Dishing Up: Dairy-free Broccoli Stem Soup

Who doesn’t love soup?

A “creamy” dairy-free broccoli stem soup. Wait ’til you my version of a classic!

Food waste. It’s not something most of us think about right?

Well we should. Did you know that about a third of the food that’s grown in the U.S. is not eaten? One third. That’s a lot of wasted food.

That’s why I’m totally on board with the 2017 food trend stem to root cooking. The idea is that instead of using all the “pretty” parts of fruits and vegetables, start using some of the “unpretty” parts. You know – like the stems of cauliflower and broccoli or peels of the citrus fruit. Think about it – it makes total sense. Why are we throwing away these parts away?

Now I’m not suggesting you serve up a plate of broccoli stems at dinner. While this would be totally edible, you may get some strange looks at the dinner table. And while you wouldn’t outright eat the citrus peel along with your orange, there are plenty of things you can use it for.

For example, to add flavor to rice and throw some peels in when cooking or you can candy them. Broccoli and cauliflower stems can be pickled or shredded to make a slaw. You may remember my post about making Homemade Stock – this is another great way to use the scraps of vegetables.

So, recently I found myself with 4 broccoli stems hanging out in my fridge. You see usually I would just throw them in the stock bag I keep in my freezer. But apparently I have the world’s smallest refrigerator which in turn has the world’s smallest freezer and my stock bag was pretty full. Oh, I must clarify when I mean the world’s smallest refrigerator, I mean the world’s smallest full-size fridge. I didn’t want you thinking that I had a mini-fridge in my kitchen!

Anyway – back to the broccoli stems.

These stems had been hanging out in the fridge for a couple days and they needed some attention like asap. Given it was a chilly rainy day, it was a perfect day for soup.

Broccoli soup.

While I like the typical cream of broccoli soup every now and then, it can be a bit heavy. So instead of all that milk or cream, I used cannellini beans. When pureed, the beans give the soup a creamy texture. And as an added bonus, they add fiber and protein. Not to mention beans are rich in antioxidants! You remember antioxidants, don’t you?

So between reducing food waste and the health benefits, this broccoli soup is definitely something to feel good about.

How do you use the “unpretty” parts of fruits and vegetables?

Please note if you are following. a low FODMAP diet, broccoli may be considered high FODMAP in certain quantities. Contact me and we can work together!