Day 4 - Creamy Broccoli Soup

Yesterday I had a craving for creamy soup.  This broccoli soup fits that category surprisingly well.  There are only a few ingredients so the preparation time is very quick.  But it does take a little while to boil, all the while filling the kitchen with tantalizing aromas that make me feel hungrier and hungrier while I wait.

Admittedly the soup does look a bit like an unappetizing green gloop.  It reminds me of something you might have seen on "You can't do that on Television".  But despite appearances it really is scrumptious.  Or, as my husband said, "delicious and nutritious!"

The soup is not very high in protein.  So I served it with some multigrain bread rolls, warmed a little in the oven, to the make the meal more balanced. 

I have tried a few broccoli soup recipes and over time have arrived at my own version.  It makes a big pot so no prizes for guessing what we will be having for dinner tonight.

Here is my recipe.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegan margarine (or you could use oil)
1 Onion finely chopped
3 Cloves of garlic crushed of finely chopped
2 large potatoes cut into ~ 2cm cubes
2 large heads of broccoli (or 3 small) - you can use the florets and some of the stems
2L of fluid, you can use all vegetable stock or substitute some for water depending on how salty/flavorsome you want it.  If you use powdered stock (as I do) you can start of with just a little and adjust the flavor just before blending.
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup soy milk - I recommend a creamy variety eg Vitasoy for this

Method
1. Saute the onion in the margarine or oil for 3 minutes on medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the stock, potatoes, broccoli and herbs.
4. Boil over medium heat for about 30 minutes until the veggies are mushy.
5. Take the soup off the head and use a stick blender to blend the soup.  You can leave it a bit chunky or make it very smooth.  If you want it really smooth transfer it to a blender in batches but really this is just too messy and time consuming for my liking.  Anyway, I like the soup with a little texture still.
6. Add the soy milk.  I find this usually brings the soup to a nice serving temperature.  However, if you want, you can heat the soup gently reheated over a low heat but remember to stir it.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg if you wish but don't overdo the nutmeg or it will overpower the wonderful broccoli flavor.