More Time for Misbehaving

Growing up, my sister and I loved helping my mom out in the kitchen. We loved mixing, chatting, and wearing fun aprons. My personal favorite: a red cloth apron emblazoned with white letters proclaiming, “Got more time for misbehavin’, since I started microwavin’!” We still have that apron, and I still wear it when I am at home. Personally, my microwave is my least utilized kitchen tool. I reheat leftovers in it, but that is about it. I can’t seem to microwave oatmeal without it exploding, I make air popped popcorn, and rarely find other uses for this kitchen staple. That was true until I made this soup!

I blame the craving I had for Broccoli Cheddar Soup that came over me on two circumstances: the rainy day and my afternoon of studying spent in Panera. I used to love this soup in a bread bowl from Panera, but haven’t had it in a long time since it is not vegetarian (made with chicken broth). I searched for some vegan recipes online, but didn’t want to spend a lot of time making a whole pot of soup since I needed to finish up some studying before going out for the night. I decided to experiment, try my luck with the microwave, and hope for the best! The resulting soup was so much better than I could have even hoped for – perfectly salty, broccoli laden, and a little creamy. Reminiscent of my favorite Panera soup, but with a much better nutrition profile. So easy that it requires about 10 minutes total prep and cooking time, and clean up is a breeze since you only use one dish. My picture for proof of this is somehow corrupted, but at least these few survived! I made my own mini-bread bowl for a few bites of soup by hollowing out a sourdough roll – craving fulfilled. This will definitely be a soup I will make often! No matter what your skill level is in the kitchen, give this a try – it is foolproof!

Microwavable Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Inspired by Novel Eats, serves 1

1/4 small onion, chopped

1 tsp vegan butter

1/2 white potato, peeled and diced

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 small crown of broccoli, sliced into small florets

2 tbsp almond milk

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pinch kosher salt

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine onion and butter. Microwave for 2 minutes so that onions soften. Add the diced potato and vegetable broth. Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir, then microwave for 2 more minutes. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from microwave. Stir together the almond milk, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, and salt; then mix into soup. Enjoy with a side of bread.