Broccoli and Spinach Soup - Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my birthday and Jeff created a feast for me!  I also received the most awesome birthday present from my sister, a brand new KitchenAid Classic Mixer, and had to take it for a test drive (I've wanted one of those for sooooo long). She included in the present all the ingredients for bread so it was a no-brainer what we would make - Jeff took the reins on making the bread and it came out so good with such a smooth texture.  Needless to say the bread slowly disappeared while the rest of dinner was cooking.  Next time bread gets made last :)

 

Must....Eat.....Bread....Now....

Jeff also wanted to cook me something all on his own with no help from me, I admit it's hard for me to sit still when he is in the kitchen.  For those of you who know Jeff he is definitely not someone who likes or wants to cook. Before we met his idea of slaving in the kitchen for dinner was making boxed Mac-n-Cheese. So I was thrilled he wanted to try and make something on his own. My friend Jen gave me the cookbook Therapeutic Chef so we chose the Broccoli-Kale Soup, which of course the store was out of kale so we substituted spinach. Below is the recipe as we adapted it to what we had in the house :) . I have to say that if you make this be ready for it to taste healthy, hee hee, which I guess is the point of the book.
(forgive my obsession with taking pictures of Jeff cooking - had to preserve this precious moment)

Broccoli & Spinach Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
•  3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 1 bunch of broccoli, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup cashews
• Handful of fresh spinach
• 1 lemon zested and the juice from half

1. In a large heavy soup pot saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

2. Slowly add the vegetable broth while stirring and bring to a boil.  Add cauliflower, broccoli, and cashews and cook covered for about 10 minutes till all tender.

3. Remove from heat and let cool before blending.  Add lemon juice and spoon about 1/4 of it into a blender. Puree and repeat with remaining soup.  Serve hot with a small sprinkle of lemon zest.

For the main dish we also had the "Jacob" meal I made a while back.  Mmmmm....meat & potatoes, homemade bread, & soup.  What a wonderful evening!