Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Hi sis! Here is the soup recipe. I personally try to keep it vegan when I cook it just because it also keeps it very low calorie. Most potato leek soup recipes add milk or cream for creaminess, but I've found the trick to make it creamy without all that stuff!

*5 russet potatoes, mostly peeled, cubed (I leave some peel on for the vitamins, but it makes the soup more of  light yellow color rather than bright white.)

* 2 large leeks, dark green parts removed, outer layers washed really well. Cut into thin rings.

*4 cloves garlic (I usually cut them in half to get more garlic flavor while cooking)

*1 Tbsp oil, like olive oil or coconut, but I only had canola.

*2 tsp each salt, pepper, ground thyme

*1 tsp celery seed, or a stalk or two of real celery if you have it.

* 2-3 vegetarian or chicken broth

*1 C soy or almond milk, optional

* chopped green onions and more pepper for garnish

Get a large soup pot, put in the oil over medium heat. Put in the leeks and garlic and saute them. Just let them sweat a little bit, don't let them brown or the leeks get kind of bitter. When they are becoming more transparent, fill the pot half way with hot water, or part water and part broth, and add cubed potatoes.
Add the salt, pepper, thyme and celery seed or celery. Adding a tiny bit of nutmeg is my secret ingredient! Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft. Get your blender or food processor and scoop in a couple of cups at a time (careful, it's hot!). Blend for a few seconds, and the put it back in the pot. Keep blending the rest of the soup in batches until it's nice and smooth, or partly chunky if you like it that way. Add more broth if it gets too thick from blending. Now taste! Add more salt, pepper, etc. I actually had to add quite a bit more salt to my pot, but I didn't want to start you off with too much. You can actually add a little soy or nut milk at this point if you wish. When it tastes good, pour into bowls, garnish and serve!

It's super easy and relatively quick. I can neglect it in the pot while I do other things. Blending only takes a couple of minutes. I made ours very thick, and we ate it with buttered italian bread, but next time I think I would make it a little thinner. I would be surprised if this even reached 250 calories for one huge bowl. Bread of course ups the calories but it was a special occasion. :p