What goes well just about any time of year – soup. And what goes well as a main dish or a compliment to a luscious salad – potato soup.  Try this Vegan Potato Soup as dinner’s first course, or lunch with a slice of sourdough rye and remember you’re using one of the all-time great sustainable veggies – potatoes!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegan butter, or olive oil, or to make oil-free omit and use a few tablespoons of water for sautéing instead

2 medium onions

2 ribs celery, sliced

2 large. Carrots, diced

4 cloves garlic. Chopped fine

2 tsp. pink or kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper, plus more to taste

4 Tbs. all-purpose flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour

2 C. plant-based milk

2 1/3-3 C. vegetable stock, divided

5 medium golden potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg, optional

1 Bay leaf

Instructions

To a large saucepan, add the vegan butter/oil and warm over medium heat before adding the onions, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are just starting to get a little color, then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the salt and pepper, then the flour to the pan, and stir it all around for about a minute to cook the raw flour taste out, then slowly add the plant-based milk, stirring as you go to work out any lumps. Then add the vegetable broth (reserving about ½ a cup, chopped potatoes, nutmeg, and the bay leaf.

Stir well then let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and just starting to break down. Add all, or some of, the reserved ½ a cup of broth if you prefer a thinner consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.