BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

I wish I could promote this recipe as a way to use a bumper crop of broccoli; unfortunately only those miserable little white butterflies have ever had a bumper crop of broccoli from MY garden! Fortunately, broccoli is inexpensive most of the year and some lucky folks may even have some they've grown. There are many versions of this favorite on the web; I present this one because of its low-fat, low-cost qualities, as well as its rich, full taste. There's no milk, cream or butter, but they really aren't missed. And best of all, everything needed to make it might already be on your pantry shelf, if you keep freeze-dried potato flakes handy as I do for dinner rolls. (Note: when using a blender with hot liquids, make certain the lid is firmly on the blender jar and keep a pot-holder-protected hand on top of it. The last thing you want to do is launch scalding broccoli soup all over you and your ceiling!)

1 medium head of broccoli, peeled if tough, and cut into 1/2" chunks
1/4 cup dried onion (or 1/2 cup fresh onion, chopped)
1 14 oz can 99% fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes
2 slices cheddar cheese
Tabasco sauce

Pour broth into 2 quart sauce pan and add broccoli and onions. Add 2 cups of water (enough to cover the broccoli, but just barely). Cook over medium heat for approximately 25 minutes, or until broccoli is tender enough to smash with a spoon. Add the potato flakes and carefully pour into a blender. Blend, starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed until soup is fairly smooth. Break the cheese into small chunks, add to the soup, and blend a little longer. Return to heat just long enough to melt cheese. Season to taste with hot sauce. Makes two generous servings.

HEALTHY, YUMMY, WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK?

This makes a delicious hot lunch, and the wonderful aroma will tempt the most ardent zucchini-avoiders to dig in. The fact that it's low calorie, vegetarian, and cheap fades to irrelevant against the outstanding flavor. The following recipe serves two adults or one teenager.

HOT ZUCCHINI SANDWICHES

2 6-8" good crusty rolls (the rest of this lunch costs very little, so splurge on these)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil or PAM

1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4" cubes

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

sprig of fresh oregano, chopped fine (optional)

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon Parmesan

sprinkle of garlic salt

Turn on oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 12x12" chunks of foil with Pam and set aside.

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil or spray and then zucchini and mushrooms. Stir frequently until zucchini starts to brown. Add in garlic and continue to cook until you smell the garlic. Add pepper flakes, spaghetti sauce, and oregano and stir a little longer until all is hot.

Split rolls almost all the way through. Ladle in the zucchini mixture, top with cheeses and the garlic salt. Wrap up in the foil and put in oven to melt the cheese and crisp the rolls (about 15 minutes).