brocolli cheddar soup

cheddar has always been my favorite cheese. so, when i was visiting my sister and her husband in san francisco, and we stopped at costco, and they sent me to make a cheese decision, i chose the 3 yr old cheddar. which was a really really good choice. and ever since then, i've been buying cheddar, in small quantities, pretty much every time i go to the grocery store.

i probably didn't need to buy cheddar for this soup today, since i have some in my fridge already. in fact, i had 2 kinds of cheddar in my fridge - a boring kind i bought at the good-produce-no-fancy-cheese grocery store, and then some fancier stuff i bought at trader joe's. but today i also bought an $8 small brick of 2 yr old cheddar - not as good as the costco one, and not as cheap.

my philosophy on cheese in soup is that you need the one with the best flavor - when cheese is an ingredient in a larger dish, you want to have the most flavorful so that you can use less of it. and heidi only uses 2/3 cup, so i wanted to make sure it was really, really delicious.

(tortilla) soup

So, I really thought I had corn tortillas in the fridge, but probably should've checked before i left. i probably would've forgotten to buy them anyway since i forgot my grocery list.

anyway, i made tortilla soup sans tortilla. there's a story about tortilla soup. one of my favorite lunches to buy near my office is what qdoba calls "mexican gumbo" - basically a naked burrito (rice and beans in a bowl with) doused in their tortilla soup. their tortilla soup is the saltiest soup i've ever tasted. also, it tastes more canned than i'd like to admit. so. in the words of grandma sylvia "i could make better at home".

i've been intrigued by heidi's tortilla soup since i first saw it not too long ago. i followed the recipe with these basic changes:

1. i added two jalapeno peppers, chopped, with the garlic and onions. i like spice, and i love it to come from the produce and not the spice cabinet.

2. the canned tomatoes i used were the fire-roasted kind, and 1/2 of the sun-dried tomatoes i used were smoked. i thought this would add a depth of flavor, and i was right. sometimes as a vegetarian "smoked" flavored things turn me off. but this is delicious.

3. i added 2 cups of cooked brown rice and one can of black beans, to replicate the "gumbo" idea i love so much, after i blended the soup. excellent complimentary protein!

4. i didn't eat it with tortillas. it now occurs to me that i actually *do* have masa, so i could make tortillas, but standing over a hot cast iron griddle just doesn't appeal to me right now.

and, because today's the big cooking day, i have to go cook another pot of soup now!

pancakes or eggs?

i hate breakfast. i hate oatmeal. i hate cereal. i hate granola. actually, most of these things are ok, just not in the morning. i don't like anything in the morning. except espresso and soy milk.

tofu is actually something i've found i can handle in the morning. i can handle it always. tofu is one of my favorite foods because my stomach loves it. in the past, i've munched on baked tofu for breakfast - delicious, but somehow it felt wrong. not a breakfast food.

so mark bittman's recipe for tofu pancakes got me real excited. the first time i made them was a few weeks ago at my parents house. they were ok. not delicious, but ok. at the time, i kept thinking about isa/terry's recipe for revolutionary spanish omelet - my favorite of their recipes. it's basically an amazing saffrony egg-free omelet. it's delicious. and because it's mostly tofu, my stomach loves it. anyway, i combined the best of both, and made saffron tofu pancakes this morning.

1.5 lbs silken tofu (the kind that i normally thing is gross, but i keep a couple of the non-perishable packs around in case i make spanish omelet.)

1/2 c unsweetened soy milk

1/4 t saffron, crushed

big dash of cayenne pepper (mine was more like a teaspoon, which was an accident and also delicious)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

olive oil

heat the soy milk and add the saffron, letting it rest for awhile. i love saffron. i let it rest for at least a half hour. blend everything except the olive oil in a blender or food processor. i used a hand blender. it's just easier that way. i added the flour last and stirred it in by hand.

heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and coat with a thin layer of olive oil. cook the pancakes for about for minutes on each side.

on a related note, i've finally discovered the secret of pancakes. it's patience. which i do not agree is a virtue. but, you've got to have it once in awhile.

i made home fries as well, first, in the same pan. the pan was a little hotter than it should've been for both, so i've finally realized that "medium" is actually a 3 on my little stove, not a four, as i'd previously thought. i was burning oil. it was not good. also, i used more oil than usual because the saffron omelet uses a ton of oil and is super delicious. i didn't flavor the tofu batter with olive oil, as isa/terry do, but i might the next time. and i'm pretty sure there'll be a next time.

pictures are coming.

ok, kristin, i'll keep up my stupid blog.

this blog only has one reader. but she's a hell of a devoted fan. so. safe travels. i'll do better this time, i promise.