Leftovers Soup....2 ways

I have a BlendTec, and I really love to make the most of that wonderful tool sitting on my kitchen counter.

This week's leftovers soup started with a lot of Sunday dinner leftovers, and a few Saturday afternoon goodies thrown in.

I ended up making TWO soups...both delish, but very different flavors.

Cream of Asparagus (front) and Cream of Broccoli Cheddar (back)

For the Asparagus soup, I started with leftover roasted asparagus, and boiled potatoes.

For Asparagus Soup:

• 1 cup Mirepoix mix (*see notes)
• 1 TBL Butter, or oil of choice
• 1/4 cup "Shirley J" Whisk Bliss (**see notes)
• 1 can Chicken Broth
• 1 cup cooked Asparagus
• 1 cup cooked Potatoes
• 1/2 cup Cream or Half and Half
• 1-2 tsp dried Thyme (or 1 TBL fresh)

1. Saute the mirepoix mix in butter until onions are transparent. Do not let brown.
2. Add Whisk Bliss and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in broth and cook until slightly thickened.
4. Add vegetables, cream and thyme. 
5. Cook until desired temperature is reached.
6. Puree with an immersion blender, or with a blender.

For the Broccoli Cheddar soup, I started with leftover Mac 'n Cheese, cooked broccoli and potatoes, and some leftover roasted mirepoix.

For Broccoli Cheddar Soup:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked Macaroni and Cheese (***see notes)
• 1/2 cup cooked Broccoli
• 3/4 cup cooked Potatoes
• 1/4 cup roasted Mirepoix (*see notes)
• 1 can Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup "Shirley J" Whisk Bliss (** see notes)
• 1/2 cup Cream, or Half and Half

1. Add all ingredients to a saucepan, using a whisk to mix the Whisk Bliss. 
2. Heat to desired temperature.
3. Puree using an immersion blender, or a blender

NOTES:

* Mirepoix: A combination of aromatic vegetables, usually consisting of 50% onions, 25% Carrots and 25% Celery. The size of the cuts is less important that having all the vegetables cut to the same size so they cook evenly. Mirepoix is often used a base for soups and sauces, but is usually pureed into the base so that chunks are not left whole. I make Roasted Mirepoix when I do a meat roast, and I cut the pieces larger to enjoy with the roast after all items are roasted together.  For the broccoli cheese soup, I used leftover roasted mirepoix as my base. For the Asparagus soup, I used a lovely convenience item that I have just discovered within the past year: Frozen Mirepoix. My local Smiths (Kroger) carries it and it's only about $1.00 for a bag....it's wonderfully convenient to have on hand in the freezer when I don't want to go to the extra work of cutting a small mirepoix blend for a soup or sauce.

**"Shirley J Whisk Bliss": About 6 months ago, I started working as a sales rep for this company. The Whisk Bliss product is amazing, and I use it frequently to thicken and/or flavor my soups and sauces. It's very easy to use, and the texture cannot be beat. I often use the "White Cheddar" flavor for soups, but the original and the cheese flavor can be used the same.  In the asparagus soup, I used it in place of flour as for a roux base. In the broccoli soup, I simply stirred it in. Either way works fine. For information, or to order some for yourself, please visit my webpage here. 

***Macaroni and Cheese: In soup?? Heck yes! I used a store-bought Stouffers-type product that I had previously made for the youngsters in our house, and there was some left in the fridge, so I popped it in. I would not try this with a boxed Mac 'n Cheese product like Kraft. I call THAT kind of mac 'n cheese "Yellow Death". haha. I really do not think you would get nearly the same outcome with that type of mix. 

For another soup using this technique, please visit this post.