Vegan Broccoli Soup

 

Brrrr. This week has brought on the chill! Fall is definitely in the air.  But that makes it no better time to make some warm soup.

I love finding dairy-free options for creamy soups that don't taste....well, weird.  Some dishes can be "vega-fied" by using soy cheeses and such which I am just not a fan of, and it's not just because of their taste.  Remember how I said we've been switching our diet to more whole and plant-based foods and taking out the processed?  Well, although those soy products do not contain dairy, they are still processed, thus not being a whole food and contain...SOY (one of the most genetically modified foods).  So, I try to steer clear of those products.

This delicious soup gets it's creaminess from pureed cashews, which works amazingly well!  And it's even more healthified by tons of broccoli! This fits the bill for me in more ways than one.

 I crave soup practically all the time during the cold months, I'm glad to add another delicious one to my recipe box!

Vegan Broccoli Soup

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour then drained

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 heads of broccoli, chopped into bite-size florets

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce (or vegan Worcestershire)

about 4 cups of water

Soak raw cashews in water for 1 hour.  Drain and puree in blender.  Set aside.

Steam broccoli until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat,  add olive oil, and onions.  Cook until onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more.  Add cumin, salt, mustard seed, and black pepper and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add cooked broccoli florets, water and cashew cream reduce heat to a simmer.  With an immersion blender blend soup until smooth.  Alternately, you could work in batches and blend it in a blender until smooth.

Add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Serve warm.  Soup will last, in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. 

SOURCE: Adapted from The Three Day Cleanse via Joy the Baker