Creamy Broccoli-Almond Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I like experimenting with soup recipes that use different ingredients to thicken them like this Broccoli-Almond Soup from "Soup for Every Body: Low Carb, High Protein, Vegetarian, and More" by Joanna Pruess and Lauren Braun RD, LD. In this case it is toasted almonds, pureed along with the steamed broccoli that gives this soup its velvety texture and makes it satisfying. The ground coriander keeps it from being boring.

I made my version vegan by using low-sodium veggie stock and omitting the cream and I also reduced the olive oil because I just didn't think it needed that much. My changes are in red below.

Pruess says, "For this elegant, smooth soup, toasted almonds and broccoli are pureed with stock. This method was used in medieval times to thicken soups. This soup is simple yet unexpectedly sophisticated with a warm hint of coriander and white pepper."


Broccoli-Almond Soup
From "Soup for Every Body"
(Serves 4)

1 lb broccoli, large stalks peeled, chopped into small pieces
4 Tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil (I used 1 Tbsp olive oil)
1 medium onion (about 5 oz), thinly sliced
2 oz (about 1/3 cup) blanched almonds, toasted until lightly browned
2 1/2-3 cups chicken or veggie stock (I used low-sodium veggie stock)
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and white pepper (I used black pepper)
4 Tbsp crème fraiche, a mix of sour cream and heavy cream, or soy yogurt (optional) (omitted)

Steam or microwave the broccoli until completely tender. Reserve 4 small florets of the cooked broccoli for the final garnish.

Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Combine the broccoli, onion, and almonds in the jar of an electric blender or food processor with 2 1/2 cups of stock, and puree until completely smooth.

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir in the coriander, salt and pepper to taste, and more stock if the soup is too thick. Heat until hot, then ladle the soup into heated bowls, garnish with a dollop of cream and a broccoli floret, and serve.

Nutritional Information: Calories 280, Calories from fat 210, Total Fat 24g, Saturated Fat 10g, Cholesterol 40mg, Total Carbs 13g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 4g, Protein 8g, Vitamin A 45%, Vitamin C 180%, Calcium 10%, Iron 10% (Note: I reduced the olive oil down to 1 tablespoon which would reduce the calorie count per serving by about 90 calories and the total fat by about 10 g. Leaving it in or taking the oil out, either way it is a healthy soup) ;-)


Notes/Results: Thick, creamy and good. I love simple recipes like this that are quick to prepare and are made with just a few ingredients. The coriander gives it a rich, interesting flavor but doesn't over power the soup. I tossed this together after a long day and a big lunch, and it made a light and lovely dinner on a cool, rainy night. I would make this again.

Some good friends old and new are waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's go take a look.

Tigerfish from Teczcape-An Escape to Food is here with an Asparagus Meyer Lemon Steamed Fish Soup and says, "This dish was "conceived" or rather inspired via email. ... A one-liner "my mom steams the fish with lemon, carrot, tomatoes, asparagus and a splash of white wine" from my friend just popped! And that's it! I want to try that! ...As intended to be more "soupy", a bowl was used and due to the "real estate" restraint on laying the fillet flat, the fillets were rolled up instead which to me, happened to turn out prettier."

Janet from The Taste Space made Six Shades of Red Soup (Beet, Potato and Red Lentil Soup with Dill). She says, "As you can see, this was a beautiful soup. It deepened in colour overnight and the flavours melded wonderfully. It was creamy, yet chunky, with sweetness from the beets but structure from the potatoes with a hint of dill and a depthness brought from the red miso. This made a ton of soup, with generous servings, so I was able to enjoy the leftovers. The soup doubled as a perfect meal while cycling last weekend. It was light on my stomach and jammed full of vegetables and miso providing sodium and potassium, which is important to replenish when exercising."

A new face to welcome this week is Sonia from Dinner Recipes from Sonia's Kitchen. This is Sonia's first appearance at Souper Sundays. She joins us, blogging from Chennai, India and is sharing a recipe for a classic Cream of Mushroom Soup this week. Sonia says, "Cream of Mushroom Soup is something which is heavy and is used a standalone recipe as well as it can be used as a base for several casseroles." Welcome to Souper Sundays Sonia!

My pal Kim from Stirring the Pot shares her colorful Asian Shrimp Noodle Soup with Homemade Shrimp Stock and says, "...Speaking of rewards, shrimp stock smells like heaven and is ultimately rewarding. I couldn't wait to use it in a recipe and wanted to put it to use right away for fear of forgetting about it in the vast confines of my freezer. When I saw Jamie Oliver's recipe for Asian Chicken Noodle Broth in his Food Revolution book, I immediately knew I wanted to make a shrimp variation using my homemade shrimp stock. Here it is in all it's glory....and I will say that it was pretty glorious."

It is nice to have Desi from SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl back at Souper Sundays and she's here with both a soup and a salad this week. About her Tomato Basil Soup she says, "I'll be honest. Until this recipe, I had never made my own homemade tomato soup. Just seeing the finished product made me feel proud. I had done more than just open a Campbell's can. I had accomplished a first. ... We served this soup with some grilled cheeses, duh! What else goes with tomato soup? No really... what else does? The only thing I ever eat tomato soup with is grilled cheese. lol. Any ideas?"

Desi's second entry is this Cranberry Gorgonzola Salad, about which she says, "I just wanted to share a quick semi-recipe with you all - I don't have measurements, but just throw it all together to make this wonderful salad with an array of flavors in it! I told you that I drizzled that dressing on just about anything I could... including this salad!"

Another new face this week is Elizabeth from The Law Student's Cookbook, joining us from sunny California and making her first visit to Souper Sundays with this healthy Black Bean and Corn Salad. Elizabeth says, "For lunch today I had a black bean and corn salad and some sliced apples,which I made last night and just grabbed this morning. Easy lunch! Healthy lunch! Flavorful lunch! OH and transformable lunch! Guess what's for lunch tomorrow? Empanadas stuffed with this salad! I'm watching cholesterol now too, so that will be added into all my new nutrition counts." Welcome Elizabeth!

Finally Pam from Sidewalk Shoes has a Cobb Salad to share and says, "You know I try to eat healthy. Beans and greens, organic this and that, free range chives. But there comes a point where I draw the line. And drawing the line, I did, with this recipe from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger. Sorry Ellie, but when I got the part where you said, “remove and discard the yolk from one of the hard boiled eggs” I didn’t. I mean, I have these gorgeous free range, organic, eats bugs and what-not, eggs. With gorgeous deep orange yolks. Yep. Not going to discard them. Seriously what a waste. Just call for one hard boiled egg, if you must, but don’t tell people to waste food."

Some terrific soups and salads this week. Thanks to all who joined in! If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo for all of the guidelines and details.

Have a happy, healthy week!