Teaching Recipe and Video: Waste-Not-Want-Not Cream of Broccoli Soup

I call this a feel good soup because you can:

• Feel good about taking good care of yourself by eating more nutrition-packed vegetables
• Feel good budget-wise because you’ll enjoy a great dish for FREE since you’re using up stalks that otherwise go in the trash
• Feel good about taking care of the environment because you’re using rather than tossing methane-producing food waste (Fn 1)

And one more great thing: This soup is SO easy. As you’ll see below, there are just 4 simple steps: Prep, Cook, Puree, Season.

But what if those “simple” steps aren’t so simple for you? No problem. I recorded a “Watch, Learn and Do” video series. Four quick segments demonstrate each step, answer any questions you might have and offer lots of tips and tricks to help.

Waste Not Broccoli Soup

Step 1: Prep Stalks

• 4 cups broccoli stalks

Cut off ends and peel, then cut into roughly ¾” pieces

Step 2: Cook Stalks

• 4 cups cooking liquid (plus another ½ to 1 cup to thin soup, if desired)

Combine stalk pieces and cooking liquid in a soup pot, cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, about 30 to 45 minutes, until pieces are quite tender when pierced with a fork.

Step 3: Blend Soup

Puree cooked stalks and broth in blender or food processor or with an immersion blender. Blend to desired texture, or process half until very smooth and half less smooth, then combine. Return to soup pot.

Step 4: Season for Pizzazz!

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Stir in salt and pepper, along with a seasoning option, then simmer soup gently for another 4-5 minutes to meld flavors.

Need More Friendly Guidance?  Check out the videos!

The Fat Addition  Fat fear is very real, but a little good fat can actually be a great addition to this soup, from both a culinary and nutritional standpoint. While butter is almost always a compatible choice, coconut oil, olive oil. toasted sesame oil or a vegan butter can be good depending on your seasoning choice. For a flavorful and velvety texture, whisk in the fat (especially butter) at the very end, after the soup is off-heat.

Seasoning Options  This is the fun part. The soup itself is a “blank canvas.” It can pair with lots of different spices for lots of boredom-beating variety. If you’re comfortable seasoning on your own, go for it! For those who don’t feel so confident around spices, use Savory Spice’s blends, professionally created spice combos that add quick, flavorful pizzazz–and all available online. Here are a few good options.  (Start with 1/2 to 1 tsp. and work your way up from there, to taste.)

• Thai Green Curry– Use fish sauce instead of or in addition to a little salt; use coconut oil or milk as the fat
• Herbes de Provence — For French flavor
• Coastal Bay Seasoning — For a Southern flavor
• Mt. Olympus — For Greek-style flavor–pair with olive oil
• Garam Masala For Indian flavors –pair with coconut milk
• Za’tar Seasoning — Go Mediterranean — try with olive oil
• Rogan Josh — For some spicy flavor — try with coconut oil
• Tarragon Shallot Citrus Seasoning — More French flavor

Other Questions Answered in the Videos

1. Peeling Why do I have to peel the stalks? What’s the best way to do it? How much do I peel off?
2. Vegetable Peelers Here are the ones I used with good results. And remember that regular peelers can be sharpened so you needn’t pitch them when dull.
3. Cooking Liquid What can I use for a cooking liquid?
4. Cooking What kind of pan should I use to cook the broccoli? How can I tell if the broccoli is done?
5. Consistency What if I like a thicker soup? Thinner?
6. Creaminess How can I get a thicker and creamier soup without adding lots of heavy cream?
7. Blender Safety How can I be safe when blending hot liquids? The basic rules: Fill less than halfway, remove your blender lid’s center insert, hold a kitchen towel over the top, and then blend. Check out this site and this site for more info.
8. Seasoning What if I don’t know if I’ll like a spice blend? Learn how to test without compromising the whole dish.
9. Other Vegetables? Can I add other vegetables? Of use different vegetables besides broccoli? Yes–find out more in the videos!

More Fun with Toppings  In additions to spice blends, jazz up your basic soup with different toppings that complement your the seasoning you choose:

• Lemon or lime juice (and/or zest) — Such a great addition it shouldn’t even be optional. I keep 8-oz. bottles of Lakewood or Santa Cruz pure lemon and lime juices in the frig in case I don’t have any fresh limes or lemons.
• Cheese Parmesan, feta, chevre, cheddar
• Splash of cream
• Plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream
• Sautéed onions, mushrooms, red peppers
• Shake of cayenne pepper
• Nuts and seeds (walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc.)

Fn 1:  According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 30 percent of food is wasted globally across the supply chain, contributing 8 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would come in third after the United States and China in terms of impact on global warming.

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and hydrofluorcarbons (fluorinated gases used in refrigeration) are produced and emitted from food production to our refrigerators. And don’t forget all the metal cans, plastic bags and cardboard boxes our food comes in. By throwing away half a lasagna, half of the emissions that resulted from producing and processing, packaging, shipping, storing, picking up and cooking are also wasted.  From <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/07/31/food-waste/>