For Christmas I got a food processor... and it is most definitely one of the best Christmas presents I have been given! I have been loving making my own soups that are easy to make, cheap, tasty and healthy. So I thought I would share my favourite recipe with you.
Broccoli and Goats Cheese Soup
3 large heads of Broccoli
2 cloves of garlic (or 1 tsp of garlic purée)
1 red onion
2 vegetable stock cubes
200ml low fat crème fraiche
1 pack of soft Welsh Goats cheese
1. First finely dice the red onion and gently fry in a large saucepan with the garlic. Ensure that the onions do not brown or it will change the flavour of the soup.
2. Chop the broccoli into smaller florets and remove the thicker stems.
4. Add the Broccoli to the saucepan and simmer on a low heat until the broccoli is tender. It doesn't matter if all of the broccoli is not submerged, just pop a lid on the pan and stir occasionally.
5. Depending on how thick you like your soup, (I like mine quite thick) drain about 100ml of the stock off of the broccoli and transfer to the food processor and blend to the desired consistency.
6. Return the blended broccoli to the saucepan, add the goats cheese in small pieces until it has all melted. Then add the crème fraiche.
This recipe makes 4 servings of soup at 250 calories per bowl... or three generous servings! and is it perfectly fine to freeze; I freeze three of the four servings and they keep really well and are easily thawed and reheated, or simple popped frozen into a pan and gently heated until it has melted and piping hot.
For variations, you could use double cream instead of creme fraiche, or exchange the goats cheese for stilton or another cheese of your choice.
Also… not only do I get to enjoy the yummy broccoli soup, but my pet rabbits get to take advantage of the leftover broccoli and discarded stems.
