Hello Dearies, how have you been? I know I am kind of gone now and appearing the next minute. But I am trying to be regular here, I am really trying. Summers are very hectic for most of us. We go out during the day and by dinner time, we are super tired to do any cooking of any sort. But you all will agree with me that the outing to any amusement park, water park and such places costs a bomb for a family of four, so to make up for the costs, I try to cook something before we leave in the morning and at diner time, whats left is just heating it or adding a sandwich or salad or raita. On many occasions, I have roasted rava with veggies for a quick upma, similarly roasted rice with veggies for a quick pulav or khiachadi and all time favorite is doing these soups. I simply pressure cook few veggies with onion and garlic clove and blend it and freeze it in small batches. When I leave the house, I kind of keep the soup boxes on the counter top, so by evening it comes down to the room temperature, making cooking dinner a breeze after a long tiring day. I had got this idea when I did make my kids food when they were babies. Both refused eating Gerber veggies. With both in daycare, preparing food daily for them at every meal was not an option for me. What a poor mom to do...quitting my job was not an option for me, so I found this way out, I made and pureed all veggies in small batches every Sunday and filled it in boxes for the week. I guess after you become a MOM you kind of start thinking like a mom. you find ways to wiggle, trick and treat your kids to healthy meal options. MY younger Munchkin still claims he dislikes Broccoli and my elder one can live on it alone. So to make things easy for me, I make this soup and simply give it a different name for my kids. My elder son is smart and knows the veggies, but for my younger one, we kind of play the game. My Younger son calls it cream of brocsweepo soup. Any name you may give it, this soup is a hands down winner. Even Mr. Ash commented that it did taste like a high end restaurant kind of soup. When he says that, it is a Huge compliment in itself.
You will need;
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups fresh broccoli, including stems, chopped
2 cups low-sodium, fat-free vegetable broth--I used water, so needed to add salt
1 tbspn Lemon pepper spice powder- Optional, but highly recommended
1/3 cup Heavy cream--(Use Milk if cream makes you fat)
Heat oil on medium heat in a soup pot. Gently saute onion and celery for 3-4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add sweet potato and chopped broccoli, followed by the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Alternatively pressure cook for 1-2 whistles till it gets coked. If using water adjust salt to taste. Allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender in 2-3 batches, and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and heat gently with the cream and the lemon pepper spice powder, until ready to serve. Serve with a sandwich or
herbed croutons.
Enjoy the summer with your kids as they will have only these memories to grow up with.
