Low Fat, Full Flavor Broccoli Mushroom Soup

This week we will be getting organic broccoli and cauliflower in our farm share, I am really pumped! 
The taste difference is amazing!  Do yourself a flavor and choose organic next time you are in the mood for either versatile veggie.  I am not a fan of cream soups so this recipe was created in an effort to get a creamy texture without the heaviness of a cream and its fat. I also had leftover mashed potatoes at the time and they became the creamy element in the soup.  Broccoli and mushrooms are a great combo and sautéing the mushrooms in Marsala or Sherry cooking wine and some evo before incorporating them into the soup, in the end gives the soup a rich full bodied flavor.  Another added richness is the roasted garlic.  When I get a sleeve of garlic, I roast half the heads so I always have some on hand in the frig.  It is soft and creamy, like butter and the flavor is incredible!  Kick it up with some truffle oil when baking and it’s really awesome.  Another added garnish that I am going to use this time is some oven roasted potato chips to nestle in the bowl when serving to resurface the creamy potato base of the soup.  This is one of my husband’s favs because he really enjoys creamy soups and this is one that he doesn’t miss the cream!

Low fat, Full Flavor Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Soup
8-10 servings

3lb organic broccoli heads
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2T Extra virgin olive oil
Splash of white balsamic vinegar
2 T of basil pesto (prepared or homemade)
1 heaping cups of mashed potatoes (instant will do)
32 oz. container + 1 cup of organic chicken broth

1 cup thinly sliced portabella mushrooms
Marsala or Sherry cooking wine
EVO
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Lightly steam the broccoli heads to retain bright green color, roughly chop.  Reserve  1 cup of the broccoli for finishing.

2.  Heat 2T of oil in your soup pot.  Add the onions and celery and sauté until soft.  Add the splash of balsamic vinegar while tossing over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook until the garlic breaks down into the onion and celery mix.  Add the broccoli (reserve 1 cup) and potatoes; stir to combine over low heat.   Add the broth slowly, gently folding everything together.  Let the soup simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, heat 2T of evo in medium sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms, cook until they start to release their liquid and add at least a ¼ cup of cooking wine to pan.  Keep sautéing on the higher heat, until the wine is absorbed into the mushrooms.  Sauté the mushrooms until they are almost golden and somewhat caramelized.  You could add a 1/2T of butter while sautéing this if you feel you need it.
4.  When all the soup ingredients are broken down, turn off heat and use a hand blender to puree it.  If you feel the soup is too thick at this point, add a little water or you could add fat free half & half, 2% milk, etc. to thin it out to your liking.  Stir in the reserved chopped broccoli and the mushrooms.  Give the soup about two quick hits with the blender if you want to incorporate them a little more.  You could also serve them on the side to be placed in individual servings, as well as a cheddar cheese or oven baked potatochips.