Creamy Broccoli-Potato Soup

This is one of my classic soup recipes. I have been making this soup for my parents and sister when I was in Toronto and they love it. I recently made it for my mum when she was visiting and she loved it and found it much lighter than the version she makes which uses cream and cheese.. Plus it is an awesome way to use up any leftover onion and stalks of broccoli before they go bad.

You can make it without onion and it will still taste good but the onion adds that little extra flavour.

Stock

You can use the PC Organics Vegetable broth if you would like or substitute it for a chicken broth/chicken stock if you are not plant-based, vegan, or, vegetarian. If you are using broth instead of stock cubes, you do not need to add in the 2-3 cups of water.

If you don’t have any stock or broth at home and are too lazy to go to the supermarket to buy some, you can just add a bunch of dried herbs to the water. Actually, lately, this is what I have been doing with any soup I make - instead of adding broth/stock, I will just put a bunch of dried herbs into the soup and it still tastes delicious! This is what I did with the last batch of broccoli soup, the version my mum approved of.

“Cream”

The best part of this recipe is that the soup has that creamy texture and taste but there is no milk or cream in it. Just keeping it dairy-free and vegan for you all. The creamy mouthfeel is from the starchy potatoes that contain Vitamin C and other vitamins + minerals. This means anyone who is lactose intolerant, vegan, or has a dairy sensitivity can consume this soup.

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Broccoli-Potato Soup

Makes 3-4 Servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp Grapeseed oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 stalks Celery, sliced

• 2 cups chopped Broccoli stalks

• 2 Potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

• 2-3 cups Water**

• 1 Vegetable Stock Cube**

• Pepper, to taste

** You can replace the stock cube with 2 cups broth and eliminate the water

*** instead of stock or broth, use dry herbs - basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, cilantro, garlic powder, salt (all as desired) - and add 2-3 cups water

METHOD:

1. On medium heat, add oil to a medium-sized saucepan and let the oil heat up.

2. Add the onion and let it sizzle, about 1 minute.

3. Add the celery, broccoli and potatoes. Let it all cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom

4. Add the vegetable stock cube or dried herbs with 2-3 cups of water (or broth), give it a stir, and let it simmer on low-medium heat for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Once the potatoes, broccoli, and celery are soft, take the pot off the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is a creamy, green liquid colour.

6. Return soup back to the stove and cook on low heat while adding the pepper and any other seasonings you would like. Feel free to add a splash of dairy-free milk or a dollop of full-fat coconut milk if you want it even creamier towards the end of cooking.

Serve it with your favourite salad, bruschetta, garlic bread or just warm sourdough bread.