Broccoli Soup

I have to say I'm probably one of the few people that LOVES broccoli. Truly honestly I love it--raw, steamed, in stir fry, in any dish. I loved the cheesy broccoli soup--but alas--it's loaded with lots of bad fat and unwanted calories--it really quite defeats the purpose of healthy broccoli. So I set out a week ago to remake it into something healthy and just as tasty.

I think I succeeded--well only partially. I loved it--I ate it about 4 or 5 times. My husband liked it. But my girls were polite the first time they ate and said they liked it but when I tried to feed it to them for leftovers they told me how horrible it was and they didn't like it. So to get them to eat it a second time I grated some sharp cheddar cheese and loaded up their bowls-- then they ate it--they are kids--and small ones at that--the extra fat was good for them!

I have to warn you as with any of my recipes--nothing is quite exact--I'm sorry. I promised I would do better--but it's hard. I'm a dumper--I just sprinkle here, and add something more, taste and add something else. Sometimes I follow a recipe exactly and then just substitute a few ingredients to make it healthier--but this time I read a few recipes online and combined and essentially came up with my own version.

You won't want to make this unless you like the taste of broccoli--because there is no cheese covering it up, unless of course you want to add some like I did for my girls!

Recipe:

1 bunch of Leeks

1 sweet onion

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 Tbl. olive oil

2-4 cups of frozen broccoli (you could use fresh--but since we're cooking it and frozen is cheaper--I saved the fresh for garnishing)

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 quart of broth (veggie or chicken--I make my own chicken broth)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (you can use regular just strain it through a cheesecloth and strainer first--it makes it thicker and creamier, almost like cream cheese)

1/2 - 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (buy the non roasted, non salted, raw ones--they are better for you)

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

Directions:

1. In a large pot saute chopped leeks, onion, and garlic in olive oil. Saute them until tender and onions becomes translucent. This usually takes about five or so minutes. I usually add some salt and pepper at this point--not too much you can always add some more later.

2. Add the frozen broccoli--saute about 5 or so more minutes. Then add the frozen peas and saute for a couple more minutes.

3. Add the broth and simmer for about 10 minutes. Just make sure all your veggies are nice and warm--you don't have to over cook.

4. Puree the hot soup mixture. Be careful if you do this when it's hot--the lid wants to explode off the top. Oh what a horrible mess that would be! I would recommend letting it cool a bit first. Add about a 1/2 - 3/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds in one of the batches you are blending. These help make the soup creamy and add some nutritional value.

5. Put pureed soup back in pot heat up again--you don't need to boil it. You can add the yogurt and nutritional yeast at this point. The nutritional yeast has a lot of protein and also B-12 vitamins--don't over do it though. For this large batch of soup I added about 1/4 cup. It also has great flavor. If you are unfamiliar with it I'm going to post a little information about it. If your soup is too thick for you you could add some water to thin it out. If you'd like it creamier add a little more yogurt.

* I garnished with chopped fresh broccoli (you could steam some and add it to the soup to make it chunkier. I also garnished with a few raw sunflower seeds (you could sprout the seeds before for even more nutritional value--but I didn't last time). I made some fresh whole wheat bread and it was the perfect meal.