Cream of Broccoli Soup (dairy-free & nut-free)

I can always tell when Fall is approaching and not just for the obvious reasons of the rainbow of Autumn colors that blanket the land but because soup starts to sound really good.   There are a lot of ways of dressing up this soup if you wish, but, it is very soothing and gentle just as it is.  I chose hemp seeds for my milk base because more and more people seem to be having nut allergies.  If you are not one of them,  cashews would be wonderful to use instead of hemp.  When I made this soup, I did steam the broccoli.   My digestive system struggles with raw broccoli these days so rather than fight it, I have to meet it where it is.  So keep in mind that you don’t have to steam the broccoli if you don’t want to.

My husband enjoyed this soup served cold, I liked it warmed up a bit… so to each his own.  If you do wish to warm it and yet have it remain raw,  place the bowl in the dehydrator and set the temp at 145 degrees and warm for 1 hour or until desired warmth is achieved.

I have to admit, it took me two attempts to make this soup.  The first time around I only added 1 1/2 cups of water and the garlic clove I used…oooooh baby, it was far too much and hours later my poor little mouth is still suffering.  My dentist would be proud as to how many times I have brushed my teeth today.  haha  I love garlic but right now I fear going outside because my breath just might kill the vegetation.  Oy-vey!  Thank goodness Bob had a bowl because now we can sit in the same room together.  Bob however, loved the first version as it was.  It was more like a dip and he asked for chips with it.  So, I guess if you are so inspired,  make this recipe, cut the water in 1/2, add some chunky salsa to it and you will have a wonderful dip for veggies, crackers or chips!

Ingredients: yields 6 cups

Hemp milk ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp raw agave nectar

Remaining soup ingredients:

• 4 cup broccoli florets  (steamed)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sliced green onion
• 1 small – medium garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Herbamare
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 avocado (depending on size) 5 oz

Preparation:

1.  In the blender combine; hemp seeds, water and agave.  This will create hemp milk which is the base for the soup.
2. Add; broccoli, onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and spice.   Blend until creamy.
3. Add the avocado and blend once more until smooth.
4. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
5. When serving top the soup with diced avocado and a sprinkle of hemp seeds.

This was the first attempt of making the Broccoli Soup as I shared above.  You can see how much thicker it is and can you smell the garlic?!!! lol

Posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2012 at 6:22 pm. Filed under: Soup / Salad Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar-free, Vegan RSS 2.0 feed.