Creamy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

By BlueSchmoo

Make Vegan buy substituting Olive oil for Butter, Vegetable broth for Chicken broth and Almond Creamer for the Cream and lastly use shredded Almond Milk cheddar style cheese

To make Almond creamer
1 Cup Almonds
2 Cups water

Soak 1 cup almonds overnight, drain and rinse
Add Almonds and 1 cup of water to a blender (I use Vitamix) and puree, slowly adding the rest of the water, strain using a nut milk bag or a thick layer of cheese cloth in a sieve, squeezing to get out all the liquid from the pureed nuts (I use this in my morning coffee)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, stems peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, florets chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or Vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream or Almond Creamer
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese shredded, plus extra for garnish or Almond Milk Cheddar Cheese
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper

Details

Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broccoli stems and cook until bright green and just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until stems are tender, about 5 minutes. Add florets, cream, and nutmeg and simmer until florets are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Puree soup in two batches in blender until smooth, return to pot, and bring to simmer over medium heat. Stir in cheddar until melted and season with salt and cayenne pepper. Serve, garnished with extra cheese. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat until hot, but do not boil or cheese will separate.)