Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Hiya! How are you today?? I am c-c-c-c-cold! Our temperatures have been up and down so much in the past few weeks I swear one day it feels like February and the next day you'd think it's July! Derek's been venturing out in shorts quite a bit, but I haven't been that brave yet....and then yesterday we were told that we might get some flurries?!

What. the. Heck?! No Thank You Mother Nature! Bring on the HEAT!!!

My original plan was to post a pasta recipe today, but I've been freezin' my buns off and I thought this soup recipe was much more appropriate. It's packed full of lots of healthy veggies and feels decadent with a creamy and cheesy broth....meat eaters and vegetarians alike will love this! If you want to make this vegan, switch out the cheddar for some Daiya shreds and you're good to go!

Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

5c finely chopped veggies (I used carrots, onion, potato, brocolli & cauliflower)

plus 1c baby spinach, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp coconut oil (canola oil would work)

5 1/2 c vegetable broth

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 c unsweetened original almond milk

1 1/2 c shredded cheese (the sharper the cheese, the better the flava')

1 tbsp spicy Mrs. Dash (optional)
fresh ground pepper
pinch sea salt

Melt the coconut oil in a large soup pot. Add your onion & garlic and saute for 5 minutes over medium high heat. Do not let the onion and garlic brown ~ you just want them to start to soften. Add your other veggies (except for the spinach) and saute for an additional 3 - 4 minutes.

Add your vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and allow it to simmer for approximately 7 - 8 minutes. Add your spicy Mrs. Dash and sea salt.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and almond milk and stir until the flour is completely dissolved. Add to your soup and continue cooking until the broth becomes thickened - another 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove your pot from the stovetop. Stir in your spinach and add your cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.

Veggies...lots and lots of veggies.

Use Mrs. Dash to add a bit of pizazz to your soup.

Adding greens is always a good thing ;)

...and the star of the show....CHEDDAR :)

Serve topped with fresh ground pepper.

Yum! This certainly will warm you from head to toe. Serve with some toast or fresh multigrain bread.

Hubba hubba - this is a perfect meal for the last (I hope!) of our cold days.

How do you keep warm when you get some unexpected blasts of cold in the Spring?

What is your favourite type of soup to make from scratch?

Have a fabulous day,

Andrea

xoxo