Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I purchased some broccoli at Ward's that was on clearance. When I got home with it the big question was what will I do with this. So I decided to make a big pot of soup. This is so delicious and comforting. Serve with a slice of Garlic Bread or make bread bowls to serve the soup in . This serves 8+ people depending on how hungry you are. Go check out the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck where this soup and many other great vegan dishes are shared.

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 2  sweet onions, diced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 quart soy creamer or any other non-dairy creamer
• 5 cups no-chicken chicken stock (I love Better than Bouillon)
• 4-5 bay leaves
• 2 pounds broccoli florets (you can also use the stems just cut them small so they cook quickly)
• 4 carrots, diced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a dash of nutmeg
• 1 package Daiya cheddar cheese, grated

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in flour and cook 2 more minutes.

Slowly whisk in soy creamer and chicken stock. Stir until smooth.

Add bay leaves, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes.

(No your eyes aren't deceiving you, I had to pour the above mixture into a bigger pot before I could add the veggies.)

Add broccoli and carrots and cook another 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Remove the bay leaves.

Puree soup with your immersion blender. (If you don't have one you can use a regular blender and puree in batches.)

Return soup to pot over medium heat. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve with some form of bread, crackers, or in a bread bowl.

Enjoy ... this is so good!!!