Creamy Broccoli Soup with BBQ tempeh

~5 cups chopped broccoli

~5 stalks chopped celery

~1/2 chopped onion

~1 1/2 cups raw cashews

~10 cups water or veggie stock

~sea salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy)

~1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Amino's

~hot sauce if you like

Creamy Broccoli Soup...ohmygosh!!! This soup is the soup of all soups...for sure. It is an absolute family favorite and I usually will make a huge pot and it all ends up gone by the end of the night. It is SO good that you will find yourself continuing to almost drink it even after your stomach is full enough that you may just explode!

So, start out with your water or stock boiling and then add all of the chopped veggies. Turn the stove off and let the veggies just soak and soften inside of the water for about ten minutes or so with the lid on.....like so...
Only three simple ingredients so far but now comes the tricky part. I have been making this soup for years so I've got all of the kinks untwisted finally but there have been quite a few blender explosions along the way :) See you either must have a blender with a variable speed dial (the Vitamix is our favorite) or you have to just wait until the soup cools completely or it will create a huge mess if you try to blend it too hot. I start it on the lowest setting and slowly crank it up to blend thoroughly (about three minutes) while adding the raw cashews. It will take about three batches to do the entire soup so you will need an extra bowl to transfer the already blended soup into.
After all of the soup is blended then put it back on the stove and warm it up. Add about 1/2 cup chopped veggies and salt/pepper/chipotle/Braggs...whatever you like and simmer on medium low. That is it and it is divine~

As a side entree I chose tempeh because it's so tasty first of all and protein packed as an added bonus. You just cut it into small cubes and after it's cooked through add about a cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and stir for a few minutes and voila. mmm mmm good~

Aaron put the tempeh inside the soup which made the flavor even richer...he's so clever <3
Most of the Stubb's brand BBQ sauce is 100% vegan (I talked extensively to their marketing rep who used to be employed by Whole Foods Market so I trusted what she was talking about)....and it's flavor is so full and tangy. And of course anyone who uses Bragg's Liquid Amino's knows the magic it brings to a dish. Actually i think this is a secret ingredient so get it and use it and thank me later!