Winter in Michigan can be very cold, and very long. We have some years with lots of snow, and some years without much snow. One thing that remains consistent is that January and February are the coldest months, and as the rest of the northern hemisphere thaws for spring, Michigan remains frozen until the end of April it seems.
Anyways, This blog is about soup. In the dead of winter, especially on bitter cold snow days, I like to have a soul warming soup with bread, along with a few good movies by the fireplace. Maybe some dessert afterwards to share like vegan chocolate cake, or salted caramel.
Yesterday, I felt like having cream of broccoli. My partner was having some german soup that I can't pronounce, a beef broth with potatoes, and noodles. I'll have to ask him when his soccer game is over (VFB Stuttgart is playing as I type this).
This soup can be made vegan by swapping out a few ingredients, however for the way I make it, it is exclusively vegetarian.
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
1 big bunch of Broccoli
2 small onions diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp of olive oil
6 cups of vegetable broth
4 cups of milk (You can use cashew milk in place)
8 tbsp of all purpose flour
Ground Pepper to taste
Salt to taste.
8 Oz of shredded cheddar cheese (Tillamook melts nicely, however if you can buy block cheese and shred yourself, that is ideal)
Steam the broccoli and chop into small pieces. Reserve some florets to the side.
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in the stock put until tender and soft, pepper to taste. Add the vegetable broth and broccoli (except small floret reserve) and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer for 40 minutes covered. After 40 minutes, take a potato masher, and mash the broccoli, and then take an immersion blender and and blend until smooth. Add the remaining florets. Continue to heat for 10 minutes. In a seperate bowl, add the milk, and flour, and whisk until no lumps remain. Pour slowly into the stock pot. Cover up, and thoroughly heat until thick. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
*If you would like the soup to be thicker, just take some flour and olive oil and blend with a spoon in a little ramekin until blended and goopy, and pour into the soup and stir. Do this one tablespoon at a time. Stir and wait at least 3 minutes to see how the consistency is and add a little more until you are happy with the consistency.
Serve into bowls, and garnish with more cheese on top, and serve with crusty, buttered sourdough bread.
Servings: 10
265 Calories
Total Fat: 15.07 g
Saturated Fat 8.23 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 42.08 mg
Sodium 629.04 mg
Potassium 243.05 mg
Total Carbs 21.31 g
Dietary Fiber 2.44 g
Sugars 10.76 g
Protein 14.54 g
Vitamin A 21%
Vitamin C 96%
Vitamin D 0%
Calcium 41%
Iron 8%
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