Potato Cheddar Soup

This is a comforting soup, especially in the winter. I know it's not winter anymore, but we still have had some gray rainy days that qualify as soup days in my mind. Michael and I ate this soup a lot in our early married days, and I had missed it since needing to reduce our dairy intake. However, I've been doing some research and food tests, and the great news is that the girls and I can eat small amounts of extra-sharp Cheddar cheese.

Did you know that all cheeses are not created equal? Hard aged cheeses, like extra-sharp Cheddar, contain no lactose or whey. (It's best to buy the extra-sharp, not just sharp, Cheddar and to buy a brand like Cabot that says "no lactose" on the label. I've read that another clue is to look on the nutrition label to see if the cheese contains any sugar. If so, it still contains some lactose.) The only possibly troublesome milk ingredient left in the cheese is the casein, but since the girls tested negative for a milk allergy, I don't think the casein bothers them. Hooray!

Potato Cheddar Soup
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 medium to large yellow onions
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper (or more if you like a bit more kick to your soup)
  
• 2 1/2 cups Imagine Organic chicken broth or Trader Joe's Organic chicken broth.
  
• 1 1/2 lb. potatoes. I recommend either Russet or Yukon Gold.
• 1 lightly packed cup (2 oz.) of shredded aged extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (This might be 2/3 cup if tightly packed). Do not buy pre-shredded cheese, which is coated with corn-products to prevent the cheese from clumping.
  

Instructions:

Place a medium-size pot over medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Finely chop the onions and add them to the pot. Saute the onions until they have softened. Add the black pepper and beef broth to the pot and increase the heat to high to bring the broth to a boil.

While the broth is heating, rinse and peel the potatoes. Then cut them into 1/4-inch cubes. When the broth has come to a boil, add the potatoes to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to medium or medium-low so that the liquid simmers. Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes, until they are soft. Remove the pot from the heat and mash the potatoes in the soup using a potato masher. Stir in the shredded cheese and serve.