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Creamy Broccoli And Cauliflower Soup

07 Thursday Mar 2013

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In an attempt to get eat more healthy, but still retaining the comforting nature of a cream-based soup. This winter, I came up with a broccoli soup recipe that primarily used steamed cauliflower to make the soup more sumptious.

I steamed a “bunch” of broccoli (two or three heads in the package from Publix) and a half a head of cauliflower. I did a rough separation of the florets and placed in a covered bowl in the microwave for five minutes with a couple tablespoons of water.

While those were steaming, I sauteed a vidalia onion in a tablespoon of oil until translucent and then added a couple small cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. I then added salt and pepper and a sprinkling of flour (which can be omitted if you wanted to have a gluten free/paleo recipe). I cooked the flour for a minute while stirring and then added a quart of chicken stock (there is a great new product by Swanson’s). You could use homemade stock or even use water with chicken boullion, depending what you have on hand. Bring to a light bubble.

I added the steamed veggies to the liquid and let it cook down for about 10 minutes. I wanted everything to be super tender. After the simmering, I got out my stick blender and blended to a nice creamy consistency without making it a puree. This makes a pretty thick soup, so you could add more stock depending on your taste. Make sure to salt and pepper along the way…makes a big difference.

To finish, I added juice from a half a lemon and some lemon zest. (You could also use a splash of white wine vinegar or sherry.) This adds a nice zing to balance the creaminess.

Options: Depending on how healthy you want to make it, you can add a glug of cream or garnish with cheddar cheese, but it tastes good without it. We also used some gourmet Crispy Onions from Fresh Market once and that was delicious.

Let me know if you try this out. But I ended up eating this in a couple different variations for a couple weeks. Also an especially great lunch option at the office.

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Quiet Lunch at Mickey’s Lakeside Cafe

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Lunch, Review

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Some times is it hard to come up with a creative option for lunch that isn’t too far from downtown. Fortunately, that has become less of a challenge with new places cropping up in the Midtown area in Tallahassee on a fairly constant basis.

One that has been around for a little bit, but has been flying under the radar by Lake Ella is Mickey’s Lakeside Cafe. After reading TastyTallahassee’s review, I moved it to the top of my to-do list.

When we arrived, the outside area seemed to be more populated with students/hipsters and the inside with more of the retiree/professor crowd. The music was a very soothing selection of 1940s classics such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

View of Lake Ella from inside

The hubs and I easily got a great table by the window and perused the menu. The polite server let us know that they had fresh corn chowder and black bean soup as their specials and recommended the Roast Beef and California sandwiches.

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We got both soups (I got the last corn chowder, FTW!). They were both very light and tasted very fresh. Mine was more of a corn soup than chowder, with almost no cream – but I liked the pronounced taste of the corn. The black bean was good with nice chunks of onion and carrot. They both could have used a little more seasoning, but a dash of salt seemed to help.

Mickey’s Roast Beef had sliced beef with mozzarella, onions and peppers on ciabatta bread, which was nice and soft inside, crispy on the outside. The sandwich also came with homemade au jus, which was yummy. I had the cole slaw on Tasty’s recommendation and it was very nice. I liked the use of sour cream for the base, although a little mayo would help ratchet up the richness of the texture.

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My husband’s California was a hit with Boar’s Head Sausalito Turkey, avocado, swiss cheese, onion and peppers on Ciabatta. Both sandwiches were pressed and hot.

Mickey’s Lakeside Cafe was a nice, low-key option for lunch. I especially look forward to visiting when the weather is better and I can sit outside with the hipsters (people watching!)

Make sure to find Mickey’s Lakeside Cafe on Facebook to learn more about them.

Mickey's Lakeside Cafe on Urbanspoon

Want Thai food in Tally? Try Siam Sushi

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Lunch, Review

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Siam Sushi in the Lake Ella Publix Plaza is one of those places where, if you haven’t been there before, you have probably never heard of it. If you go there for lunch before noon, it is almost always barely occupied.

But, I love this place. The staff seems to be either family or friends. The food is fresh and good, even if not the fastest. They are very accommodating if you want to adjust the order from the menu.

I used to come in and just order the sushi rolls (creative and very large portions). Then, I tried their Thai curry dishes – game changer.

The Panang Curry and the Pad Thai are delicious. But, do you know what keeps me coming back? The Tom Kha soup.

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I have always been hesitant about coconut milk. But, after this soup was recommended by our waitress, I have never entered their doors without ordering it. And if I have a head cold, this will heal you. Regular spicy is perfect, but if you really want to clean your sinuses out – the “Thai hot” is the way to go. You can choose between chicken, tofu and beef…I usually get the chicken.

Smooth, creamy, herbal and spicy – it’s like a comfort food I didn’t know I needed. (The (almost) 10 yr old loves it – her comment “it’s spicy, but it is so good I want more.”)

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My friend got the the spicy tuna roll, which was good as usual. I got the Sashimi app, as I was trying to keep the calories down that day. The sashimi was in thick slices, and not as tender as Masa or Kitcho, but I think their strength lies in their Thai dishes. (And I have never had a bad sushi roll there.)

If you need a quiet lunch spot, this is the place. Or dinner, for that matter. They also have a cute outdoor space if the weather is nice (although you overlook the Lake Ella Publix parking melee.)

And please, for the love of all that is holy, get the Tom Kha soup.

Siam Sushi on Urbanspoon