How can anyone say no to a hot bowl of soup… especially on these cold evenings when you just got home after a long day at work? They are filling, comforting and easy to prepare. They are also great to serve as a starter course during the upcoming festive meals.
However, the best thing about soups is that you can prepare a larger batch and freeze any extra portions. It will remain good for a number of weeks in the freezer and you will find it ready the next time you do not have enough time to cook.
With a variety of produce available around this time of the year, you can make a variety of simple and easy to prepare soup recipes. I have bought some pretty broccoli over the weekend and when I saw it I immediately thought of making a delicious pot of soup.
I personally, I look for a creamy and smooth texture. However, I try to avoid adding cream or milk to the soup. To achieve this, I like to add an extra potato to thicken the soup and balance it with a good vegetable stock. Sometimes, I do make my own vegetable stock, but lately I discovered a store bought one which is great in taste and also suitable for vegans. A good stock not just adds flavour but completes the soup by adding another layer of taste.
The soup you make at home is definitely much healthier that the ready-made powdered ones. You know exactly what goes into the pot and nothing beats fresh ingredients and flavours from fresh/dried herbs.
Soup recipes are a great canvas for your creativity. In most cases, you can substitute any ingredients with something else or eliminating something completely. In case you do not have access to fresh vegetables, frozen ones will also do the trick.
For more soup ideas, check the link here.
Vegan Broccoli Soup
A delicious bowl of soup, great for a cold winter day!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of broccoli
- 4 potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 carrot
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 chilli pepper
- 1.5l vegetable stock
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
- Roughly chop all vegetables into small cubes. Finely chop the garlic and chilli pepper.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic, chilli pepper and dried herbs and cook until fragrant.
- Add the potatoes and broccoli and a pinch of coarse sea salt. Mix everything together and cool for 5 minutes covered.
- Pour the vegetable stock and let it simmer gently for around 20 minutes or until the vegetables are all cooked through.
- Blend the soup, season to taste.
- Serve warm with toasted bread and a dollop of yoghurt.
