Homemade Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups broccoli raw chopped
• 1  shallots chopped
• 1  juice of lemon juiced
• 3 cups vegetable stock 
• 1 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 small onion red chopped
• 1 cup yogurt plain
• 3 cups yukon gold potatoes (skin on)
• 1 cup parsley 
• 1  bay leaves 
• 0.5 cup olive oil 
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk plain
• 1.5 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Equipment

• bowl
• mixing bowl
• pot
• blender

Directions

1. In your soup pot, saute over med-high heat: 2 Tbsp of your olive oil with the shallot, onion and jalapeno. When cooked lightly, add in lemon juice, veggie broth, remaining oil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium.
2. Add Potatoes and bring broth to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender.
3. Add chopped Broccoli (florets and steams). Remember to leave out a few florets for later use though.Cover with lid, when broccoli is tender, turn heat off.
4. Transfer contents of pot into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Add to the bowl the fresh parsley, Chobani and almond milk. Fold new ingredients into the hot soup mixture.
6. In batches, puree the soup in a food-processor (maybe someday soon, a Vitamix!) style blender. Soup should be smooth-no lumps or chunks. In the soup pot, add the broccoli florets, a dash of veggie broth and saute covered for about a minute until tender.
7. Add the pureed soup back into the soup pot.
8. Add a bay leaf and a few pinches of chopped basil (optional). Simmer uncovered for at least twenty minutes to cook out all the air bubbles. Stir constantly for the first few minutes.
9. Remove the bay leaf before serving or storing.