Vegan hearty broccoli stem soup

A hearty soup should be filling, a healthy soup should be plant-based, dairy-free and low-fat. Or at least that’s what The Starch Solution from McDougall MD says. I disagree with McDougall on avoiding completely fat and still using sugar. I avoid refined sugar as much as possible and I still use olive oil, but only a tiny little bit, as macrobiotics do. Few drops are enough to add flavour, and the legumes make it so yummy I just had three bowls of it. Can’t hardly move. Gosh, have to stop being such a fab cook.

Credits for inspiring the idea and a much beautiful pic go to Cheezy loaded potato broccoli soup by Lunchbox. I didn’t use any vegan cheese, they are all very fatty anyway, nor my usual oats milk/cream, so this one is gluten-free too. The florets I used them in another dish yesterday but kept the stem for this one. Most people throw away the stem not knowing it’s edible! Broccoli stems are as nutritious as the broccoli crown. Such a waste of resources. Eat the peel of potatoes too, vitamins are underneath, just buy organic ones and it’ll be fine.

Ingredients (makes 2-4):

• Broccoli stem
• Two small potatoes
• 50gr of split peas
• 50gr of red split lentils
• Eye of garlic
• Small piece of red cabbage
• Half a carrot
• Piece of red pepper

Directions:

• Cut broccoli florets and use for something else. For example this steamed broccoli with dried tomatoes and boiled wheat berries. Yummy!



• Save/freeze broccoli stem for this dish.
• Boil broccoli stem, two small potatoes, eye of garlic and 50 grams of split peas for 20 min.
• Blend
• Add 50 grams of split red lentils and boil 20 min further
• As a topping: chop red cabbage, red pepper and grate carrot. Sauté in a pan with only two drops of oil.
• Add your toppings plus pepper and black sesame seeds, or just regular sesame seeds, or ground flax seeds. We do eat with our eyes after all
• Enjoy!