What to do when its cold outside?

I know I'm a pansy when it comes to the cold. Sometimes I wondered how I survived living in Utah, and I'm especially glad that I moved before this extremely and awfully cold winter that they are having now. I'm sorry Erika. Needless to say, I've been enjoying the amazingly temperate weather of San Diego. However! It has been on the colder side these past few weeks (San Diego, you betray me!) but I'm trying to make the best of it by eating one of my favorite foods: soup. Another not-so-well-kept secret. I heart soup. Deeply. I heart creamy soups. Very deeply. My slight lactose intolerance, however, does not heart creamy soups as deeply as my soul, which is a very sad thing. I've managed to get around this with my trusty hand-blender, and of course, my other love, my Blendtec.

Can you hear the angels singing?

Anyway, here are a couple of my recent lactose intolerant friendly creamy soup favorites :) Added bonus? They are A LOT lower in calorie than their real creamy counterparts :) :) :)

These are my recipes so they are simply, and not exact. Sorry about that. 

Butternut Squash Soup

-1 butternut squash

-salt and pepper

-vanilla almond milk

-paprika, cinnamon, curry, etc

-fresh basil, thinly sliced

Peel and cube the butternut squash. Roast in an oven at 400 until cooked through (usually 20-30 minutes, depending on how small your cubes are). Puree butternut squash with a splash of water so it will blend. Add the puree to a pot and thin it out with some almond milk. Keep the soup at about medium heat so it stay warm and the flavors blend together nicely. Add seasonings to your liking. Taste along the way until you get something you like! Sometimes I'll just salt and pepper, but other times I like to add paprika, cinnamon, and sometimes even curry to give it a little kick. Serve with fresh basil (or not...which is more often the case at my house)

Broccoli, Cheddar, Potato Soup

-olive oil

-1 onion (brown or yellow...or white!) diced

-1 tsp garlic

-4-6 small gold potatoes, diced

-3-4 C vegetable broth (I use water+better than vegetable bouillon)

-1 C unsweetened almond milk

-1 lb broccoli florets

-2 C low fat cheddar cheese

-salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle some olive oil into a large pot and heat over med-high. Once hot, add the diced onion. Stir while cooking until the onion starts to get a little color to it. Add the garlic and stir around for another minute. Then add the potatoes, cover with a lid, and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes with occasional stirring, allowing the potatoes to get a little color as well. Add the broth and almond milk along with some salt and pepper. Don't add too much salt because the cheese will bring salt to the table at the end. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, until the potatoes are cooked through, but not falling apart. Add the broccoli florets and cover the pot again for 1-2 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green. This will happen pretty fast. You don't want to overcook the broccoli! Add the cheese and stir. Blend everything all together and serve with bread, preferably in a crust bread bowl. mmmm....

Another favorite is this zucchini cilantro bisque from the little beach bum. SO easy and SOOO good. 

Enjoy!

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