Jaime, I don't like mixes either and this is our favorite Broccoli Soup

1 1/2 cup fresh broccoli
1/4 cup onion chopped small
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 to 3/4 cup shredded American cheese (Optional)

Steam broccoli until tender then chop into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, in a heavy sauce pan, sautonion in butter until tender. Wisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth and simmer for one minute. Gradually stir in broth until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in cream, broccoli and cheese and simmer to desired thickness. 2 servings.

*The cheese is optional in this. It tastes just as wonderful without it.

**I love this with carrots in it too. 1 medium carrot sliced and steamed until tender along with the broccoli.

Marilyn

Thanks, Marilyn! And thanks, Jaime202, for asking! I will make this tonight.

Okay, so I made mushroom soup instead, similar method, no cheese. Tomoorrow: broccoli.

So easy, can't believe I've never made mushroom or broccoli soup before. Thanks for the inspiration!

Also works with spinach and cauliflower...With or without cheese....and shrimp and crab....just start with a little more onion for those.
And I like to add a jag of dry sherry to shrimp, crab or mushroom soup.
Linda C

I made this one recently to test a low GI recipe and it was delicious!

Here's another from the series of low Glycemic Index recipes, which are designed to help you to lose weight and look after your heart by keeping your blood sugar level down. The slow-digesting oatmeal in some of these recipes helps you to feel full for longer, thus reducing the desire to snack shortly after meals.

Orange-Scented Broccoli and Leek Soup

6 - 8 servings

2 TBSP olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and light-green parts only)
6 cups chicken stock or vegetable-based chicken stock (low fat, low-sodium)
6 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1 cup large-flake porridge oats
zest of 1 medium orange
1/2 teasp hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teasp salt
1/2 teasp pepper
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (optional)
freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy soup pot.
Cook the leeks for 7-8 minutes or until softened and golden brown.
Add stock, broccoli, oats, orange zest, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

2. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Stir in milk; continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Serve each bowlful with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and freshly ground pepper.

*Source: Canadian Website of Rick Gallop's GI Diet - Sample Recipes

My Comments: This was a super easy, fast and delicious soup. The orange flavour was subtle and there was no indication that oats were a part of the recipe. However they do help to thicken the soup and give it an even more "stick to your ribs" quality. A hearty soup as a stand alone main luncheon dish or served in smaller portions as a starter. Ill be making this one again for sure.

SharonCb

Wow, I've never heard of oats in soup. SharonCb, are we talking "quick cookng oats" or...? I'd like to try this next.

I made broccoli soup tonight, but with more broth as the cream+butter combo was a bit too good! Would make something with skim milk and oats much more often.

Mine's pretty much like danain's, but instead of adding flour to thicken it, I add some cooked and coarsely mashed potatoes. And the real kicker (no pun intended) is that I add a jar of that cheese dip salsa and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. Love it!

Athome...
Yes you could use quick cooking oats in the soup as the flakes are fine and are impossible to detect as an ingredient.

Large flake or old-fashioned oats are normally used in these low GI recipes for those who are dieting as they take longer to digest and therefore rate lower on the GI scale than quick-cooking oats. However I've tried using both and I prefer the smaller flake of the quick-cooking oats in a soup, so that it doesn't resemble a bowl of porridge LOL.

If you're interested, I have another recipe that uses oats in the sauce.

Here's how I posted it on the Cooking Forum in June of last year:

***************************************************

Serves 4

2 TBS olive oil
2 chopped onions
1 clove garlic chopped finely
4 cups (125 grams) chopped spinach leaves
1 TBS chopped fresh leaves of mint
1/4 teasp herbes de Provençe
1/2 teasp sea salt
1/2 teasp freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 4 oz (125 grams) each

2 oz (50 grams) light Boursin cheese
1 TBS freshly grated parmesan
1 red pepper, seeded, quartered and roasted
1/2 cup (4 oz or 120 ml) white wine
1/2 cup (4 oz or 120 ml) chicken stock
2 x 15 ounce tins of chopped tomatoes
1/4 teasp crumbled strands of saffron
1/2 cup large-flake slow cooking porridge oats

1. Prepare red peppers and put into toaster oven or grill to roast. Chop spinach and set aside.

2. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook half the onion and all the minced garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook a further 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in the mint, herbes de Provençe and 1/4 teasp each of the salt and pepper. Remove from pan and put all into a bowl to cool.

3. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board between two sheets of cling film and beat with a mallet or rolling pin until they have spread and are about 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. (Here I trimmed the edges of each one to make more of a tidy rectangle and put the cut bits into a ziplock in the freezer.)

4. With a fork, mix the two cheeses into the spinach mixture to combine.
Spread the filling mixture over the chicken breasts, nearly to the edges.
Cut the red pepper into strips and lay them across the filling.

5. Starting at the short end, carefully roll up the breasts and place them seam-side down on a large platter or cutting board.
Sprinkle them with the rest of the salt and pepper.

6. Heat the remaining 1 TBS olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat.
Cook the remaining onion about 5 minutes, then add the wine, chicken stock, tomatoes,saffron and a little more seasoning.
Simmer on low heat, covered for about 8 minutes, then add the oats and stir.

7. Place the rolled chicken breasts on top of the sauce in the pan and continue to simmer, covered, for 20 - 25 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

8. To serve - place the chicken on a plate and spoon sauce around and over the top.
Serve whole if rolls are small, or even better - slice them thickly with a sharp knife to display the colourful filling.

Source: Adapted from Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook

My Note: I halved the recipe, with the exception of the cooking oil and the red pepper, using two large breasts for the two portions.

SharonCb

jaime202 - My suggestion here may be a bit late but I wanted to add that I always use 1 tsp to 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard (depending on quantity of soup) as part of the seasonings in my broccoli soup. I think it really adds something. Dry sherry is also good (in just about anything.)

I also have used bulgur instead of oats. And sometimes just plain cooked rice (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to include in the liquid and then use the blender (or an immersion stick) to combine very well into a nice thick soup eliminating any need to add heavy cream IMO.

Don't puree ALL the veggies, just the stock part and anything you've included as thickener such as the oats or rice or bulgur...I've included 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked beans too as part of the mixture to be blended so any indiv pieces aren't recognizable)

p.s. if you add bulgur (which I use in my vegetarian chili), you should cook the broth mixture with the bulgur for at least 20 minutes to get the proper softness so it will blend easily.