Serving Size : 8
4 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 carrots -- thinly sliced (1 to 2)
1 cup water
1/4 cup rice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 heads broccoli (about a pound)
1 can cream of broccoli soup
3 cups 2% low-fat milk
paprika -- for garnish

Saute onion, carrot slices and celery in margarine until tender. Stir in water, rice, pepper, and cream of broccoli soup. Stir until smooth. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 15 minutes. Cut off broccoli stems and slice into very thin pieces - the size of a match stick. Separate tops into florets and steam broccoli until tender. Save a few tops for garnish. Stir broccoli into soup and cook until everything is tender and hot. Now you have a choice. You can place a whole batch of soup into your blender, add the milk and blend until smooth. Or, you can put just half the soup in your blender - add the milk and still have some whole pieces of veggies to eat or you can just add the milk and leave all the pieces of veggies alone and enjoy the soup like it is. Anyway, you want to reheat the soup but do not boil. Garnish bowls of soup with paprika and broccoli florets.