A Vegan Broccoli and Cheese Soup recipe whose cheese-less cheesiness you'll love. Get it while it's hot!
Ingredients
500g or a little over 1 lb of broccoli (around two small heads)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon paprika
8 cups water
4 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, or replace 4 cups of the water with 4 cups of prepared vegetable broth
1¼ teaspoons sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 cup unroasted cashews, soaked in warm water for 2 hours or in boiling water for 20 minutes
½ cup nutritional yeast
3 Tablespoons flour (or 2 Tablespoons cornstarch if gluten-free)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
First prepare the broccoli for steaming by separating it into its florets and washing thoroughly. Add 1 cup of water to a small pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the broccoli, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and cover the pot tightly. Steam for 5-6 minutes until it is cooked, but still bright green. Drain the broccoli and set it aside to cool.
In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until soft and translucent, around 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add the thyme, turmeric, and paprika and sauté for 5 seconds to bloom the spices, then quickly add the water. Stir in the vegetable broth powder, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf and bring the broth to a simmer.
When the broth has simmered for a minute or two, transfer some into a blender jar with a ladle (2 or 3 cups, doesn't have to be exact--just don't blend the bay leaf!). Add the soaked and drained cashews to the blender with the simmered broth, along with the nutritional yeast and the flour (or cornstarch). Blend on high until completely smooth--this may take a few minutes depending on your blender. (Be careful when blending, as the soup is hot. You may want to remove the vent in the lid to release steam, but be sure to put a hand towel over it and start the blender on LOW speed.)
When completely smooth, pour this blended mixture back into the pot with the unblended portion and stir until combined.
Let the soup come back to a boil, stirring occasionally. You will see it thicken as it boils. Just let it simmer for 3-5 minutes on medium heat.
Finally it's time to add the broccoli. Chop up the steamed and cooled broccoli into bite-sized pieces (or smaller if you like) and add them to the soup along with the lemon juice. Stir and bring it back to a simmer and serve hot.
Notes
-Cauliflower works great instead of the broccoli. It may need a few more minutes of steaming, though.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/vegan-broccoli-and-cheese-soup/