"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something." ~Neil Gaiman
I shared this quote in my newsletter this week, and I think it’s going to be my guide for 2017. Heck, I might even frame it for my office! I tend to shy away from things if I don’t think I can do them well, and this quote reminds me to take more risks in the year to come. My goal list tends to be pretty lofty at the start of each year, but I’m also not too hard on myself if I only complete a portion of them, which is usually the case. Seeing as it’s the new year, I thought it might be fun to update you on what we’ve been up to so far and what some of our goals are.
As you may have seen, we launched the Android version of the Oh She Glows Recipe App Monday after months of preparation. We can’t thank you enough for your support, excitement, and kind words!
On Monday we sent out the latest issue (#11) of In the Glow, sharing healthy recipe ideas for the new year, as well as exciting OSG news tidbits. Starting (and growing) a newsletter was one of our goals for 2016. We sent out our first one on February 9, 2016, followed by 9 more issues over the course of the year. We’re now over 40,000 subscribers and growing! THANK YOU. I’m hoping to send out a survey at some point this year so you can let me know what you want to see more (or less) of.
You may have seen that we’re looking to expand our team. Right now our small-but-fierce team consists of myself, Eric, Shari (Content Editor), and Nicole (Recipe Tester). This year we’d like to hire a Video Content Creator (details on the position here), and potentially, a Social Media Specialist and RD or Holistic Nutritionist intern. (As you may know, the latter two were hiring goals for 2016, but ones that didn’t end up happening due to how busy things were. Thank you to everyone who applied for those positions, and rest assured we haven’t forgotten!)
On the personal side of things, I’m hoping to make progress with my anxiety this year. It’s a never-ending struggle, and tends to be on my goal list each year, but I’m going to keep on with it. I’ve found that postpartum hormones have been making my anxiety a bit worse than usual, and I’m going to take some active steps in 2017 to, hopefully, improve how I feel.
Let’s see, what else? I’ve been hard at work developing recipes for the app. Last week I added 3 new recipes—Brownie Breakfast Bake, Easy Nut-Free Taco Salad, and Dill Pickle Smoothie—to the app. We launched the new Get Glowing Bundle last week, too, which contains 5 “reset button” recipes to kick off the new year. The app bundle is 99 cents, and for the month of January all of our revenue from this bundle will be donated to Blessings in a Backpack Canada. This charity ensures children in need receive backpacks filled with food every Friday throughout the school year, so they can return to class on Monday well fed and ready to learn. It’s awesome to be working with BIB again!
On the blog front, I’m starting to bookmark old recipes that are in desperate need of some updating—such as my Broccoli and Cheese Soup. The original recipe was posted back in 2011, and I took one look at the recipe and its photos and knew I had to breathe some life back into it with a fresh new approach. Last year I also started adding metric conversions to my recipes, and I’ll continue to share these calculations for each new recipe in the future. It’s tedious (mainly because I weigh each solid ingredient), but I love hearing from those of you in the UK and elsewhere who find it incredibly helpful! I want you to have similar results, ya know?! If there are any other old blog recipes that you’d like to see revamped in 2017, please drop me a comment below. I’d love to hear your ideas!
There are some other goals on our radar this year, but this feels long-winded enough for now.
Cheers to making mistakes, trying new things, and learning as we go in 2017!
Vegan Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Yield
8 cups (2 litres)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Like a big, cozy sweater, this soothing soup will help you get through the long winter. It combines my love for broccoli and cheese sauce, while doing without the dairy-based cream or cheese. This is a bit of a fussy soup (think weekend, not weeknight) as it involves a few homemade components (cheese sauce, soup, and homemade croutons), so you’ll need an hour start to finish. If you can make the cheese sauce the day before, that’ll help streamline things!
This soup is adapted from my 2011 version. The cheese sauce is lightly adapted from my cheese sauce in Oh She Glows Every Day.
