I love cooking with broccoli as there is little prep work to do. You just trim the ends, cut it up, and it’s good to go. I hate peeling! I often find myself in the kitchen wishing I had a sous-che
f (second in command to the chef) to help me.
Meanwhile, I created a Low-Fat Cream of Broccoli Soup years ago when my father was first diagnosed with stomach cancer. Instead of using heavy cream as some recipes contain, I used low-fat milk. Back then, I used whatever my Dad had in the frig and whatever he enjoyed that was on his diet. Today, I’m watching my weight, and even low-fat milk is not low-fat enough for me. So, today, I prepared a dairy-free version.
This new version is wonderful with lots of black pepper! It goes nicely along with my Weight Watcher’s Diet. (I’ve lost 2.4 pounds in three days!) I used Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base. It’s only 1 point for 2 teaspoons; and the entire 5-1/2 cup recipe only contains 2 teaspoons of oil, which is a total of 2 points. So, you would think, it’s something like 1 point per cup of soup. However, when adding the recipe to the Weight Watcher’s Create a Recipe, it was 3 points per 7-1/3 ounces, if you count 6 servings for the entire recipe. I had 2 cups for lunch one day, and I felt stuffed. However, it doesn’t last long due to the high fiber content, maybe 2 hours.
Stay tuned in for my next post. I’ll be sharing a heavenly shortbread thumbprint cookie recipe. They are amazing!
A flavorful gluten free broccoli soup. You'd never know it is dairy-free with very little oil/fat.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium-large onion yellow onion (3/4 cup chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh or dried basil
- 7 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 head broccoli, with stems, cut up into small pieces
- 6 cups gluten-free chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base Reduced-Sodium) (or for vegetarians, vegetable broth)
- 2-3 dashes ground nutmeg (or cinnamon, in a pinch)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan/Romano Cheese, grated (optional, for garnish)
- Fresh thinly sliced basil (optional, for garnish)
Instructions:
- Preheat a large pot with oil. Add onion and basil saute until onion turns translucent, 7 - 8 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute an additional minute.
- Add broccoli, broth, and nutmeg. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Lower and simmer for 1 hour.
- Using a handheld blender, puree until smooth. Alternatively, allow to cool, close to room temperature in the refrigerator. Then puree in small batches in your blender. Rewarm in same pot as needed.
- Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator up to three days.
Weight Watchers Points: 1 per 8 ounces