It's that time of year again! Even thought the leaves aren't changing here in the Bay Area, my Ohio heart still feels the impending coziness of the fall & winter seasons! Soups are one of my absolute favorite fall meals AND meal preps for busy weeks. Loaded with veggies, a huge pot of soup can provide easy & nutritious meals all week long. This vegan Creamy Potato Soup is a mock up of one of my most nostalgic meals as a kid... my mom's thick potato soup topped with a flavorful sausage. While this soup can definitely hold it's own as a meal ( a low calorie one, at that), topping with a vegan sausage immediately takes me back to chilly winter nights in Ohio.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Spread OR oil of your choice
3 stalks celery
3 medium carrots
1/2 white onion
1 pack roasted seasoned garlic or 4 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 head of cauliflower
1.5 cups chopped Leek stalks (google how to best prep fresh leeks!)
2 large russet potatoes
3 small yukon gold potatoes
6 cups vegetable stock
3 tbsp vegan chicken stock flavoring (optional! Vegetable bouillon or concentrate also work well for added flavor)
2 bay leaves (dry)
2-3 large sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 can coconut milk
1/2 lemon (juiced)
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder to taste.
Instructions:
In a large soup pot, heat Earth Balance or Oil over medium/high heat. Add roughly chopped celery, carrots, onion, whole garlic cloves & salt. Cook until onions are translucent. Add roughly chopped cauliflower & leeks & cook down for 3-5mins. Add vegetable broth, cubed potatoes, vegan Chicken Stock flavoring, and whole bay leaves & fresh rosemary & thyme to the pot. Reduce heat to medium & cover. Cook until potatoes have started to break down & soup is now thick and chunky. REMOVE BAY LEAF & HERB SPRIGS. The fresh rosemary & thyme will have dropped off of the branches, so you should be pulling out relatively bare springs. Blend in a blender (it will take 2-3 batches) or use a hand blender to blend smooth ( or to desired consistency). Return to soup pot & stir in lemon juice and coconut milk. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste. This will be a thick & creamy soup. Add vegetable stock to tailor soup to desired consistency.
Serve in a bowl (or a BREAD BOWL yum!) topped with Chives! I also topped with mild Soyrizo (or a vegetarian kielbasa style sausage) for SUPER filling meal!
Makes about 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts (for soup only):
Calories: 225
Fat: 13g
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 4g
Protein: 4g
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