The immersion blender is possibly the cook’s best friend, allowing you to churn a chunky soup into a creamy blend in seconds, without any need to transfer, by small increments, hot liquids to a machine. You just stick the wand into your pot and voilà, you’ve got cream of whatever. Our favorite “whatever” of late is this cream of broccoli soup that is easy to put together and low-carb, to boot. Serve it with a sprinkle of your choice of grated cheese. (With this soup, you really don’t need any bread or other carb to make you feel you’ve eaten an actual meal. It’s filling!)

Easy Cream of Broccoli Soup

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 leek, chopped
• 10 oz. frozen broccoli
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3 cups water
• 3 oz. butter or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper
• grated cheese for serving

Method:

1. Place the leek and frozen broccoli in a pot and add water. Season with salt, and bring to a boil for a few minutes on high heat.
2. Add the garlic. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes, or until broccoli is tender when pierced with a knife.
3. Add cream cheese, butter or olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and basil. Blend with an immersion blender until desired consistency.
4. Serve with grated cheese.