Green soup? Well you have to try this one. It's fast, it's filling, it's healthy, and it's really, really good. Because it's cooked so quickly the flavors are really bright - fresh vegetables, lemon, drizzled with olive oil and toasted walnuts. Served with toasted baguette with some goat cheese, its a light meal. I know, this will sound too healthy and too green for some of you. But for those of you willing to try it, I think you'll really enjoy. And plus, if you're looking to make a soup, it doesn't get any easier than this.I served this with what I'm calling Crazy Delicious Salad, because it really is. It's a mixture of bright, crunchy vegetables, chickpeas, a little spice and a simple, tangy dressing. It can be re-imagined any way you want it, adding different vegetables and other ingredients.
Recipes after the jump.
Broccoli Soup with Toasted Walnuts
It's hard to give exact measurement s for this recipe, so be willing to adjust to suit your own tastes. Also, the fresher the broccoli, the better the soup will be, because its basically the only ingredient.
-1-2 large heads of broccoli, roughly broken into pieces (including stem)
-1/4 cup lemon juice (plus zest if you want it)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup toasted walnuts
-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
-Remove the broccoli from the water, saving the water, and place the broccoli a blender or food processor. Add about 2 cups of the water to the blender so it fills it up about half way. Blend well.
-Add lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add more water if it is too thick.
-Place soup in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and freshly cracked pepper. Top with some walnuts and serve at once.
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Crazy Delicious Salad
-1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained
-2 large carrots, shredded
-1 large cucumber, cut into small cubes
-1/2 cup chopped scallions or red onion
-1 avocado, in small cubes
-2 T. chopped Italian parsley
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-1/3 cup olive oil
-1/2 t. chili powder or crushed chilies
-1/2 t. cumin seeds, crushed
-salt and pepper to taste
-Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve at once. That was easy.
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And then...
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| Use leftover broccoli soup the next day as a pasta sauce warmed with a little cream and parmesan cheese. Yum! |
