No-Cream of Broccoli Soup

I was going to call this "Vegan 'Cream' of Broccoli Soup" but I used homemade chicken stock, instead of vegetable stock. So, this is not vegan, but easily could be by substituting vegetable stock. 

We eat very little meat, maybe a pound a week in the form of organic chicken breasts, and about once a month I cook up a whole organic chicken. I save all the bones to make stock. It's so much richer and more flavorful than the store bought kind. I used to buy vegetable stock, but it is difficult to find yeast-free (yet another food intolerance in our household). Making vegetable stock is so much more difficult than chicken stock, and you end up taking fresh, otherwise edible vegetables, boiling them and then throwing them away, which to me seems wasteful. This as opposed to using the leftover bones that you were going to throw out anyway. 

I was a strict vegetarian for a few years, but I relaxed a bit for a variety of reasons. It is important to buy the healthiest meat possible, so get organic, lightly processed, local if possible, etc. That kind of meat is generally more expensive (but not always!). Either way, beans are cheaper, so we eat very little meat. Now that I'm done with my "flexitarian" disclaimer, we can proceed with the recipe!

This is similar to a cheesy, creamy broccoli soup, without said cream and cheese. The trick is in the potato and carrot base. The carrots give you a nice color and sweetness, and the potatoes give it creaminess. Don't be shy with your salt. Salt brings out the flavor in foods. I read an article just the other day by someone who'd recently been to culinary school. She said one of the important things she learned was to use more salt, that most people under-salt while cooking. I'm pretty sure I've never had that problem, ha!

No-Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c flour

3 potatoes, diced into 1/2" pieces

3 carrots, sliced

2 lb frozen broccoli florets (or 2 fresh heads)

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups water

salt and pepper

First, in a large pot, fry up your onions until golden. Do it right. Then add your garlic. Now toss in the potatoes and carrots and mix 'em up with your onion and garlic. Add the flour and stir to coat everything really well. Now, slowly add your stock, stirring as you go. The flour will gradually pull away from the veggies and leave you with a smooth soup base--no lumps! (If you want gluten free, skip this step with the flour. Mix starch of your choice and add to the stock. Or just try it without the thickener, as the potatoes thicken it up quite a bit.) Cover and bring to a high simmer, allowing the potatoes and carrots to cook for about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, separate out about 1/2 lb of your broccoli, and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside. When your carrots and potatoes have cooked for about 10 minutes, add your broccoli. Cover and cook until heated through and all veggies are tender. 

Transfer to a food processor or blender. (I used my Vitamix.) Or, if you don't mind it a little less smooth, an immersion blender works, too.  You will probably need to do this in batches, so a big mixing bowl comes in handy for holding the puree while you are working on the rest. After it is all smooth, return to pot and add the broccoli you had previously chopped up. Add some salt if needed. You probably need it, unless your stock was very salty. Heat through. 

Serve with fresh cracked pepper. Make it a meal with No-Yeast Wheat Bread.