Our Veggie Kitchen

I could never tolerate much of Emeril Lagasse's show. Which is too bad, because he makes some tasty food. When I'm trolling for inspiration, I will frequently visit his corner of Food Network and emerge with something useful. This soup is the result of one such sojourn.



Cheezy Broccoli Soup
4 tbs Earth Balance margarine
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tbs thyme, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)
6 cups vegetable broth
2 lbs broccoli, including stocks
Sauce:
1/4 cup cashews
12 oz silken tofu
2 oz pimentos
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp miso
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Chop the broccoli. Set aside about 4 cups of the smaller broccoli florets. For the stalks, trim and discard the hard outer skin from the large bases, but don't be too precise. It gets blended anyway.

In a stock pot, melt margarine. Add onions and saute until soft. Add the garlic, thyme and flour and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. The flour will make a clumpy paste and that's fine. Stir in the broth, making sure the flour gets incorporated. Bring to a boil and add broccoli (but not the reserved florets). Simmer until the broccoli is soft.

Blend the soup in batches and return to the pot. Bring back to a boil, add reserved broccoli florets and simmer until the broccoli has softened, ten or fifteen minutes. While the broccoli cooks, blend the remaining (sauce) ingredients and stir into the soup. Serve when the broccoli is finished cooking.

8 Servings: 172 cal (9g fat, 16g carbs, 9g protein)