Broccoli Cheese & Potato Soup

Today is a gloomy rainy day..  which to me means a perfect SOUP day!!  So to welcome me back to my kitchen..  Yes I know its been awhile..  I am going to share a very delish Broccoli Cheese & Potato soup recipe that I got from my fav site skinny taste.com

Recipe URL
http://skinnytaste.ziplist.com/souschef?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinnytaste.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fbroccoli-cheese-and-potato-soup.html

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes  
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 281.6 • Fat: 8.0 g • Carb: 33.0 g • Fiber: 5.0 g • Protein: 20.4 g 

Ingredients: 
 

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
• salt and fresh pepper
• 4 cups (about 2 heads) broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1-1/2 cups 2% shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 slices 2% American cheese
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese

My version did not include onions, I used already chopped garlic and frozen broccoli florets.  I also made it gluten free which means I used 2 tbsp of oat flour (you can find at Whole Foods)

Directions:

Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic in a chopper or mini food processor.

In a large soup pot, melt butter.  Add chopped vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Add chicken broth, milk and potatoes and set heat to high until it comes to a boil, thencover and cook on low until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add broccoli florets, parmesan cheese, and stir well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.Cook uncovered until broccoli is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add cheddar and American cheese, stir well and remove from heat.

I did not do the below step.  It will still be good!
Using an immersion blender, quickly blend part of the soup for a quick second or two. If you don't have an immersion blender, remove about 1-2 cups of potatoes and broccoli, place it in your chopper, then add it back to the soup. This helps thicken it a bit.