Feb. 4 is National Homemade Soup Day and Feb. 10 is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day – here are some recipes to help you celebrate.
Sopa De Fideo (Mexican toasted noodle soup)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil
- 6 oz. fideo or vermicelli, broken into 1″ pieces
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
- 2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 (14-oz.) can whole tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 6 cups store-bought or homemade low-sodium chicken broth
- Crumbled queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges, for serving
Directions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add fideo (or vermicelli) along with ½ tsp. salt. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a medium sized bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Put onion, garlic and tomatoes into a blender and blend until mix is light pink, aeriated and nearly smooth. Transfer to a pot – if you want very smooth consistency strain mix into pot. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes then stir in coriander, cumin and ½ tsp. salt
- Add toasted noodles and chicken broth, still on medium heat simmer 15 to 18 minutes until noodles are tender. Stir sparingly.
- Top with queso fresco and cilantro once soup is in serving bowls. The lime wedges go alongside.
Gnocchi, Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
A great recipe for some Tillamook cheddar
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- Kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 (12-oz.) pkg. broccoli florets, coarsely chopped
- 1 (1-lb.) pkg. fresh or frozen gnocchi
- 2 cups whole milk
- 12 oz. sharp yellow cheddar, shredded (about 3 c.), plus more for serving
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. grated fresh nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley, for topping
Directions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally for about 7 minutes until onions are softened and have brown spots. Add in the garlic and flour and stir constantly for another minute.
- Add the broth and broccoli and ½ tsp. salt. Bring to a boil then add in the gnocchi and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot and simmer about 5 minutes, you want the broccoli to be tender. Add the milk and bring back to a simmer stirring occasionally until the soup is slightly thickened. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Take heat down to low then add mustard and nutmeg. Gradually stir in the cheddar until it is all melted and smooth, about 3 minutes then remove from heat before seasoning with pepper and salt to taste.
- Top the hot soup with more cheddar and parsley when serving.
Cream Cheese Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 18 oz box brownie mix
- egg, oil and water (as listed on box of brownie mix)
For the Cheesecake Swirl:
- 12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 8oz packages)
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBS all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven according to directions on brownie mix.
- Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and set aside.
- Using a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the egg, flour, sugar and vanilla and stir mixture till combined.
- Pour all but about 1/2 cup of the brownie batter into a prepared 9×13 pan.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter.
- Spoon the remaining brownie batter onto the top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Using a knife, swirl the cream cheese and brownie batter together to create the marbled effect.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Allow brownies to cool completely after removing from the oven and before cutting into pieces.
