if you haven’t noticed yet, i love soup. I JUST LOVE SOUP YOU GUYS, OK!? i also love broccoli. so obviously i love broccoli soup, here is a tasty one you can make and eat and love and hold too. it also has the added benefit of being full of things that are good for you at the same time as being creamy and comforty.

BROCCOLI SOUP

1 large bunch of broccoli, or 2 small (stalks and crowns)

1 red onion, diced

2 small potatoes

3 bay leaves

2 tsp mustard seeds

big pinch of chili flakes (or 1 big tsp of chili paste)

1 bunch spinach, stemmed and chopped

8 large cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. nutritional yeast

6 c. broth

2 c. unsweetened plain almond milk

tons of black pepper

2 heaped tbsp dijon

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. vegan cheese (i use cheddar daiya. if you want to go cheeseless, this soup is super good without, so it’s not a must. maybe increase your nutritional yeast to 1/2 c.)

sauté onion in a large pot with olive oil. cut the florets off of your broccoli and put aside. then cut off the waxy outer skin from the stalks, then dice. throw in with the onion. sauté with a pinch of salt, add mustard seeds, pepper, half of the garlic, chili flakes, potatoes and florets and stir until coated. add bay leaves and then broth. bring to a boil then simmer.

you want to potatoes to cook and everything to soften nicely. once the potatoes are cooked, add almond milk, mustard, nutritional yeast, zest and balsamic. remove bay leaves and with an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup (you can wait for it to cool a bit, or just be careful/willing to risk getting splattered with hot soup). or do it in batches in a blender.

return to pot and add cheese and remaining garlic, heat through until the cheese is well melted and incorporated into the soup. season with salt and tons of fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

DONE! i recommend eating this with crusty bread. also this freezes really well for future treats.