Broccoli and Cheese Soup

I have a confession...I hate cheese...all cheeses. I don't like the taste or texture of almost all cheeses. Before I got married I always wondered how my husband would live with the fact that I will not cook with cheese...but like so many things in married, I compromised. I now force myself to try every cheese I come in contact with...and the verdict is I can stomach mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, and (for the sake of this recipe) velveeta. But please note I will not eat any of these cheeses on their own, they have to be cooked in something.

Ok, so this recipe comes from a Cooking Light cookbook. I have made it several times and LOVED it! In fact, I don't bother try anyone else's Broccoli and Cheese soup because I'm more than satisfied with this version.

Here is the original recipe:

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets
• 2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)

1. Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
2. Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
3. Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Here are my changes:

Instead of cooking spray I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Only about 2 teaspoons. I use about 1 1/2 cups of onions--at least. (I love onions). I only use fresh broccoli. I used frozen once and it just wasn't as good--not even close. I put in about 3 bushels and don't really use the stems at all. I add maybe a 1/4 more cheese than it calls for, but everything else I keep the same. I may end up adding a little more chicken broth, depending on how it looks and how much broccoli I'm using. Lastly, I put in about 3/4 of the soup into a blender to process it.

This recipe is totally a keeper! I can't even count the number of times I've made this!