Leah here. Last night's dinner was brought to us by Lauren Conrad. Yes, thanks to the Laguna Beach star I stumbled upon this bright broccoli spinach soup on Gourmande in the Kitchen blog. Pretty, huh?
I haven't treated myself very well the last few weeks. Sure I've been eating decently and working out now and then. But afternoon trips to the company cafe for a cookie have increased. I've probably had too many pots of coffee and too many glasses of wine. Not enough good sleep. And I feel it. So as I planned my weekly family dinner menus I increased the number of veggies for each, jotted down salad ideas for lunches and smoothies chock full of greens to sip each morning. I'm trying to reboot.
And then I stumbled upon Lauren Conrad's Pinterst pages. It seems she has a website/blog. A cool blog. She pins cool things on Pinterest. Recipes. Fashion stuff. Hairstyles. Cute, cool girl. She seems in to food and has a healthy approach to eating. It's hard not to like her. She linked to on omelette recipe on Gourmande in the Kitchen blog which I followed and to my joy found not only beautiful photography like the picture above but healthy, clean, simple recipes. This creamy broccoli spinach soup with just two major ingredients--spinach and broccoli--was just what my toxic, tired body was craving.
I gave it a try with no real expectations. You simply steam two heads of broccoli and puree it in a blender with a few handfuls of raw spinach. Thin with warm water. A sprinkle of salt. I added a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of milk, too.
And it tasted....healthy. I guess what I asked for? It was very smooth...but I couldn't get over the baby food texture. Steaming veggies. Pureeing them. Reminded me TOO much of my baby food making days. In fact, my two year old ate quite a bit of it. I sprinkled it with feta cheese which probably helped the appeal for both of us. I also added some roasted beets for no reason other than veggies + more veggies = SUPER healthy, right? Maybe next time I'll blend it with warmed chicken stock instead of water. Maybe some sauteed onion? Also, it's best served right away while bright green. I made this in the afternoon then reheated. By that point it was headed toward brown. Don't get me wrong, this is a simple and healthful dish. I felt full but nurished instead of full and bleck after a cheeseburger. It was what I needed to help me start my week with a jolt of vitamins. But I'm not sure this is a keeper for me. Meh. Can't all be winners.
Now I need your help. In my quest for health, I bought a sack....a HUGE sack....of spinach from my local farm stand. See? Huge.
It was the same price as a small container at the grocery store, so I went for it. I made soup...now what? Do you have a favorite way to cook or eat spinach? Leave me an idea in the comments--my too full refrigerator will thank you!
Creamy Broccoli Spinach Soup
slightly adapted from Gourmande in the Kitchen
INGREDIENTS
3 cups teamed broccoli (about two heads)
1 ½ cups fresh spinach leaves (about two-three handfuls)
Few sprigs of flat leaf parsley, stems removed (i added this but found it added bitterness)
1 ½ Tablespoons/ 15g of shelled hemp seeds (I didn't use)
1/8 teaspoon or a small pinch of fine sea salt (i used more, to taste)
1 cup hot water
*I added a splash of whole milk, though it is creamy without it
to garnish
1 to 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil to finish
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled to top
Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Place steamed broccoli, fresh spinach, parsley, hempseeds (if using) and salt in the pitcher of a high speed blender.
Add 1 cup of hot water and blend on high for about 3 to 4 minutes or until completely silky and smooth.
Serve topped with chunks of feta cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Garnish with a few spinach leaves if desired and season with freshly ground black pepper.
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