In Miami there is rarely an opportunity to enjoy the finer things winter has to offer. While the rest of the world sits snug in their warmest outfits with warm bowls of liquid, content in that cozy warmth those things bring, those of us living in South Florida are subject to rolling sweat, intolerable humidity and a possible fainting spell were we to try the same thing.
Ironically, our ray of sunshine has come in the form of an unseasonably cold winter. Blame global warming or what have you, but this season’s temperatures have dipped into regions never before seen. The excitement is palpable. Pictures of frost on cars and thermometers reading numbers in the 30s abound on all our favorite social networking sites, not to mention all the fashion opportunities afforded by this change in weather.
As laughable as a scarf sounds in balmy 40-degree weather, one must take advantage. Just as suddenly as the cold comes, it also disappears. Most exciting of all are the opportunities to sit with cups of cocoa and bowls of warm soup and not sweat one’s ass off. Unfortunately, the best soups are often the creamiest and cheesiest concoctions. Thus, because we do have more bikini weather than anything else, below is a better for you version of Broccoli and Cheese Soup that uses Cannellini Beans and Greek Yogurts as creamy thickeners, and just enough cheese to add flavor.
Ingredients
1 Large Onion Chopped
Three Cloves of Garlic Chopped
Drizzle of Olive Oil
4 Cups Broccoli Chopped
1 12oz Can of Cannellini Beans
1 12oz Can of Chicken Broth
2 Cups Water
4oz Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
½ Cup of Grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Method
1. Sauté your Onion and Garlic in olive oil, until they’ve softened and become translucent in a large and deep pot.
2. Add broccoli florets, cannellini beans, chicken broth and water to pot and bring everything to a boil. Let simmer until broccoli is very tender.
3. Once done, blend your soup. This step becomes 100 times easier if you have an immersion blender. If you don’t, a regular blender will work just fine, just remember to be careful when handling hot liquids.
4. Once everything has blended, put what should be a lovely bright green liquid into your pot once more and add the greek yogurt and parmesan. Stir in until your ingredients have dissolved completely.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
It takes less than an hour to finish the entire dish and is excellent with a slice of toasted bread. Enjoy its versatility as well. Broccoli can easily be substituted for any vegetable or combination of vegetables, and one can even throw different varieties of cheese to completely make this something new.