Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Facebook. It is good for so many things! For this particular blizzard ridden, home improvement work day it was good for a soup recipe from a far away friend that I really haven't seen in person since 8th grade! We have reconnected over Facebook and support one another from multiple states away. She had shared this recipe with me and I put it on the list for my next soup day. Because I was lacking the chicken her recipe called for I rummaged my pantry and found some gnocchi that I use in pot pies and soups to substitute the bulk that chicken would add. In case you're not familiar with gnocchi, (pronounced by Giada on the food  network as "neoki" )they are small potato dumplings that are used in Italian dishes. Little pillows of joy!  As I prepared this soup I thought back to two skinny little girls playing without a care in the world. Such a yummy soup, I hope you enjoy it also.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1 small onion

4 sticks of celery

4 red potatoes

1/2 package baby carrots

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

salt

pepper

garlic powder

4 cups of the broth of your choice (I used chicken)

2 TBSP flour

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1/2 package of Gnocchi- white beans or shredded chicken would also be nice in this

Dice the vegetables. Sautee the onions and celery in an olive oil. Soften for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots. Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to your own taste. Stir over medium/ high heat for 10 minutes. Add broth and scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow to boil for 10 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft. Stir in the corn and peas, then transfer soup into a serving bowl and set aside. In that same stock pot on medium/high, cover the bottom of the pan, generously, with olive oil. Sprinkle the flour into the oil and whisk for 1 minute while that paste cooks a bit. Pour some of the soup's broth back in and whisk to disolve the flour paste. Add in the rest of the soup PLUS the gnocci and cheese.. Boil until desired thickness.  If you have trouble getting it thick enough whisk in another sprinkle of flour. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before serving. The original recipe had shredded chicken. I didn't have that so I added the gnocci. Also, this soup is wonderful without the cheese if someone is not a cheese fan (like, sadly, my hubby)