"Cheezy" Broccoli & Jalapeño Soup

Our weather has cooled off, at least temporarily, so today I made soup. Imagine that. Just a few days ago, we had hot weather and smokey air from wildfires but it only lasted a couple of days and today the weather was typical Seattle weather. We love the cool, marine-layer morning clouds that end up burning-off by afternoon, ending up in the high 60's. That is a typical day here. I was actually cold! So, I pulled out this soup recipe from Hannah Freese, RD that I've been eyeing lately because it looks so healthy. When I served it, Bruce asked what makes it taste so rich; was there a lot of butter in it? or cream? Neither. It's nutritional yeast and the hemp seeds. Nutritional yeast has a nutty and cheesy flavor to it, thus the title of this soup as "cheezy". Vegans often use it in place for cheese. I buy it at Trader Joe's in the spice section and Hannah Freese, RD uses it in a lot of her recipes. It is a good protein source providing 2 grams of protein in 1 tablespoon which is why vegans use it a lot. It also has a lot of trace minerals, B vitamins and antioxidants - therefore anti-inflammatory properties which is why I like it. Hemp seeds are very rich in healthy fats and contain high quality protein. There are about 11 grams of protein per 2-3 tablespoons. They are also known to lower risk for heart disease and inflammation - again exactly what I am looking for. Adding these ingredients in small amounts over the course of your daily cooking will add to improving your health over the long run and that is what I am looking for which is why I am doing The Freese Method. Thank you, Hannah!

This soup was similar to cream of broccoli soup except there is no cream in it. I thought it was similar to split pea soup but with a broccoli flavor. It wasn't that spicy, despite having jalapeño in it. I might add red pepper flakes next time to make it more spicy. I will definitely be making this recipe again. With fall coming, we will be getting a lot more typical Seattle weather ahead that will be calling out "It's a Soup Day!"

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, medium, chopped

1 green pepper, large, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, medium, seeds removed and chopped, more or less on your preference

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. sea salt

6 cups broccoli, chopped into florets or use frozen broccoli

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup hemp seeds

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

optional: red pepper flakes

add baby spinach before blending

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions, green pepper, jalapeño pepper, and garlic. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

2. Season the vegetables with salt, then add the broccoli and vegetable broth.

3. Bring the soup to a gentle boil and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the broccoli is very tender.

4. Let soup cool slightly, then transfer the soup to a blender and add the hemp seeds and nutritional yeast.

5. Add more broth to thin, as needed. Season the soup with additional salt or nutritional yeast to taste.

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