A Lovely Soup

It's fun to serve this soup because the presentation is so pretty.  However, there are other reasons to serve it.  It's easy to make,  tastes great,  and is really good for you.   The artistically inclined can use a knife or fork to create a beautiful swirl with the dollop of sour cream or yogurt put on the center.  This is a lovely first course for a dinner or a larger portion with great bread and a salad is a wonderful meal.  You may start with fresh broccoli and squash, which is what I did initially; however, I have found that the frozen version of both these vegetables works equally well and still gives a wonderfully nutrient-rich soup.  
Broccoli Soup                                                     
1 head broccoli                                                        
or 20 oz frozen broccoli, thawed                        
7 cloves of garlic, divided or
    (or 7 teaspoons garlic paste)
2 cups divided reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
 If you have an untrimmed head of broccoli, trim the large leaves from the broccoli and remove the tough ends of the lower stalk and chop the broccoli into pieces.
2.  Peel and mince 4 of the garlic cloves.
3.  Combine the broccoli, 2 cups of the broth, and the minced garlic in a soup pot.  Bring it to a boil.
4.  Reduce heat and simmer the soup, partially covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
5.  Remove the soup from the heat.  Transfer the mixture in batches to blender.  Cover and process until smooth.  Keep if warm until squash soup is finished.
​Squash Soup   
24 ounces frozen butternut squash
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
 2 teaspoons butter or oil
6 tablespoons of sour cream
salt, pepper, and cayenne to 
                 taste
6.  Peel and mince the remaining 3 cloves of garlic and combine with the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne into a small cup.
7.  Sauté the garlic in oil or butter over medium heat for 30 seconds and add the spices and cook 1 minute more.
8.  Add the squash to the garlic and spices.
9.  Add the remaining 2 cups of broth, stirring until well-blended.  Simmer until squash is tender and flavors have mingled.  Season with salt and pepper.
10.  Pour ½ cup of each mixture at the same time into opposite sides of each soup bowl.
11.  Drop 1 tablespoon of sour cream in the middle of each bowl and swirl with a fork, creating a design.

#stonesoupblog  #soup  #broccoli
  #healthy eating  #squash