I have to admit, I don’t go around searching for vegan recipes. We are meat eaters here and if I can, I love using meat as our protein. But, I can’t deny that vegetarian and vegan recipes are great for the frugal lifestyle. When I come across some of those great ones, I am intrigued to try them. This particular recipe came about when the fall weather started to poke through and I had a craving for cream soup. With one child(and Mom) that is lactose in tolerant and one child that has a full blown milk allergy, I had to figure out a cream soup recipe that didn’t use cream. So, this recipe features a surprise star, tofu.
(Vegan) Cream of Broccoli Soup
4 cups veggie stock(warm or room temperature)
3 stalks of broccoli
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 container silken tofu
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon veggie oil
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
a few dashes hot sauce(optional)
Cut broccoli into pieces and place in a large microwavable bowl with 1/4 cup water, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 to 6 minutes.
While broccoli is cooking, open tofu, drain liquid and cut into small cubes.
Place a medium size pot on medium heat and put in veggie oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, put in the onions. Stir for 1 minute and add in the garlic. Slowly add in the room tempurature veggie stock and stir.
Place a top on the pot, turn heat to low and let simmer.
Place tofu, broccoli and steaming water in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Place blended mix into the soup pot and stir. Add salt and pepper, taste to see if you need to adjust seasoning.
Let simmer for 10 more minutes and serve.
I love this recipe because it comes out so creamy without adding any type of milk, including soy. Also, the tofu is a protein, so it counts as a full meal. If you want, you can also steam some carrots or cauliflower instead of the broccoli! It’s a very versatile recipe and really yummy.
It looks delicious! I love creamy soups. I am also trying to lose 5 lbs. So this version of a soup I love is a no-brainer.
You can use white potatoes or sweet potatoes, If you don’t have tofu to thicken use potato flakes. Don’t need any milk and you can thicken in a minute
I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I cook that way about 75% of the time because I happen to like South Indian food, and cook it a lot. There are so many tasty, healthy, CHEAP options in that cuisine.
I think it’s worth adding some veg meals to the rotation for reasons of economy as well as health. I’d never give up meat completely, but I do like other things almost as much.