Creamy broccoli soup with cheesy garlic croutons.

Last night I slept eleven hours and today I am having a 'day off'.  Washed my hair, changed the sheets, drank endless cups of tea.  Soon I will tolerate the rest of the insufferable Wuthering Heights whilst sitting next to the heater and consider doing yoga.  My soul feels better than it did.


This is a SEXY BROCCOLI SOUP.  It is creamy, salty, hearty, and huggable.  For the croutons I added nootch and salt because salt.  Okay, your move winter.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz broccoli (about 7 cups, packed)
• 6 cups water, divided
• 1½ tsp salt (or to taste)
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Place cashews in a small bowl. Cover with water. Soak for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. (I brewed water in a tea kettle, poured the boiling water over the cashews, and let them soak for 15 minutes. If you have a high-speed blender, they won't need to soak long.)
2. Add oil to a large pot (I used my dutch oven) over medium high heat. Once hot, add onion and a pinch of salt and sautee for about three minutes. Add celery and carrots and sauté for another five minutes. Add garlic and broccoli and sautee for another five minutes.
3. Add 5 cups water, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Drain cashews. Place cashews and 1 cup water in a blender (I used my nutribullet). Blend until very smooth and creamy. There should be no clumps. Set the cashew cream aside.
5. Puree soup using a large blender or immersion blender. You'll likely have to do this in batches.
6. Once soup is pureed, stir in cashew cream. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Homemade Croutons in 20 Minutes

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Vegan Insanity

Recipe type: How-To Guide

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 loaf day-old French bread
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp basil (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Chop bread into cubes. Make sure they're bite-sized!
3. Add bread cubes, olive oil, garlic powder and basil into a large bowl. Mix well, so that all bread cubes are coated nicely.
4. Arrange bread cubes on a baking tray, lined with non-stick spray or a Silplat baking mat. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly browned.
5. Allow to cool completely, then stick them in a freezer bag and pop in the freezer until needed. Thaw for 5 minutes before use.