“Cheesy” Soup Base
This is a perfect recipe when you are hungry for cheese, but don't want the calories! You'll be amazed at how creamy this cheese soup base turns out, with so little fat content. It's a great way to use up leftover rice or millet or other cooked cereal. As to the vegetables, you have many options. I have used broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots–whatever vegetables you like to eat with cheese– and it turns out great! Chop fresh onion and garlic into the bottom of the kettle, add one or two (or more) of your favorite vegetables, and you are ready to roll! Have fun!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews OR blanched almonds OR shredded coconut
- 4 cups rice cooked OR leftover millet, cornmeal, polenta, grits. etc.
- 2 cups pimentos OR 1 1/2 large red pepper, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast optional
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch OR arrowroot
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups water dip water from soup, just before vegetables finish cooking. Use more water, as necessary.
- 2 Tbsp Country Style Seasoning see recipe in Miscellaneous recipes, or use your favorite Chicken Seasoning
- 4 Tbsp parsley dried OR 2 cups fresh parsley
Instructions
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CHOP onion, garlic, and vegetables of choice into kettle, until it is 3/4 full.
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POUR boiling water to barely cover vegetables.
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ADD Country Style Seasoning to vegetables.
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SIMMER over medium-high heat until vegetables are almost done.
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BLEND nuts, rice or cereal, soup water, and all other ingredients (except Country Style Seasoning and parsley) until very smooth. ADD more water, if necessary to help blend. If you have a small blender, you will want to blend only 2 cups of rice or cooked cereal at a time.
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POUR into vegetables.
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BOIL for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until thick.
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ADD parsley.
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SHUT off heat and let SIT for 15-30 minutes before serving, OR chill, if serving the next day.
Recipe Notes
TIP: If using broccoli or cauliflower, and you don’t want broccoli mush in the soup, or brown broccoli. Steam the chopped broccoli separately until crunchy done and then, rinse in cold water to stop cooking process. Store in airtight container, until just before serving the soup. Or, if you aren’t going to serve the soup until the next day, wait until soup is completely chilled before adding the broccoli to it. Then, only heat the amount of soup you are going to eat, leaving the rest of the soup cold in the refrigerator. You’ll have bright green broccoli every time you eat it!
NOTE: If you want it more rich, cut back the cooked rice or millet and ADD a can of coconut milk!