Broccoli Avocado Soup

I've been trying desperately to stick to my paleo diet and sadly I've been failing miserably.  I'm learning a lot though and that is for another post.

I'm also consuming a lot of veggies.  I am not a veggie fan.  I wish I were.  Life would be healthier and it would definitely be easier to adopt this paleo style of living.  I wish I could just turn on a "crave veggies" switch!  Regardless I keep buying them and looking for ways to make them enjoyable for me to consume without removing all of the health benefits.

I bought cauliflower recently to try roasting it with curry.  I saw the recipe on pinterest and it was ok.  I didn't really love it enough to post it here if that tells you anything.  It left me with 1/2 a head of cauliflower to try something new.  So I started researching veggie soups and came up with this!

Broccoli-Avocado Soup

1 head of broccoli cut into pieces

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into pieces

1 large avocado, pitted and chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 to 4 Tbsps lemon juice

3 Tbsps olive oil

6 scallions, chopped

1 tsp Tabasco

dash of salt

dash of pepper

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil until soft.  Add the broccoli, scallions and cauliflower and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer on low until veggies are cooked enough to mash with a fork (about 20-30 minutes).  

Transfer the mixture to a blender.  Depending on the size of your veggies you might have to puree it in two batches.  Add the chopped avocado and puree until smooth.  At this point you might have to add a bit more of broth if your mixture is too thick.  

Transfer back to pot once you have pureed the entire mixture.  Add lemon juice, Tabasco and spices until you are satisfied with the taste.  

We grew up eating lemon juice on broccoli so I really like a lemony flavor.  You might prefer less so that is why I suggest adding it at the end.  You could also try adding a little bit of red pepper flakes when you cook the veggies if you like spicier food.

I served this with fresh cilantro and feta cheese on top.  If you are following the paleo diet you'll need to leave off the cheese of course!  But it does add just a little bit of saltiness to the dish that compliments it well.

This is a very hearty soup but it is SO good for you!  You could substitute any veggie you like.  Next time I plan to use all broccoli since I prefer the taste to cauliflower.  I would also suggest maybe some shaved almonds over top to give it a little crunch!

Hope you enjoy!!

**If you like my recipe I'd really appreciate you using the blue "pin it" button to put it on Pinterest!**