Broccoli Soup: Going Green for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Broccoli is a powerhouse source of vitamins C and K, and it's also a good source of folate, vitamin A, manganese and fiber among numerous other nutrients. It's a great antioxidant and detoxifier, and is all-around just good for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't like me much in it's whole food state and since it gives me major stomach issues, I rarely eat it. But, one way I can work a little broccoli into my diet and be able to enjoy it is by pureeing it into soup, like this creamy and tasty bright green Broccoli Soup.

The recipe comes from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. To take out the dairy and make it vegan, while still maintaining the creamy texture, I subbed in cashew cream for the heavy cream that is stirred in and drizzled on the top of the soup. When soaked and blended with a little water, cashews have a thick and luxurious texture that make this soup a stand out.


Tessa Kiros says, "This is such a simple soup, consisting of a few ingredients, and it is a perfect example of how good some straightforward things can be."

Broccoli Soup
Apples for Jam, Tessa Kiros
(Serves 6)

6 cups chopped broccoli
7 cups cold water
salt
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I replaced it with with cashew cream)
freshly found black pepper (optional)

(I added the juice from 1/2 lemon)

Save a handful of the florets and put the rest in a large saucepan with the potatoes and onion. Add 7 cups of cold water, season with one or two teaspoons of salt, and bring to a boil. Skim the surface if necessary. Lower the heat slightly, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Add the other handful of florets 10 minutes before the end of this time. You should be able to squash the broccoli easily on the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Puree all of this in a blender until it is completely smooth (and hope that you didn't get a woody broccoli to start with). It should be thick, but if you find it too thick then you can add some hot water. If it is too thin then carry on cooking it uncovered for a while to reduce the liquid. Add salt until you can really taste the depth of the broccoli. Swirl in half the cream and heat through. Serve immediately, with another swirl of cream through each portion and a good grinding of pepper for those who like it.


Notes/Results: For such a simple soup with few ingredients, it is surprisingly good. The potatoes and onions give it a great base and add flavor--although the broccoli is the standout. The cashew cream is thick and adds to the velvety texture. (Follow the link above for the "recipe" I follow by Tal Ronnen). Tessa Kiros recommends plenty of salt to bring out the broccoli's depth and I also recommend a bit of lemon juice. I find that it brightens up green vegetables and enhances the flavor. Easy and tastes great--I would make this soup again.



I am a day early to Go Green! with this soup over at I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are celebrating the color green this week. Stop by there later in the week to check out all the green dishes.


Now let's get into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here this week.

Tigerfish of Teczcape - An Escape to Food created this Seaweed Sweet Corn Miso Udon Noodle Soup. She says that this soup, "using a so-called "old" (second batch - leftover) broth was freshened with a somewhat richer (but still vegetarian) flavor: with some red miso soup base (1/2 tsp miso dissolved in warm water) mixed into the broth. Then topped with nori seaweed, frozen sweet corn kernels (thawed), finely sliced green onions and Toasted Sesame Seeds. Dash of Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Spice Powder) if you wish, to spice it up!"



Janet from The Taste Space has a hearty bowl of Plantain, Cabbage and Coconut Curry and says, "This curry from 660 Curries had many of our favourite ingredients like coconut and cabbage, with new-to-me ripe plantains, and it had been a while since I had cooked with creamy toor dal. Plus, I was drawn to Iyer’s recipe blurb where he wrote: You will be eloquent in your praise and use highfalutin words like “yum”. Highfalutin! Yum! And no, he does not lie. This was delicious and possibly one of my favourite curries to date."



Carol of There's Always Thyme to Cook... is back again and this time with a quick and easy Pasta con Lenticchie (Pasta and Lentil Soup). Carol says, "This lentil soup is also delicious and takes no time to put together. You end up with a very nice, hearty soup with minimal effort and a full tummy."

Here with Minestra d'orzo (Barley Soup) is Simona of briciole. She says, "I have hull-less barley (which is whole grain) from my grain CSA and my husband likes it a lot, so it was an easy choice. My rendition takes some ingredients from the recipes to make a rather minimalist soup. The result was nice and considering that I used ingredients I normally have available (for example, the herbs grow in my little garden), this is a soup that can be easily made whenever I feel like."



Due to an email meltdown, this Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Goat Cheese from my friend Kim of Stirring the Pot didn't make the roundup when it should have, so I am remedying that this week. Kim says, "I really enjoyed this salad. I loved the bright flavors and all the different textures, as well as the lovely little chunks of goat cheese. I found this salad hearty and filling yet light at the same time."

Finally we have one sandwich from Ana from Sweet Almond Tree, this Mediterranean-Inspired Sandwich Wrap. She says, "I made these for lunch twice. The first time with out feta cheese, and the second with feta cheese. With is the way to go! ake them with you for lunch. Eat one for lunch and give the other to a friend. Or, save the second piece for the end of the work day, to eat before your drive home. That way you won't be too ravenous when dinner time comes."

Great dishes this week! Thanks to everyone who joined in. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

And, if you are craving something home-baked, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of the fabulous Joy the Baker Cookbook! You can find my review and the details of how to enter here.

Have a happy, healthy week!