This soup is good, really good. It comes together quickly but tastes like you took your sweet time to make it. It’s creamy, vegan and so easy to make. You will love it!
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Step 1
Start by soaking a cup and a half of raw cashews in filtered water and preheating the oven to 375°.
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Step 2
Chop up celery and onion of choice for sautéing. Cut up asparagus and prepare for roasting at 375°
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Step 3
A soup that starts with sautéing celery and onion will always be good. If you love celery, use a whole stalk, if you don’t, use half. A vegan butter spread is good here or of course, olive oil. Keep the heat low to medium and don’t rush this part, go check your email while you wait for the onions to turn translucent.
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Step 4
After onions are translucent and asparagus is roasted (less than 10 minutes) start adding all ingredients to the pot.
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Step 5
Add a carton of vegetable stock (one quart). If you have your own stock, you’re awesome! Don’t forget the cashews, garlic, herbs and nutritional yeast. Now blend it all up!
Ingredients
1 bundle of asparagus
1 leek or onion of choice (I used a palmetto onion)
1 celery stalk
1 quart of vegetable stock
1 cup raw cashews (soaked)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
3 to 4 garlic cloves (roasted)
a couple glugs of olive oil or some vegan butter spread
some fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme and oregano)
salt and pepper, generously
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Soak cashews in filtered water.
Chop up asparagus and place on baking sheet, garlic toes can be roasted along with the asparagus. While the asparagus is roasting, chop up onions and celery and sauté on medium heat until onions turn translucent, add some salt and pepper here if you like.
After about 10 minutes (or less) in the oven, the asparagus should be fragrant and turning a tiny bit brown. Place the asparagus in the pot with the onions, garlic and celery, add a quart of vegetable stock, the cashews with their soaking water and the herbs. Bring up the heat so that all the ingredients get good and hot (4 to 6 minutes on medium/high). Turn the heat off, add the nutritional yeast and blend using an immersion blender. I have this one from Cuisinart. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will do the job too. Taste for salt and pepper, it may need more than you think.
Notes
Nutritional yeast adds a really nice flavor and lots of B vitamins, but if you don’t have any, the soup will still be good without it.
If you want to make this even creamier and add a little protein, some silken tofu would be perfect (just blend it right in).
If you don’t wish to make this vegan, a drizzle of kefir or cream can be added right before serving.
Toasted rye bread is a nice topping or some almond slivers would be good too.
Photography by Paige Alisa