Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

I am trying to be good and eat like Oprah tells me to eat (Afterall, she is the boss of advice). Wasn't her diabetes show scary? I can't imagine that 80 million Americans are living with pre-diabetes or diabetes. Crazy.

Anyway, I made this broccoli soup and have no idea what the glycemic index of it may be but it sounds healthy and there is no added sugar. I was inspired by the boss of food, Ms. Martha Stewart.

Original recipe from Martha Stewart - http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/broccoli-soup-with-cheddar-toasts

Martha Stewart's Recipe below:

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 bunches broccoli (about 3 1/4 pounds), stems and florets chopped separately into 1/2-inch pieces
• 7 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock (or veggie stock like I used)
  
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated or crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
• 8 thin slices crusty baguette

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion, garlic, and broccoli stems; cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add stock and salt; cover, raise heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Add broccoli florets; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until florets are just tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove soup from heat, and let cool, about 10 minutes. Fill a blender no more than halfway to puree soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot; stir in milk and cayenne. Cook over medium heat until heated through (do not boil).
3. Heat broiler. Divide cheese among bread slices; toast under broiler until melted and golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds. Divide soup among bowls. Top each bowl with a cheese toast, and serve.

Instead of making the baguette toasts with cheddar like Martha instructs, I added cheddar directly to the soup at the end of the process. I added approx. 1 cup of shredded extra old cheddar. Healthy? Maybe not in this case, but delicious? Of course!