"Cream" of Broccoli Soup

The piles of brassicas at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago caused a bit of overindulgence. I filled a bag with heads of cauliflower and broccoli. We've been enjoying them, but tonight I realized that I needed to use up the last few heads of broccoli quickly. Now that it really feels like December, soup came to mind right away. Cream of Broccoli was always one of my favorites, so I decided to do a vegan version. I don't always enjoy cooking with soymilk, so I wanted to find an alternative. I found some recipes that substituted silken tofu, but as I was prepping the onions, I realized I had a better alternative! The other night Rob made a great alfredo-like pasta sauce that was potato based. I tried this method, and it turned out wonderfully. As most of my readers know, I tend to freehand cook, but here is the basic idea:

Vegan "Cream" of Broccoli Soup

• 2 small onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6-8 cups veggie broth
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 turnip
• 3 small heads broccoli
• salt

Directions:
Chop onions and saute in oil in a large soup pot. After a couple of minutes, add garlic. Continue to saute until onions begin to carmelize. Add vegetable broth to pot and increase heat. Add cubed potatoes and turnips, then florets of broccoli. Add broth as necessary to keep vegetables covered and able to move freely. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all veggies are tender. Let cool slightly, then transfer in batches to a blender and puree. Reheat if necessary.

Turnips add wonderful flavor to soups and are plentiful this time of year. We've really been enjoying them. The kids gobbled up this veggie-rich soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.