I am not going to lie. Being stuck inside for a week is tough! The problem is that this area is not used to snow and does not have plows to clear away the 2 feet of snow that fell from the sky as we all watched in amazement. We might get a few inches of snow a year. If any. Both my car and van are snowed in; however, even if I could get out, there are not many businesses or stores with plowed lots. All I could do is slip and slide around town without anywhere to park. Daily walks to the grocery store have kept me sane. Cooking helps as well!

Riced Broccoli

Today, I created a pot of Potato-Broccoli Soup. This one is different than most because I used frozen, riced broccoli. I never really know what to do with that so I had a bag sitting in the freezer, waiting for me to get inspired. I also had a quart of unsweetened Almond Milk Soup base, which I found with the broths and soups at Walmart. I always have potatoes! This is sooooo easy and it is eco-friendly because of the minimal cooking time and mostly plant-based ingredients. I hope you enjoy this steaming hot on a snowy cold day.

By the way, did you know that Snowpocalypse is a real word? It was in the spell-checker and corrected me when I tried to spell it without a “w”. Wow! A vocabulary lesson and soup recipe all in one post!

Washington Snowpocalypse Potato-Broccoli Soup

Serves 4

Cooked on the stove top

Note: I hate to peel away the nutritious potato skins, but they are contaminated by pesticides. Potatoes are one of the dirty dozen, so if you can find organic potatoes, they are worth the money. Broccoli and onions, however, are a clean fifteen, so I try to use them often.

Ingrediants

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

3 cups diced potatoes (peeled first)

2 cups frozen, riced broccoli

1 quart unsweetened Almond Milk Soup Base

4 ozs sharp cheddar cheese, cubed or about  3/4 cup grated

2 bay leaves

pepper

1/2 teas dried parsley

1/4 teas celery seed

salt to taste

Garnish: paprika, grated parmesan

Directions

• In a soup pot, saute onion and celery in a small amount of olive oil for about 5 mins.
• Add everything else to the pot and watch carefully while you bring to a boil.
• Immediately turn down to low and allow to simmer about 12 mins or more, until the potatoes are soft and the cheese melted.
• Garnish with a dash of paprika and grated parmesan