Cheesy Broccoli Soup

I get asked all the time how I live without consuming seven blocks of cheese a day. Easy, I eat seven blocks of vegan cheese instead. I wish I could respond with how I eat pounds of fruit, don't touch processed food, and don't spend my nights dreaming of cheesy garlic bread. But I can't say those things, because I actually eat my weight in oreos, have an addiction to humus comparable to that of a heroin addict, and have become quite the inhaler of vegan cheeses. Usually when people hear the phrase "plant based cheese", their faces wrinkle up as if they've just smelled cat shit. But really ya'll, this technology has come a long way! From Daiya to homemade cashew creams, there are so many options when it comes to incorporating that ooey gooey goodness in your diet.

 I think the easiest way to achieve a creamy consistency in your dishes is one of the oldest tricks in the book: a roux! Equal parts butter, in our case Earth Balance, and flour, a roux is the base of our bechamel, or white sauce.

Look what I found!!! Finding new, vegan friendly products to try has become my new favorite thing. I picked this up at my local Kroger, which has an amazing health food section. I'm sure you could find this on Amazon if you really wanted to try it. Vegetable broth is what I usually use, but this tasted so so so much better! Definitely try to find this product!

Totally optional, but I like to blend my soup once the milk and broth has been added in.

I reserve about two cups of broccoli florets, and chop them into bite size pieces. I like my soup to have lots of different textures going on, so this is an optional step. I add them at the last minute, along with my julienned carrots, so their color stays nice and bright.

My favorite thing about this soup is how versatile it is! This recipe makes a ginormous batch, so I have lots of leftovers! I freeze some for the nights I don't want to cook, but there is still a bunch left to munch on during the week. You can serve it in a bread bowl, on top of a baked potato, tossed with some pasta; the possibilities are endless!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Author: The Porkless Peg Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

• 2 16 oz bags of organic frozen broccoli florets
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 cup julienned carrots
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 2 1/2 cups almond milk
• 2 32 oz containers of vegetable broth
• 1 cup Earth Balance
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 cups vegan cheese, such as Daiya, Chao plus 1 cup for serving
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sweat garlic and onions until translucent, in a heavy bottomed stock pot, on medium heat
2. Sprinkle with flour and add earth balance, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes
3. Add in broccoli florets, reserving about two cups for later
4. Add almond milk and veggie broth
5. Sprinkle in nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
6. Turn heat down to low, and slowly sprinkle in cheese, stirring constantly. 
7. Add in remaining broccoli, along with the julienned carrots
8. Bring to a simmer, and serve by the ladleful topped with remaining cheese.