4. broccoli not-cheese soup

vegan broccoli cashew soup

This is not broccoli cheese soup. It's actually vegan broccoli cashew soup. But it tastes surprisingly cheesy and I'm not vegan and I love cheese. This is inspired by Pinch of Yum's Detox Broccoli Cheese Soup. She's awesome and has a video so go ahead and hit up her site if you haven't already followed her down the yellow brick road into delicious utopia.

vegan broccoli cashew soup 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil + more for serving
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 large carrots, chopped
• 1/2 lb of potato, chopped - either 1 large potato, peeled and chopped or 5ish new potatoes 
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets, in large pieces for easy removal
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth - I use vegetable better than boullion 
• 2 cups cashew milk* 
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
• 1  teaspoons sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• pepper to taste
• flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions: 

Saute: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mirepoix, garlic, potatoes, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Saute until softened, about 10 minutes.

Simmer: Add broccoli, vegetable broth, and cashew milk. Simmer until bubbly and broccoli is bright green, about 5 minutes.

Blend: Using tongs, pull out most of the broccoli pieces and set aside. Add dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup, without the broccoli, to a super creamy, cheesy-looking consistency. Then add the broccoli and just pulse a few times to break it up a bit. Stir in nutritional yeast. Taste and adjust your seasonings as desired.

Finish: Dish into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, and chopped parsley (not pictured). Serve with some delicious crusty bread.

* I made my own cashew milk but you could sub another alternate milk here. I just love how cashews taste in soup. I may try to add the cashews right into the soup instead of going through the trouble of making the milk first. That's for the next time I make it.

Lindsay at Pinch of Yum suggests making and topping with croutons. I didn't do this but I'm sure it's delicious. If you want the recipe for those, head on over to her blog.