broccoli soup and apple crisp

I am sooo excited about this new cookbook I got! My sister once bought me a year's subscription to Everyday Food magazine and I recently ordered it for another year, I love it so much. SO, when I had a 40% coupon at Barnes and Noble, I found this new cookbook, Great Food Fast, and it's one big compilation of recipes from the magazine, organized by season. AND, there is a picture of every single dish! which I love. I made two recipes from this book today and both were fabulous. Here's the one I made for lunch with some garlic bread:

Creamy Broccoli Soup
1 Tbl olive oil 1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/8 tsp groudn nutmeg 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1/3 cup rolled oats 1.5 lbs. broccoli, stems cut off and florets separated

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over meduim-low heat. Add the onion; cook until softenend, 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, 1/5 cups water, the oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 5-10 minutes.
3. Puree the soup in batches, filling the blender or food processor halfway. Return the soup to the pot., and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Note: when blending hot food, allow the heat to escape to prevent spattering. Remove the cap from the hole of the blender's lid, and cover the hole with a dish towel while blending.


This is another great cookbook I got recently. Everything in it is really fresh and again, organized by season. I have been on the hunt for months for a good apple crisp recipe with no refined sugar and this one turned out great! Exactly what I've been looking for. The girls enjoyed it with some plain yogurt last night.

Apple Crisp

Filling:
12 apples (peeled, unpeeled or both), cored and sliced
1/4 cups pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Tbl whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat flour, which worked fine)

Topping:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbl ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375.

To prepare filling, place apples in large bowl. Fold in syrup, cinnamon and currants. Sprinkle on flour and gently fold until combined. Spread mixture into 9x12 baking dish.

To make topping, use the same mixing bowl and combine oats, flour, nuts and cinnamon. In separate bowl, whisk together syrup and oil, add to dry ingredients and mix until crumbly. Spread topping evenly over apples, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes or until apples are cooked through. Remove from oven and serve.

Serves 8-10