Cream of Brussels Sprouts Soup (Vegan) for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

A quick and easy soup post today as I am in Portland this week for my niece's wedding. I had some leftover Brussels sprouts and this Cream of Brussels Sprouts Soup was a great way to use them up. Also after two weeks of heavier, bean-based soups, it's nice to have something a little lighter. 

I chose to make a vegan version of the recipe but kept the creaminess by stirring in coconut milk. My changes to the recipe are in red below.    

AboutFood.com says, "Much their cruciferous cousin, cauliflower, brussels sprouts turn into a wonderfully rich and creamy soup just by cooking them with aromatics and whirling them up in broth. This soup ends up having a much deeper nutty flavor than you might expect, as well as a thicker, more satisfying texture than one imagines these tiny cabbages could possibly contain. I like to add a bit of cream, but it is completely optional. Like most soups, this one doubles or even triples with ease - make a big batch and freeze some for later."

Cream of Brussels Sprouts Soup
Adapted from Molly Watson at AboutFood.com
(Serves 4)

1 to 2 Tbsp butter (I used 1 Tbsp olive oil)
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1 rib celery
1 medium leek
3 cups chicken or veggie stock (I used low-sodium veggie broth)
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream -optional (I used 1/2 cup lite coconut milk) 
(I added 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice)
(I added shredded Brussels sprouts and pepper to garnish)

Trim off and discard the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts. Roughly chop the sprouts and set them aside. Trim and roughly chop the celery; peel and chop the shallot or leek.
 
Heat the butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once it melts, add the celery and shallot. Sprinkle with the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes.
 
Add the Brussels sprouts and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the Brussels sprouts turn a brighter shade of green, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, cover partially, and cook until the Brussels sprouts are completely and utterly tender, about 10 minutes.
 
Use a hand-held immersion blender to completely purée the soup. You can also do this in a blender, just be sure to let the soup cool a bit first, work in batches, and put a kitchen towel over the top of the blender in case the heat of the soup makes it splatter out. Be sure to purée the soup a bit longer than you may think is necessary; you want the final product to be as smooth as possible.
 
Stir in the cream (coconut milk), if you like. Serve the soup hot, with a garnish of freshly ground black pepper, if you like.

Notes/Results: Smooth, creamy and good flavor, this soup would be a great way to sneak those healthy little sprouts into your diet. I found that adding a touch of fresh lemon juice to the soup added a (needed in my opinion) bit of bright acidity. This soup kicks in some good vitamin C and other nutrients for about 120 calories a serving and makes a good starter to a meal. I liked the look of the shredded raw Brussels sprouts to top the soup but 'frizzling' them a bit in hot oil would be a nice touch, as would using these Curried Shredded Brussels Sprouts that I topped a cranberry soup with. I would make this again.

Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here and what delicious dishes they brought.
 
Janet of The Taste Space made Thug Kitchen's Pumpkin Chili and says, "...this one was a bean-centric chili and I cooked up some of Rancho Gordo’s bayo chocolate beans. I was really enticed to use them with a name like that! Turns out it is called chocolate based on their colour, not their flavour. When Rob bought them, he was told they had the consistency of fudge. Not so true, but they have a lovely firmness that lended well to this chili. Small red kidney beans would also work well here."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog made this pretty Christmas Salad Slaw and says, "It is as beautiful as is healthy. It contains bunches of rich dark green kale mixed with chopped red radicchio, strands of grated snow white cabbage, candied dried cranberries, and a variety of seeds and nuts. This delightful combination is then tossed in a sweet creamy dressing. Vegan, Gluten Free, and exotic, this special salad is welcome at any celebration, but the rich red and green presentation makes it perfect for Christmas."

Thanks to Janet & Judee for joining me this week. If you have a soup, salad, or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on the sidebar for all of the details.

Have a happy, healthy week!