The colder months leave me ready to fill up on soups and stews. I saw a delicious looking recipe for Broccoli and Pea Soup in Clean Eating magazine, and it seemed like the ideal opportunity to put my under used immersion blender to work.
The end result is a beautiful soup (the green!) and it was perfect paired with some homemade grilled cheese sandwiches. Use leftover soup as a “gravy” on top of cauliflower and potato mash with grilled chicken or fish.
The last stage of this recipe uses an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. It is a good kitchen tool to have (and very easy to clean compared to a regular blender). Now that I am committed to using mine more often, here are some additional ideas for how to use your immersion blender. Here is the recipe from Clean Eating with a few modifications.
- 1 bunch broccoli (about 1.5 lbs) - cut into small florets, including much of the stem
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 medium yellow onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger - grated
- dash of red pepper flakes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- lemon juice - from ½ a lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 green onion - chopped for garnish
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the oil, and saute onions with salt and pepper until tender, about 8 min.
- Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 2 min.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add broccoli, reduce heat to medium, and cover.
- Simmer for 15 to 18 min until broccoli is tender.
- Add peas, cover, and simmer for another 2 min.
- Add lemon juice and turn off heat.
- With an immersion blender, puree until smooth.
- In serving bowls, top with green onions and creme fresh or plain greek yogurt.