The Quickie Soup

broccoli-1629643_1920Here is a new concept from Essential Puree! Welcome to the Quickie Soup Recipe. The soup is straight to puree. You do not have to cook it on the stovetop.

Previously, our quickie recipes were for desserts and snacks. Many of them were healthy milkshakes. We have discovered that the soup function on the new high speed blenders makes a wonderful savory dish that can be served as a snack or as part of a meal. This particular soup contains a fresh vegetable that is considered a nutritional powerhouse as well as protein.

For the time-challenged caregiver, this concept of the no-cook, savory recipe is a real plus. It is easy, quick and nutritionally healing. It is made from fresh vegetables. It requires five minutes of prep time, meaning, you have to cut up the broccoli florets. Alternatively, you may use frozen broccoli florets. I check over the florets and make sure there are no tough stems attached, only the tender stems of the floret.

Texture is everything when dealing with the dysphagia diet. That means you have to have the right equipment. You add the ingredients to the blender, set it on Soup mode, and let it go. When the soup is done, cool it and check its thickness. If required, use a commercial thickener to get it to the correct consistency for your level of the NDD diet.

Here is the equipment you need. In terms of convenience, it is well worth the expenditure. These are widely available in department stores, cook stores, discount stores and online. I have just made a pitcher of this soup, and I am eating it as I write this recipe. It is delicious. It might even do for a child’s snack. You don’t have to tell them the green soup is a veggie soup. Tell them it is soup for the Hulk.

Equipment

A high-speed blender that makes soup, such as a Vitamix or a NutriNinja or a NutriBullet Rx.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup: An Essential Puree Quickie Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Buzz Time: 7 minutes      Level: Easy     Serves: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 cup almond milk or dairy milk
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 slices of good cheddar cheese (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

For the Puree

Place all ingredients in the pitcher of a Nutribullet Rx. Turn on to the Soup cycle. Allow the soup to go through the cycle.

Swirl Away!

For Service

Remove pitcher from the mounting.

CAUTION: SOUP WILL BE VERY HOT. ALLOW TO COOL

Seasoning: you may notice that this recipe does not contain seasoning. These ingredients contain their own salt, so no additional salt is needed. One might add white pepper, but the soup is so flavorful, you may not need it.

Thickening

When the soup cools, check to make sure it is pureed to liquidity. My soup purees to complete liquidity with no fibers or stems. If necessary, run the soup through a mesh strainer to remove any particles or fibers. In my experience, the cheddar cheese melts and does not form lumps or strings or any other texture that would be problematic for the swallow. Check with your healthcare provider if you have any questions. If you do not eat cheese, eliminate it from the recipe.

Check the thickness of the liquid. If necessary, add gum thickener, either powder or gel form, to reach thickness for your level of the NDD. The yield of this recipe is about 8 ounces, so if you are on the pudding consistency, Level 4, use four packets of gel or powder, or four scoops of powder, or four pumps of gel for pudding consistency. Use two of each for honey consistency.

 

Featured photo credit: kgjerseth via Pixabay, cc