Friday Fuel: Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Introducing a healthy remake of the creamy cheddar broccoli soup. This broccoli soup is CREAMY, yes, but without the real heavy cream.

An even better side note, this soup isn’t heavy and filling. It’s light and similar to a detox soup. It’s not only healthy but also very easy to make.

What makes this cheezy broccoli soup creamy you might ask? Pureed potatoes and cashews. Blend those up together and you have a white cream sauce. Additionally, you might be wondering how it can taste cheezy without any cheese. That’s a simple answer: nutritional yeast and mustard. If you’re new to plant-based cuisine, you will just have to trust me on this one and try it for yourself.

Steamed broccoli is wonderful for your health; it has a reputation as a superfood. It is low in calories but contains a wealth of nutrients and antioxidants that support many aspects of human health.

Did you know these things about broccoli: 

• The crop is a cool-season vegetable which means it grows best during spring or fall.
• The vegetable is a member of the Brassicaceae family which also includes cabbage, kale, and cauliflower.
• It is full of many vitamins and minerals important for skin health, including zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains lutein, a carotenoid that works like beta carotene.

So many reasons you will want to warm up this week with a hot cup of cheezy broccoli soup. Enjoy!

 

Vegan Cheezy Broccoli Soup

Yields 3 bowls or 4 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp (vegan) butter
• 2 cloves raw garlic, minced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium melody or yukon potato, sliced very thin
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp onion salt or garlic salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp ground mustard
• 1 Tbsp or 2 cubes “chicken flavor” bouillon
• 3 cups chopped broccoli (1 small head), stems removed
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 5 cups water (4 for broth, 1 for cashew cream)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, add butter, onion, and garlic. Heat on medium high.
2. Let that cook while you thinly slice the potatoes (about 1 minute). Add potatoes to the pot. Add the spices. Coat veggies well. Chop the broccoli into pieces and add that to the pot. Add 4 cups of water and the bouillon. Let every cook while you make the cashew cream. About 5 minutes. Water will boil. Turn it to medium once it boils.
3. Meanwhile in a Vitamix container add cashews, 1 cup water and nutritional yeast. Blend on high until creamy.
4. Add the hot soup in the pot to the vitamix container with the cashew cream. Blend everything until really creamy. This doesn’t take too long as the contents will be steamy hot.
5. Serve topped with your favorite chipped herbs, croutons or additional broccoli. Serve warm.
6. Store extra in the fridge once it cools down. Lasts about 4 days.