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 1/4 cups (190 g) diced peeled yellow or red potatoes*
- Heaping 1/3 cup (55 g) diced peeled carrots*
- 2 tablespoons (6 g) nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) refined coconut or grapeseed oil**
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (37.5 mL) water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 medium (4 g) garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) white wine vinegar
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium (350 g) onion, diced (2 heaping cups)
- 3 medium (13 g) garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (120 g) chopped celery
- 5 to 6 cups (350 g) chopped broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups (225 g) chopped Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 medium)
- 3 cups (750 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (6 g) nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- Fine sea salt, to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons to 3 teaspoons (7.5 to 15 mL) chickpea miso, to taste***
For topping:
- Pan-Fried Garlic Croutons (use gluten-free bread if necessary)****
- Smoked or sweet paprika
- Fresh minced parsley
Directions
- For the cheese sauce: Place the potatoes and carrots in a medium pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain.
- While the potatoes and carrots are simmering, add the nutritional yeast, oil, water, lemon juice, salt, garlic, and vinegar into a high-speed blender and set aside.
- Chop the onions, garlic, celery, broccoli, and potatoes for the soup and set aside.
- When the simmering potatoes and carrots are fork-tender, drain them and add to the blender. Blend the cheese sauce until smooth, then transfer to a bowl.
- For the soup: In a large pot, sauté the oil, onion, and garlic over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- To the pot, add the celery, broccoli, and potatoes and sauté for a few minutes more. Now, add the broth, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 13 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Turn off the heat and let the soup sit for a few minutes. Add the chickpea miso.
- Carefully transfer the soup into a blender (you might have to do this in two batches). Blend until smooth and place back into the pot.
- Set aside 1/4 cup (60 mL) of cheese sauce for garnish. Add the rest of the cheese sauce into the soup and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste if desired.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl in a tablespoon of the reserved cheese sauce into each bowl. Top with Pan-Fried Garlic Croutons, paprika, and parsley, if desired.
Tip:
* To cut down on cooking time, be sure to dice the potatoes and carrots very small.
** Refined coconut oil doesn’t have a coconut flavour, which is why I love it in the cheese sauce. Grapeseed oil also has a neutral flavour, but if you don’t have either you can probably get away with a light-tasting olive oil.
*** I love chickpea miso, it’s light in flavour and often soy-free (be sure to check the label, though). If you can’t find chickpea miso, any light or white miso should do the trick! I like a full 3 teaspoons of chickpea miso in this soup, but depending on the flavour of your miso you might prefer a bit less.
**** Instead of bread-based croutons, you can top this soup with my Roasted Chickpea Croutons.
Delicious! Loved this soup- even before it got the miso in it is was delicious and hearty. I am sharing this recipe with my veggie-loving family and definitely plan to make this many a cold weather day when I want something cozy! Thanks!
Hi Dawn, So glad it was a hit! :)
Just made this and it’s soooo good! I didn’t have miso so I left it out and it’s still amazing! Perfect for a rainy Sunday :)
What a delicious, filling, cozy meal. I love how you created the “cheese” sauce…it was bright and flavorful, and I definitely licked the bowl. This is one of my favorite soup recipes for sure.
I’m so happy to hear that!! We sure love it too.
Is the variation in potatoes in the cheese sauce and soup really necessary? Can we just use one type?
Hey Rachel, Yes absolutely you can just use one type! Thanks for clarifying :)
I got an Oh She Glows cookbook from by mom at Christmas. I am totally in love with your book and we enjoyed it so far. I just found your website and this is my second recipe from your blog. And this soup is AMAZING. I am not sure what brocolli and cheese soup is supposed to taste like with real cheese, but it tastes like the real deal for me! The cheese sauce is great and goes really well with the broccoli soup. Thank you!
Hey Ilja, Thank you so much for the cookbook and blog love! I’m so glad this soup was a hit too. :)
This soup is absolutely delicious! The recipe is winning for vegan and non, alike. NOTHING what you would expect from a 5 star broccoli and cheddar soup is lacking. If anyone’s interested in trying, please don’t hesitate. Make it for your next meal.
