Today we have the opportunity to feature another healthy recipe from Appetite for Reduction. Recipe creator, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, starts us off with a little information about the recipe and how to make it yours ...

“Broccoli soup is thickened with potato and peppery parsnips, and made creamy with a bit of almond milk. It’s the kind of soup that would go great with a baked tofu sandwich and a salad, and if vegan bistros existed, I bet they would serve something like this.

I use unsweetened almond milk, but if you like, you can use soy, just don’t use anything sweetened or it will taste out of place. Make it my way once, but you can really mess around with this recipe, using other vegetables – cauliflower, asparagus, and zucchini are all contenders – and spicing to your liking. I’m just using simple rosemary here, but you can try thyme and dill as well. If you don’t have a parsnip, just use extra potato or carrot.

The phrase, ‘The world is yours!’ comes to mind, only replace world with soup. Serve in teacups so it really feels like you’re eating in a bistro!”

Bistro Broccoli Chowder

Recipe from Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (reprinted with permissions).

Active time: 15 minutes; Total time: 45 minutes

• 1 medium-size onion, diced small
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (no need to peel)
• 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into slightly less than
• 1/2-inch chunks
• 5 cups chopped broccoli, the stalks chopped into thin slices, the tops cut into small florets
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, rosemary, pepper, and salt, and cook for a minute more. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the potatoes and parsnips. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for 20 more minutes.

Add the almond milk and heat through. Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup, keeping it a bit chunky. If you don’t have an immersion blender (get one!), then transfer about half of the soup to a blender and puree, then add it back to the soup. If you’re using a blender, be careful not to let the steam build up while you blend.

Taste for salt and seasoning, and serve.

Per Serving:
Calories: 150
Cal from fat: 10
Total fat: 1.5g
Sat fat: 0g
Trans fat: 0g
Total Carb: 30g
Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 6g
Protein: 7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 600mg
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 150%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 10%

Serves 6