Potato Broccoli Soup with Chives

This recipe has been linked on Foodista, the online cooking encyclopedia.
It's been a cold rainy day today and nothing brightens things up like a good pot of vegetarian soup. Once again I am using my fresh chives since they are still blooming. They add a nice flavor to the potatoes and broccoli.

Potato Broccoli Soup with Chives

2 c. water

4 c. vegetable broth

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 head broccoli, chopped (including stems)

1 tsp. sea salt, dash pepper

Place ingredients in pan and bring to boil. Simmer 20 min. Remove a few potato and broccoli chunks, use stick blender to puree the rest, put chunks back in. Stir in

1/2 c. skim milk

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar

Remove from heat and stir till melted. Garnish with chopped fresh chives and chive florets.