Great Green Soup

Christmas day dawned dark and wet. While it wasn't particularly cold in Orlando, the gray sky and pouring rain made one think it was certainly soup weather.

In keeping with the plan to include more greens in my diet, not just green juices and green smoothies, it seemed a perfect morning to pop on a pot of this great green soup.

While recently browsing through the Real Food Daily cookbook, I was taken with the simple directions for a creamy broccoli soup. The magic result obtained from using a few simple fresh vegetables along with some homemade veggie broth always amazes me.

This soup is a marvelous example of the depth of flavor that develops when broccoli, onion and celery are simmered in a simple veggie broth, with a couple of cups of spinach added at the end of cooking, before the whole pot is pureed with an immersion blender. Check out the instructions that include a nifty roasted red pepper crème. That finishing touch elevates this humble soup from a simple sounding peasant meal to an epicurean delight.

As I was making this soup for one and while I do like leftovers, especially soup, I cut the recipe in half and still ended up with a big pot full of marvelously flavored green soup.

You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy Ann Gentry's instructive, enlightening and entertaining volume. And if you're in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, don't miss the treat of eating at a Real Food Daily restaurant.