This thick and creamy soup makes an ideal satisfying lunch. To boost the protein content I like to blend in cooked butter beans or cannellini beans which have a creamy, soft texture. This is ideal for making in bulk too as it will freeze really well. Broccoli like other cruciferous vegetables is so healthy – packed with energising B vitamins, magnesium and rich in sulphur compounds to support detoxification.

Broccoli Coconut Cream Soup

Overview

Difficulty – Easy

Time – 10 minutes preparation, 12 minutes cooking

Serves 4

What’s good about it?

Broccoli is supercharged with vitamins and minerals. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as many other antioxidants and fibre, broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can pile on your plate.

  1. Heat the oil in a medium pan and add the garlic and cumin. Sauté over a medium heat for 1 minute.
  2. Add the stock, coconut milk and broccoli and cook for 10 minutes until the broccoli is soft. Stir in the spinach, cannellini beans, lemon juice, parsley and nutritional yeast flakes, if using. Let the spinach wilt for a couple of minutes.
  3. Using a food processor, blender or hand-held stick blender, process the soup until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then spoon into bowls and serve.

Nutrition per serving 237kcal, Fat 11.2g, Carbohydrates 18g, Protein 11.1g

Did You Know? 

Spinach is rich in vitamin C. It’s also packed with numerous antioxidants and beta carotene, which may increase the infection-fighting ability of our immune systems.

1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp ground cumin

300ml vegetable stock

1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk

1 head (250g) broccoli, broken into florets

100g spinach leaves

2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Sea salt and black pepper