Broccoli Soup (Healthified)

The temperatures in my neck of the woods have dropped this past week.  Things are starting to look and feel like Fall around here.  SO, this past Sunday I decided it was time to reinstate "Souper Sundays", a little tradition I started last winter of serving soup for Sunday dinner.  One of my family's favorite soup is Broccoli Cheese .  It's is chock full of broccoli which is super healthy and good for you.  However, it is also full of butter, white flour, and cheese.  Last week, I decided to try to makeover my original recipe into a healthier version. I substituted clarified butter for regular, arrowroot powder (sometimes called arrowroot starch or arrowroot flour) for the white flour, and coconut milk for the whole milk. I'm happy to report that I succeeded.  In fact this version tastes identical to the original - really.  Go ahead try it and see for yourself. 

This recipe yields 6 large servings.

Broccoli Soup 

(made-over)

2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped broccoli

3 tablespoons clarified butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 cups chicken broth

1 can full-fat coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Fill medium pot with one inch of water.  Over high heat, bring water to a boil.  Add broccoli. Cover pot and steam broccoli  5-6 minutes or until tender.  Strain to remove excess water. Set aside. In a large soup pot, melt clarified butter over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until clear.  Stir in arrowroot powder.  Let cook for 1 minute before slowly add broth and coconut milk.  Stir until slightly thickened.  Add salt, ground nutmeg, and cooked broccoli and nutritional yeast, and stir to combine.  Let simmer an additional 3-5 minutes. 

STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS

1. Fill medium pot with one inch of water.  Over high heat, bring water to a boil.  Add broccoli. Cover pot and steam broccoli  5-6 minutes or until tender.  Strain to remove excess water. Set this aside.

 2. In a large soup pot, melt clarified butter over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until clear.

 3.  Stir in arrowroot powder and let it cook for 1 minute.

(This greatly improves the flavor.)

4.  After the 1 minute is up, slowly stir in the chicken broth and 

 can of full-fat coconut milk.

4.  Now it's time to add in the rest of the ingredients - the salt, nutmeg 

 nutritional yeast,

 and broccoli.

5.  Let the soup simmer 3-5 minutes to help incorporate all the flavors.

6.  Ladle it up and enjoy!