Step 1

Preheat a heavy stock up over medium low heat and sauté the onion in a splash of water (or a drizzle of olive oil) until translucent.

Step 2

Add the sea salt, pepper flakes, celery and carrots and give everything a nice toss. Cover with a lid and sweat a few more minutes until the carrots begin to soften.

Step 3

Add the garlic, potatoes, cashews and vegetable stock and bring everything to a simmer. Stir in the nutritional yeast, cover with a lid and cook 20 minutes or until the potatoes and cashews have softened.

Step 4

Transfer the soup to a powerful mixer and carefully purée until silky smooth. ( the Vitamix did an exponentially better job at this than my immersion blender).

Step 5

Transfer the creamy soup back to the pot and bring to a simmer again. Add the broccoli florets, cover with a lid and cook a few more minutes until the broccoli is softened to your liking. Take good care not to overcook it, 3 to 5 minutes should yield that perfect al dente texture. Alternatively you can steam the broccoli separately while your soup is cooking.

Step 6

Taste and adjust seasoning with the sea salt. Add more vegetable stock at this point to thin out the soup if you prefer.

Step 7

Serve hot with extra red pepper flakes and the fresh chives.