Puree two sliced frozen bananas, a cup of nondairy milk, and a tablespoon of nut butter. What you get is smooth and creamy “ice cream” without the high levels of fat, sugar, and cholesterol! It’s not too late to kickstart your health! National Folic Acid Awareness Week is this week! Folate helps your body create new cells and is an important part of producing red blood cells. This nutrient can be found in many Power Plate foods. Just a cup of cooked broccoli contains more than 20 percent of your daily need for folate!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

This soup gives the texture and taste of a rich creamy soup without the added dairy and high saturated fat content. Enjoy it with whole wheat or rice crackers.

Ingredients

Makes about 8 1-cup servings

2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
6 cups broccoli florets
2 cups water
3 cups plain rice milk, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 - 4 tablespoons Sesame Seasoning

Place potatoes, celery, broccoli, and water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until potato chunks are tender when pierced with a sharp knife (do not overcook).

Transfer about 3 cups of the vegetables to a blender. Add 2 cups rice milk, basil, tarragon, salt, and black pepper. Blend for about 60 seconds, or until completely smooth. Pour blended mixture into a clean pot.

Place remaining vegetables in blender along with the cooking liquid and remaining 1 cup rice milk. Blend vegetables until they are completely smooth or leave them slightly chunky, depending on your taste. Combine blended mixtures, then stir in Sesame Seasoning. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until steamy.

Per serving (1 cup): 126 calories; 2.8 g fat; 0.4 g saturated fat; 19.7% calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 3.4 g protein; 23.8 g carbohydrates; 6.1 g sugar; 3.8 g fiber; 343 mg sodium; 187 mg calcium; 2.1 mg iron; 41.2 mg vitamin C; 532 mcg beta-carotene; 1.8 mg vitamin E

Recipe from Foods That Fight Pain by Neal Barnard, M.D.; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

Please feel free to tailor PCRM recipes to suit your individual dietary needs.