Improv Celery Cashew Soup

I call this soup “improv” because that is exactly what I did…improvised. A short while ago I had amazing Cashew Celeriac root soup at Crossroads, the local coffeehouse. It was DELISH and decided I would learn how to make it.

Well, celeriac root is not a produce aisle staple…yes, I am sure my husband could have found it at a Whole Foods or some place similar, but the produce manager at Copp’s said it did not sell fast enough so they stopped carrying it. (Can I grow celery in Wisconsin?)

So from my shopping list…he comes home with celery. I have to work with it, right?

I started soaking my whole, raw and organic cashews in water in the morning – even though I read they should be soaked overnight, I figured the Ninja could cream anything.

Another improvisation was my refusal to blend hot soup, as so many recipes read. To me, that is a burn mishap waiting to happen. Instead, I puree my ingredients until smooth, and then heat on the stove top. It also results in everyone being served at once, versus pureeing small batches of hot soup at a time and then ladling into bowls.

IMPROV CELERY CASHEW SOUP

Ingredients:

2 cups raw, whole cashews – soaked overnight in water, or 6 hour minimum

8 stalks of celery, washed, and quartered

Cover in soup pot with water and simmer until tender, drain and cool.

¾ cup diced onion, sautéed in EVOO with turmeric spice

1 quart organic vegetable broth (Pacific brand used in this recipe)

Spices:

½ tsp. ginger

1½ tsp. allspice

Tip: cook up large batches of onion and refrigerated, use all week long in your recipes for awesome and healthful flavor.

Use a high powered blender (Ninja Pro used in this recipe) to puree the celery in half a quart of organic vegetable stock. Adding in the cooked onions, continue to puree until smooth. Add to soup pot, now drained and sitting empty. (Save celery water as a base for broth if desired.)

Drain the cashews and cream in the blender with the remaining 1.2 quart of broth. Pour into the soup pot and stir gently with a wooden spoon, stirring in ginger  and allspice, until cream is blended well for even consistency. Heat through and serve. 6 servings.

This soup is surprisingly quite filling.  Celery provides not only complex carbs, but beneficial cancer fighting anti-oxidants.  The cashews provide protein (not to mention a healthy dose of niacin - great for mood enhancement). Dr. Joe Fuhrman, who is successful in reversing arthritis in many, noted in one of his videos that a handful of cashews is equivalent to dose of Prozac. I have to chuckle at that...with this recipe we should all be pretty happy after dinner! 

Note: Pacific Broth ingredinets include: water, carrots, celery, tomatoes, onions, leeks, garlic, bay leaves, parsley and thyme.

To your health - may you feel, look and live great in 2014!

Rita S.