Dairy Free Broccoli Soup

This is a delicious vegan alternative to cheesy broccoli soup that is still hearty and comforting.

3/4 cup raw cashews
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 ribs celery diced
1/2 small onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 bunch broccoli (about 4-5 smaller crowns), cut from the larger stem
2-3 small potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
32 oz vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
handful chopped dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the cashews to a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit at least 1 hour.
In a large stock pot or an Instapot saute celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add in broccoli, potatoes, and vegetable stock. Add in salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat so that it starts to boil (or if using an Instapot put the lid on and set for soup). Once it reaches a boil, turn lower and gently simmer for 25 minutes until the potatoes and broccoli are cooked through.
Drain the cashews and add to a high-speed blender. Add in hot stock from the soup. Blend (with the lid cracked so the heat can escape) until smooth. Add the cashew mixture to the pot along with nutritional yeast. Stir to combine. Optional: you can add the soup to the blender and pulse to break up the broccoli and potatoes. Once you’ve blended to your preferred consistency, stir in chopped dill. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Serve warm with crusty bread.