Broccoli, I know it’s not everyone’s favourite. But seriously, it is one of THE BEST vegetables you can eat. It’s green, which is a good start. It’s got a great protein profile. It has anti-cancer properties due to a compound called sulforaphane, which is present in all cruciferous vegetables. Think broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and brussell sprouts. Yep! They’re all really good for you too.
I happen to love broccoli. We eat it most days in one form or another. Mostly steamed, often in stir fries, sometimes in salads and actually one of my favourite soups is broccoli soup.
We try to buy mostly organic produce and broccoli is one of those vegetables that seems to be almost always available organic. And when you fork out the money, you want to use it all up. That’s the best thing about this recipe, it uses mostly the stalks. Whenever I’m preparing organic broccoli, I chop off the florets, then chop up the stalks and put them in a container in the freezer. When I have about 4 cups worth, I make soup.
The recipe is easy to remember:
- 4 cups of broccoli stalks
- 3 cups of coconut milk
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 cup of broccoli florets
That’s your base. There’s a few others things too.
Full List of Ingredients
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, squished
- 4 cups of broccoli stalks, chopped
- 3 cups of coconut milk
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 cup of broccoli florets, steamed
- A little nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Fry the onion, garlic, broccoli stems, salt and nutmeg in the coconut oil
- Once the onion is translucent, add the water and bring to the boil
- Reduce the heat and keep simmering until the broccoli stems are tender
- Remove from the heat and stir through coconut milk and spinach
- Once cooled, you can blend to your preferred consistency. Serve with steamed broccoli florets
Notes
- As explained in my Spinach Crepes blog post, blending the spinach before adding it to the soup increases the nutrients available.
- You don’t need to blend it, but can have it chunky if you like to chew a bit. You could also blend after the florets have been added.
- If it’s too runny, just add less water. The water can also be swapped for chicken stock or beef broth.
- The coconut milk can be swapped for any kind of plant-based milk: rice, oat, almond or hemp.