Meatless Monday with Cream of Broccoli Soup

Another meatless Monday is upon us and the question of what to make for dinner looms in the air.  On the menu tonight is an eco-friendly cream of broccoli soup. But this is kind of a misnomer as this soup does not contain cream, instead use 1 or 2% milk (skim milk would prove to be too watery). It’s also an easy way to get broccoli into kids who refuse to eat it, once pureed into the “cream”; they cannot recognize the offensive vegetable. This is also an eco-friendly meal because it is a-waste-not-want not kind of dish. What I mean is that you can save the stems (normally not something many people want to eat as they only like florets of broccoli), just cut them off and keep them in bag in the crisper. When it is time to use it, just peel the sides and slice into pieces that can be boiled with all he other broccoli. It is an eco-friendly choice to save the stems, as they add extra broccoli flavor and nutrition to the soup and you are not wasting any unwanted part of broccoli.

Cream of Broccoli Soup:

Ingredients

• ½ cup of water
• 2 teaspoons salt divided
• 2 ½-3 Lbs of organic broccoli trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 cups of vegetarian chicken broth
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup chopped peeled organic onion
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 cups of either 1 or 2% milk
• ½ cup Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large heavy bottomed pan over high heat
2. Add 1/4th of the salt
3. Add broccoli, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until tender
4. In a blender, combine broccoli with vegetarian chicken broth and blend until smooth. The better method is if you place the broccoli and vegetarian chicken broth in a tall pot and blend using an immersion blender, until smooth.
5. Set aside
6. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat
7. Add the remaining salt
8. Sauté the onions until they are tender and begin to turn golden
9. Gradually sprinkle flour into the pan, stirring occasionally until the onions are coated and the flour is beginning to become fragrant, another 3 minutes or so
10. Stir in  1% or 2% milk.
11. Heat just to boiling, stirring constantly, turn heat down slightly and keep at a full simmer fort 1 minute
12. Pour the thickened  “cream” mixture into the broccoli mixture and stir well, serve warm.
13. Serve in bowls and top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese

Any soup is a perfect choice during the cold winter months, especially for those who want to have meatless meals to support Meatless Monday.  For more information or to pledge your support, visit meatlessmonday.com.  Remember with the right ingredients any meal can become an eco-friendly one. Enjoy!