creamy vegetable soup

Geez. Give a girl a 12-day break from work and she'll ... take a prolonged mind vacation from life. At least, that's what I did.

I let my brother bake the Christmas cookies. I didn't turn on the computer for a week. Emails from faraway friends .... neglected. This blog ... sadly quiet.

Instead, I turned my attention to more important things. Like reading. I read a lot ... Like three books in a week, a lot. (More on those another time.) I saw Wicked. (Amazing!) I had a sleepover party with my oldest friends. Heck, I even humored my brother and watched some Battlestar Galactica — please don't tease. It was a lazy, and quite lovely, little vacation.

And then the snow came, right before I returned to work this week. The newspapers said Burlington got 32 inches of snow! I'm not sure it was quite that much where I was, but there was shoveling ... lots of shoveling. Even to fully open the front door, there was shoveling. And with that cold weather came soup.

This creamy vegetable soup is just what it sounds like. It's light, but packed with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and celery. It's hearty and filling, but doesn't require post-lunch or -dinner napping. It's seriously easy to make.

I've now made a full return back into the real world (thank goodness), but this soup is there for whenever I need a relaxing little break.

By the way..... It's this blog's first birthday today! Thanks for being here the past year. It's been a big year for me: First year out of college, first real job, new apartment, new roommate (the boyfriend). It's been a little crazy around here, actually. I've so enjoyed getting to know a bunch of you, and if you haven't said hello yet — please do!

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Cooking on the Side

2 cups broccoli florets

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon onion salt

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, slivered

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped finely

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (you can use veg. broth here, too)

2 cups milk (I used 1%)

parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste

Add onion salt to 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add broccoli, cauliflower, celery and carrots and let it come back to a boil for a couple of minutes. Drain and set aside for later.

In a large pot, let the butter melt and saute the onions until tender. Add the flour and stir constantly, making a smooth paste. Gradually add chicken stock and milk, stirring occasionally until fully mixed. Bring to a boil for one minute, then add the remaining vegetables and spices to taste. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes until tender and tasty.

I served mine garnished with parmesan cheese and slivered green onions. Yum!