Broccoli & Leek Cleansing Soup

Spring is often synonymous with shedding layers, discarding winter hibernation habits, and getting ready to get a bit more bounce in our step as we head towards summer. It’s often traditionally a time of cleansing and clearing – be it your wardrobe, your garage…or your diet! This vegan soup is delightfully light and fresh, and thanks to the star ingredient, the humble broccoli, it’s a fantastically cleansing soup. Sulforaphane is a phytochemical (natural plant compound) found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. Sulforaphane is said to help neutralize toxins, and also help to calm inflammation in the body. Broccoli is high in sulforaphane, and combined with the fact that broccoli is high in fiber, this purifying and restorative light soup is sure to ensure you have that Spring hop in your step.  Oh, and did I mention that despite being soup-er good for you, it is soup-er tasty?

Ingredients:

1 medium leek, rinsed well

2 tablespoons of cold-pressed olive oil, divided

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

200 grams of golden potatoes (Yukon Gold or Vivaldi Gold), peeled and quartered

5 cups of vegetable stock

½ cup of canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Approx 500g of broccoli (about 1 and a half heads)

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

Juice of one large lemon

½ teaspoon of sea salt

Pepper, to tase

Optional Ingredients to Serve:

½ cup of vegan parmesan cheese powder

Handful of flat-leafed parsley

½ cup of pan-fried pumpkin seeds

Vegan cream or greek coconut yoghurt

Seedy sourdough

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Trim the end of the leek, and slice finely.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat
4. Add the garlic, leek, and salt + pepper
5. Saute for around 4 minutes
6. Then, add the beans, stock and potatoes to the pot
7. Let it simmer away while you roast the broccoli
8. To roast the broccoli, place the chopped broccoli heads onto the prepared baking tray, and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil
9. Place in the oven and roast for 4 mins, before taking out, turning the pieces and roasting for a further 4 minutes or so. Roast until the broccoli are slightly browned on the edges – in total, it should take around 8 – 12 minutes.
10. Remove them from the oven, and place into the stock along with the nutritional yeast and lemon juice.
11. Boil further until the potatoes are fork-tender.
12. Then, either using an immersion blender, or by placing into a food processor (this may need to be done in two batches), blend until smooth.
13. Serve topped with vegan parmesan cheese, some flat-leaf parsley, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of either olive oil, vegan cream or Greek coconut yoghurt.
14. Enjoy!

Nutrition Bite: Nutritional yeast lives up to its name – it is full of good nutrition! It is a great source of plant-based protein, B vitamins and trace minerals, including blood sugar-regulating chromium + zinc, manganese, and selenium. It imparts a ”cheesy” flavour to foods sans dairy, making it the perfect addition to this light spring soup!