Thanks so much for such a solid, super satisfying recipe <3
Wow, thanks Kat! :)
I have all the ingredients in! Yay! That said, I have three soups & stews to eat up in my fridge before they walk away. Hence, how well does this soup freeze?
Hey Laurie, Nice! I think it should freeze well but I don’t think we’ve ever had leftovers to freeze to be honest. ;)
If I only have russet potatoes, can I substitute in the cheese sauce?
Hey Renee, I haven’t tried Russets in the sauce, but I can’t see why not. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it out. :)
Very impressed! Will absolutely make again.
So happy to hear that Lisa, thank you!
How long will this soup keep in the frig?
Thanks :)
Hey Katie! The soup should be okay in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, possibly longer (but to be honest it never lasts that long in our house as we gobble it up)…hope this helps!
I’m in love with this soup! I have been making it almost weekly. Absolute comfort food!
Thank you!
That’s great Tracy!! I have a batch in the fridge right now…comfort food to the max is right! And it’s great for a bad cold too.
This soup is amazing! I am new to eating vegan & this recipe is a keeper!!❤️
Thank you AnnMarie! I’m so happy to hear that. Congrats on trying some new vegan recipes! I hope you find a lot more OSG keepers ;)
What is the nutrition for a cup?
Hey Becca, I’m sorry I don’t have the nutritional info calculated…maybe someone else does and can help though. :)
Based on the reviews I had reallyyyy high hopes for this recipe. Unfortunately mine came out watery and rather bland. Now, I know since there’s no dairy it wasn’t going to be creamy but I was expecting more flavor and a smoother texture. I only made one sub, which was with the miso, other than that followed it to a T. Did I not blend it enough? Any reasons it would be watery? Thanks.
Hey Sam, Oh so sorry to hear that! I do find that the miso is integral to the flavour of the soup…it adds a lot of dimension. As for the soup being watery, this could happen if the veggies weren’t sautéed long enough before blending (to cook off the water). If you are looking for a creamier soup, you could try blending in some raw cashew butter too. Hope this helps!
Do you think if i left out the miso it would still be yummy??
Hey Jennifer, Yes I do! The original version didn’t have miso so I still like it without. The miso just adds a bit more depth of flavour.
this was incredible. so hearty and creamy- as a vegan ive been craving broccoli cheddar soup for a while (even in the hot summer, lol) and this hit the spot! mine didnt turn out that beautiful cheeze colour you have there, but none the less was AMAZING!
If youre lookin for a healthy alternative… this is it.
If youre vegan and looking for a little luxe.. this is it!
make it tonight… or this weekend, whenever you have an hour.
Thanks so much Samantha! I’m glad I’m not the only one who craves soup in the summer. :)
Hey Angela, I made this soup and LOVED it. Labor intensive for a non-cook like me but as a vegan, cooking is part of it and I just have to suck it up. And I do. :D
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Lisa, I’m so glad you love the soup! I know what you mean for sure. Bonus, that cheese sauce is good on just about anything…roasted veggies, nachos, you name it!
Angela, you are a cooking genius! Your recipes are THE BEST!!!
I can’t believe how incredibly delicious and authentic your cheddar cheese sauce is in this recipe!
I want to put it on top of everything!!
Keep up the great work.
You really have a gift!
Aww Jaymie, you are too sweet! Thank you…your comment totally made my day. :) So glad you love the soup as much as we do.
Does this cheese sauce work for other things (like as a dip, on nachos etc…)? My search for dairy free broccoli soup brought me here. I’m severely lactose intolerant and all I know is that looked like real cheese! ? Can’t wait to try it!
Hey Rhonda,
yes you can absolutely use it for other things like dipping and nachos :) Check out my vegan nacho recipe here: https://ohsheglows.com/2018/01/30/cheerful-vegan-nachos/
If I don’t want to use the cheese sauce for garnish, do I still have to make the recipes seperate or can I just cook it all together in one big pot?
Thanks :D
Hi Ellen, Oh that’s an interesting question! I’m really not sure. I guess you could certainly try cooking it all together! Id love to hear how it goes if you do. :)