Dairy-Free Cream of Broccoli Soup

October 21, 2016

recipe by: Laura Mierzwa, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Culinary Nutrition Expert

On our Instagram page this week, we shared a yummy soup recipe from local Ottawa author Shirley Plant (check out the gorgeous photo and recipe, here). That soup takes only about 20 minutes to make, is quick and easy, is gluten-free and dairy-free, and uses ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Seeing that recipe inspired Laura Mierzwa, one of our Registered Holistic Nutritionists, to share her personal favourite recipe for cream of broccoli soup. It's thicker and creamier than the one from our Instagram page, but is just as easy to make. The great thing about this soup is that it's creamy while staying dairy-free, is gluten-free, and can be vegan if you choose to use vegetable broth instead of a bone broth.

So without any further ado, warm your heart and boost your immunity with this easy, dairy-free soup that the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

6 cups homemade vegetable or bone broth (our bone broth recipe is better than grandma's!)

1 head of broccoli (including stems)

4 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

½ cup parsley, chopped

2 leeks or 1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp coconut oil

For the "Cream":

1 cup macadamia nuts or cashews, soaked over night

½ cup water

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp onion powder

Pinch of Himalayan Salt

Directions

In a large stock pot, melt the coconut oil and add broccoli, carrots, celery and leeks. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, just until vegetables are tender.
Add 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil. The vegetables should just be covered: if not add a bit of water.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
While soup is simmering, in a food processor or blender, add drained nuts, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.
Once soup has slightly cooled, stir in the cream and parsley.
If you prefer a smoother soup, place in blender and blend until desired consistency.
Finish with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
To make it a complete meal, stir in some lentils and quinoa!