BROCCOLI SOUP RECIPE

This is a really tasty thick soup that contains lots of broccoli which is full of vitamins and a good source of folic acid. It has lots of good dietary fibre and there are variations on the recipe.
Ingredients
2 onions chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces and the centre stalk can be peeled and the tender centre chopped
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
4 sticks of celery washed and sliced
2 pints--1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock(see stock recipe)
1/2 pint--250ml of milk
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of thyme
butter or olive oil

Method
Put the butter or olive oil in a large pan and sweat, cook on a gentle heat with the lid on the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add the broccoli, potatoes and celery. Stir and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the stock, salt, pepper and thyme. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Check the soup and stir. Liquidise the soup and add the milk.
Taste and season as required. Serve.

Garnish
The soup can be garnished with :
1. chopped celery leaves
2. chopped walnuts
3. a swirl of cream, natural yoghurt or creme fraiche
4. pieces of crumbled stilton, this is a strong English blue cheese
5. Lancashire cheese crumbled, this is a white cheese with a nice soft texture and a sharp and tangy flavour.

Variations
1. Use soy milk but do not boil.
2. Add tofu to the soup as a good protein garnish.
3. Leave out the milk to make it non-dairy.
4. Use a different herb such as sage.

FOLIC ACID IN A HEALTHY DIET

In my Times newspaper 24 November 2006 there was an article that said that folic acid can help in the reduction of heart disease and strokes. Previous research has found that it can help some cancers and Alzheimer's disease. The sources of this folic acid ( vitamin B) are in the following foods, green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and green beans, oranges, dried beans, peas and lentils. I am hoping to include more soup recipes which include these delicious foods and help us to have a healthy life style and healthy diet.