Simple vegan cream of broccoli soup

I was on a mission today. I was determined to make a cream of broccoli soup with only things I had on hand. It turned out to be easy and totally worthwhile. This soup is awesome.

First, the issue I was having was how to make it a cream of anything soup without cream. I haven't made many "creamy" soups since I went vegan. After all, soy milk tastes dreadful. (Yes, I said it.) Coconut milk lends a very distinctive flavour, so the broccoli would not be the star for very long. Almond milk is a little too sweet and too nutty for my liking. And other non-dairy milks are not really my cup of tea--and I certainly don't have any on hand.



So the answer came to me in a brainwave: potatoes. Potatoes are starchy, and when broken down, kind of creamy. They were going to be my cream.

After a bit of thought, I decided that I wanted some garlic, some onion and that was about it, veggie/seasoning-wise. So I threw a bunch of frozen broccoli in a pot, added the potatoes, onions and garlic, and tossed in some broth. A half-hour and a trip through the blender later, I had the most delicious cream of broccoli soup I had ever made. Even if you count before I tried the vegan kind.

So here it is, a little micro-post to give you some soupy goodness for this chilly day!

Simple Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Makes 6-8 servings

4 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 lb (2 medium) potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, chopped roughly
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 litres salted veggie broth (or water with 3-4 bouillon cubes)

Put everything in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft. Allow the soup to cool for about 15 minutes so it's not steaming hot. Put it through a blender or use an immersion blender to puree it. Reheat to serve. Reheats very nicely!