Cream of Potato and Broccoli Soup

For all of you who do not live in Colorado, it was cold today! I mean bone-chillin' 20 degree weather that takes you 30 minutes to get warm again, cold. Now, it gets much colder than that here but on very rare occasions, and I think this had to be the coldest day we have had this winter. Brrr! I had to run some errands today, and at each place I stopped, whomever was helping me asked if it was "still really cold out there." Yes, indeed. So, what is better on a cold day than soup? Nothin'! Ever since I found this cream of potato soup on Vegan Dad, Shannon has requested it repeatedly-it is now a regular on our menu repertoire. I am a sucker for requests (Raquel knows this best...hi Raquel!). I am finally out of my cold funk and decided to hunker down in the kitchen for 45 minutes and make this delicious soup.

I recommend not forgoing the nutritional yeast if you can help it. Make an effort to swing by a health food store to pick some up. It is super cheap and very nutritious. A common question I get asked by meat eaters is "where do you get your B12?" My answer to them is nutritional yeast is an awesome source of not only B12, but also protein (14g per ounce), fiber (7g per ounce), other B vitamins. I like using this answer because it usually eschews the "where do you get your protein" question that inevitably follows. I have a jar of nutritional yeast that I keep in my fridge and use it in anything from soups to gravies to popcorn (in lieu of butter) to salad dressings. It comes in the form of a yellow powder that has a bit of a cheesy flavor to it.

I have tweaked this recipe quite a bit from Vegan Dad's. I am not a fan of soy milk or really any soy products in general-I use them very sparingly and only purchase organic, non-GMO soy products. His recipe called for 3 cups of plain soy milk and an additional 1/2 cup of soy creamer. I made cashew cream instead and it turned out fantastic! Did you know that two handfuls of [raw] cashews a day gives one the therapeutic equivalent of a prescription dose of Prozac (Dr. Andrew W. Saul). Brilliant, just brilliant! I served it in these sweet bamboo bowls that my mom gave me...thanks Mom! You cannot see it in the picture, but the bowl is orange, so cool!

Cream of Potato and Broccoli Soup
Serves 4
Total Time: 45 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, small dice
1 medium shallot, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 medium red potatoes, skins on, small dice
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup filtered water
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Place raw cashews in 1 1/2 cups of water and let soak.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, shallot, celery and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Add potatoes and saute for 2 minutes.

Rinse the cashews and blend them with 1 1/2 cups of fresh water to create a cream.

Add broth, cashew cream and 1 cup water to the pot (should cover most of the potatoes, add more if needed). Bring to a rolling boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Remove half of the soup from the pot and blend until smooth. Return to pot along with the broccoli. Return to a rolling boil and cook 5-7 minutes until broccoli is cooked (soft, but not mushy). Add the nutritional yeast and season with salt and pepper.