Potato Leek Mushroom Soup

What you need:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
• 1 cup leek (diced, dark leaves removed)
• 3 stalks celery (diced)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (diced)
• 3 cups mushrooms (any type will work – I used a mix of shitake and crimini)
• 4-5 small potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1-2 cups water (depending on how thin or chunky you like your soup)
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked and drained) – or use sunflower seeds if you want to make it nut free

What you do:

• Heat your oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the leek and celery and saute for 4 – 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in garlic, bay leaves and saute for another minute.  Add the potatoes, mushrooms, black pepper, salt, vegetable broth and extra water if desired. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
• Add your cashews to the blender. Ladle in one cup of your soup and blend well until smooth to create your cashew cream. Now ladle more of your soup and puree. I keep about 1/2 -2/3 of the soup aside before blending because I prefer to have a chunky soup, but if you like creamed soups blend the whole soup. Be sure to remove bay leaves before blending.
• If you find it’s not thick enough to your liking, mix-up 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour/water mixture and add to soup to thicken.
• Ensure you leave a place for the steam to escape from the blender, otherwise, the lid will blow off and make a big mess!
• Garnish with fresh sprouts or parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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