Immune Booster: Cream of broccoli soup

Brocoli makes a very tasty and nourishing soup. And you can add all your other vegetable left overs to it so as not to waste them. I added four mushrooms and half a sweet chili - all chopped up. Brocoli is full of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

                        Cream of Brocoli soup with some chopped up spring onions on top for decoration.

Ingredients

500g Broccoli.
4 white cup mushrooms - chopped.
1/2 sweet chili pepper, red - chopped.
4 cloves of garlic (optional).
1 small white onion (optional).
200ml double cream.
1 litre of stock made from 4 knorr or oxo vegetable cubes.

Directions

Clean and chop up the brocoli, mushrooms, chili pepper and garlic.

Place in a large saucepan and cover with about one litre of vegetable (or chicken) stock. Bring gently to the boil then simmer for around 20 minutes, check from time to time that the broccoli has softened. Crush down with a 'squisher' something used to mash potatoes, and continue to simmer, when softened further use a stick blender to puree further. Then add the cream. Taste as you go along and add a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. You may like to add a splash of Worcester sauce. Serve with crusty bread.

Note on the stock. Dissolve 4 cubes into one litre of water add a squirt of tomato puree and a squirt of garlic puree (or just use the garlic cloves). Add ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt, Worcester sauce and a teaspoon of Djon mustard.

The video can be seen on this link.

Nutrition

Broccoli has an array of great nutritional content. It is full of vitamins, minerals, fibre and other bioactive compounds. It is a great snack to eat raw.

Vitamins C, A, K, B9, B6. Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium and Sodium. Content varies depending on the type of Broccoli and how it is cooked. For example microwave cooking will often derate the value of vitamins.

Broccoli may offer multiple health benefits such as reducing blood sugar, cholesterol levels, oxidative stress and chronic disease development. Some research says that the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin may protect cellular damage in the eyes. Much more research is needed to quantify these points.


Picture source: Pexels.