broccoli almond soup // vegan

I’m back. 

Did you miss me? I sure did miss you.

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. I love to travel. 

Over the past two weeks, we have visited both South America and the Southwest, US. What a contrast of cultures. We were in Argentina and Uruguay for some relaxation and new year’s eve fun. Then we headed to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my brother.  Both are places I have wanted to visit for some time, and both are ones I hope to return to soon.

As much as I love to travel, I often dread what I am going to eat while in-transit.  Usually the only choices are uber-processed meats, cheeses, and sodium enriched ... well, everything. Blech.

Needless to say, when I got home I was ready for some good, clean, healthy, veggie food. I was also ready to get myself back in the kitchen. It’s hard for me to not cook a single meal for more than a week. 

The upside of this is that I have tons of time to brainstorm new dishes.  I become totally re-inspired.  

This soup was a result of that.  When came home, and I was a cooking machine. A vegan cooking machine. 

This soup contains a mega does of healthy vitamins and nutrients, while remaining hearty and satisfying. The almonds not only give it a boost in vitamin E, but they also give the soup a boosted creamy consistency and taste. 

You may not know this yet but ... broccoli and almonds were totally meant to be together, just like peanut butter and jelly, rice and beans, beyoncé and jay-z.  

This hearty soup will also help you stay on track with your new year's resolution to eat healthy food. You even may feel like you're cheating, but you're not. I know you haven't broken down just yet ;)

Broccoli Almond Soup

Makes

4-6 servings 

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

3 clover of garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons of sunflower oil (or a another neutral tasting, high-heat oil)

2 heads of broccoli, chopped (tops and stems – approx 6 cups)

6 cups of water

½ cup of almond slivers

2 teaspoons of arrowroot

salt & pepper

optional garnish: a handful of toasted almonds & a drizzle of olive oil

Directions

• Sauté the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes (until the garlic and onions are clear). 
• Add the broccoli and stir to coat with the garlic and onions. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook the broccoli for about 5-8 minutes and then add in the water. 
• Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10-15 minutes (until the broccoli is fork tender).
• While the soup is simmering, toast the almonds.  In a small sauté or cast iron pan, heat up the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat and toast the almonds until the start to brown. Remove them from the heat, and set aside.
• Transfer the soup to a blender, add the toasted almonds and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches if you have a smaller blender. 
• Give it a taste and see if you want to add more salt and pepper.  I find it usually needs another generous helping of salt and pepper at this stage.  Also, add in the arrowroot to thicken the soup. Blend again for another 20-30 seconds, until everything is blended well.
• I find that this soup is best served warm after it has been sitting for 20-30 minutes.  It give it a little more time for the flavor to develop.
• If you like, toast up some more almonds and use them as a garnish along with a drizzle of really good olive oil. 

Enjoy.