Cream of Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli has to be one of my favourite vegetables. It has a lot of health benefits including cancer fighting properties, lowering the risk of stroke or heart attack and protecting against anemia. Honestly this is one vegetable I could eat every day of the week! Raw or cooked, broccoli just has it happening. I love it simply steamed with a little butter as a side dish or snack but also use it as an ingredient in a lot of dishes. What I don't like is overcooked broccoli aka mush.

Cream of Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Cream of broccoli and cheese soup is a very easy to make soup and versatile at the same time. Leave out the cheese for a simple but flavourful cream of broccoli soup. Both are filling, unpretentious comfort foods. Serve as the main course or as a side.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
recipe by: Garden Gnome

2 sm heads broccoli, washed and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 sm onion, chopped fine
3 tbsp butter
2 c beef stock
4 c vegetable stock
2 c milk
3 c half & half cream
sea salt & pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese* (optional)
flour slurry ( 2 tbsp flour mixed with water to pouring consistency)

Prepare the vegetables. Sauté the onions and garlic in butter in a large saucepan until onions are translucent. Stir in broccoli and stocks. Bring to a boil and let cook until broccoli is tender. Stir in salt, pepper, milk, cream and *(cheese if desired). Heat. Blend about a quarter of the soup with a stick blender and stir into the remaining soup. Thicken with flour slurry if desired.