Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Steps

1. 1Chop your broccoli-including most of the stalks-don't throw them all away! Leave out about 1 1/2 cups of tiny broccoli florets for adding whole to the soup later. The rest of the broccoli will be pureed.
2. 2In your soup pot, saute over med-high heat: 2 Tbsp of your olive oil with the shallot, onion and jalapeno. When cooked lightly, add in lemon juice, veggie broth, remaining oil, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium.
3. 3Bake your potatoes using an oven or microwave. Rough chop them and add them to your pot.
4. 4Add in the broccoli. Remember to leave out a few florets for later use though.
5. 5Cover with lid, when broccoli is tender, turn heat off.
6. 6Transfer contents of pot into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
7. 7Add to the bowl the fresh parsley, soy creamer, vegenaise and soy milk. Fold new ingredients into the hot soup mixture.
8. 8In batches, puree the soup in a Vitamix or other food-processor style blender. Soup should be smooth-no lumps or chunks. Warning: only blend warm soup in blender with extreme caution! Never aim blender toward your face and always start on the lowest setting possible. Never overfill the blender.
9. 9In the soup pot, add the broccoli florets, a dash of veggie broth and saute covered for about a minute until tender.
10. 10Add the pureed soup back into the soup pot.
11. 11Add a bay leaf and a few pinches of chopped basil (optional).
12. 12Simmer uncovered for at least twenty minutes to cook out all the air bubbles. Stir constantly for the first few minutes.
13. 13Remove the bay leaf before serving or storing.
14. 14Serve with a garnish of 1 tsp soy creamer drops, a pinch of fresh parsley, a basil leaf and of course some shreds of cheddar cheese.
15. 15Lower Fat Modifications: Use half the amount of olive oil, and substitute the creamer for more soy milk.
16. 16You can also use less cheese, but now why would you want to do that? :)