping me add the ingredients to the slow cooker.  I used my immersion blender but didn't quite blend enough so I tried out my normal blender and it was perfect.  The soup was just shy of being deep enough and my immersion blender was splashing a bit.  It's hard to believe there is no cream or whole milk in this recipe!

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
6 cups fresh roughly chopped broccoli
1 cup peeled and washed shredded carrots
3 cups cheddar cheese (we love tilamook sharp cheddar)
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Pour the chicken stock and flour into the crockpot.  Using a whisk combine until the flour is completely incorporated.
2. Add broccoli and carrots.  Cook on low for 3 hours or until broccoli is cooked.  
3. Remove 2-3 cups of the broccoli, don't worry if you get carrots too.  Chop these and set aside.
4. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper now.  I just add a sprinkle of each.
5. Add the cheese a cup at a time and let melt.  Stir it up before each addition.
6. Blend until smooth with immersion blender then add reserved chopped cooked broccoli.  If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a normal blender but be careful the soup is hot! Allow to heat a few minutes if the soup has cooled.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Who hasn't had some version of chicken and rice casserole.  The classic version is full of fat and sodium but still so tasty.  I was not sure how this version would compare as it's much healthier, but the taste surprised me.  It was amazingly moist, flavorful and invoked happy childhood memories.  This is not your mom's casserole, it's a grown up healthy absolutely scrumptious take on that childhood classic.  We will be making this again and again.  The leftovers, if you have any, heat up really well too!

Recipe Modifications

• Used portion of large white onion instead of whole small onion
• Cooked Rice to package instructions
• Used Sharp Cheddar, I think it tastes better than a mild cheddar in a dish like this and a bit gives allot of flavor
• Added a whole 8 ounce package of mushrooms sliced

Ingredients

1 Tbsp plus 1 Tsp Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, diced

1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

1 Lb Chicken Breasts (about 2), boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded (plus additional for sprinkling on top)

3 Cups Cooked Wild Rice (I cooked 1 cup uncooked wild rice in 4 cups water for 50 minutes)

Recipe

This recipe comes from weelicious.  She does an incredible job of putting out healthy and fun recipes.

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