Vegan Cream of Broccoli Cheese Soup

 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 1hr in water that immerse the cashews by 1 inch. Soak up to 4 hours but no longer.

1 TB olive oil 

1 lb broccoli florets

1 small or 1/2 med onion, finely chopped

6 cups vegetable stock 

6 tablespoons miso paste

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1/4 cup Miyokos cheddar spread (optional but really nice if you can find it).

Saute the broccoli, onion and a pinch of salt in olive oil for about 7 minutes (if you prefer lower fat saute in vegetable stock) in a large pot. Add stock. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat. 

Add all remaining ingredients to pot; simmer and stir for a few minutes. Transfer to high speed blender in batches that fill the blender about 1/3 of the way. Puree at increasing speeds until soup is very smooth and velvety. Transfer to a new pan. Alternately, use immersion blender.

Serve with bread and salad and top with fresh chopped parsley.