Creamy Broccoli Soup with Dumplings.

Prepare a little broccoli puree by placing 1/4 cup of chopped broccoli into a microwave safe bowl, together with 1 tablespoon of water. Cook for about 2 minutes on high (possibly longer, depending on your microwave) until the broccoli is bright green and fork tender. Blend the cooked broccoli together with a tablespoon of warm water (including any leftover water in the bowl) until smooth. Add green food coloring if you want your dumplings to be pale green (they won't be if you don't).

Add 3 tablespoons of your broccoli puree with your sweet white rice flour to create a very thick dough (it should be the consistency of Play-Doh or clay). Knead the mixture into a rough ball and then roll it out into a long rope, roughly 1/2-inch thick and 15 to 16 inches long. Divide the dough into small pieces that are approximately 1/2-inch thick, which means you should have about 30 to 32 pieces. Roll them into small balls and set them aside (covered so they don't get hard).

To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add a little extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable broth). When the oil begins to shimmer, add your onion, broccoli, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme, along with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Sauté the vegetables until the onions grow translucent, about 3 minutes. Then, add your miso and stir so that all your vegetables are evenly coated. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth, together with the cannellini beans and any leftover broccoli puree, and cook until your broccoli (including the stems) is fork tender (about 7 to 8 minutes).

Place the ingredients in your pot into a blender and blend until you achieve a fairly thick paste. Transfer the contents of the blender to the same pot you used earlier. Over low heat, whisk in the remaining vegetable broth until totally incorporated and you obtain a beautiful, smooth, velvety broth. Add the small rice balls you made earlier and cook over medium heat until the rice balls are tender and fully cooked (they will look slightly translucent on the outside), about 5 minutes.Optional garnish: cracked black pepper, vegan parmesan, toasted sesame seeds, roasted broccoli bits, olive oil, chili oil