Spicy Potato Soup-Quick and Easy (not to mention GF and Vegan)

Spicy Potato Soup, vegan and gluten-free

This soup is so tasty that your non-vegan friends won’t believe it’s vegan.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: about 20 minutes
©2013 Anita Strawn de Ojeda

You’ll need
6 medium-large red potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
2 cans of green chilies (whether you use mild, medium or spicy is up to you–we like it with spicy green chilies)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 white onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1/2 cup cashews
1 Tbs. brewer’s yeast (nutritional yeast flakes)

Start by putting 4 cups of hot water in a medium-sized sauce pan and turn the heat on high and cover the saucepan to get the water boiling. While the water starts to boil, wash and dice the red potatoes (1 centimeter cubes works great and they’ll cook faster, too). When the water is boiling, add the potatoes, bring the water back to boiling and turn down the heat before covering the potatoes and letting them simmer for about 15 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and chop the garlic cloves and half of a white onion into large pieces and sauté on medium heat for three-five minutes. Place 1 cup of water, the cashews, salt, sautéed onion and garlic and the brewer’s yeast in a high-powered blender (I use a BlendTec) and blend on high for 30-60 seconds. The mixture should look white and creamy. Check the potatoes to see if they’re soft–if they are, add the creamy mixture from the blender and the two cans of chilies and allow everything to heat through again (about fives minutes). Taste to see if you need more salt (I used salted, dry-roasted cashews, so I didn’t need to add any more).

To make it a completely gluten-free meal, serve with your favorite corn chips.