Potato Leek Soup

As is typical per Chicago weather it was gorgeous one day and then 24 hours later I was bundled up and watching my breath as I waited for the El. So I guess that means Hot Soup Weather is upon us. I went to the Evanston farmer's market this weekend - which is AWESOME, and if you haven't been I highly recommend it - and got ingredients to make potato leek soup. Which I have never eaten, let alone made before, but it is super tasty and hearty and perfect for when it's only 40 degrees but it feels like -20 because it's been 75 and sunny for the past couple weeks. So bundle up and enjoy a bowl of soup!

Potato Leek Soup (serves 4)

4 medium-sized new potatoes
2 leeks
4 cloves garlic
2+ cups veggie broth*,**
2 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt*
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup soy milk
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 Tbls. vegan butter
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

* I used low-sodium veggie broth. Taste for salt to your preference.
** 2 cups makes for a fairly thick soup. If you like it thinner, add more broth.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wash the potatoes and peel if you want (I left the skins on). Cut off the bottom white and light-green part of the leeks and separate the green layers up top, separating any additional white parts. Wash all parts of the leek thoroughly to remove any dirt.

Microwave the potatoes for 4 minutes to soften, then dice. Slice the white parts of the leeks thinly and peel the garlic. In a large baking pan combine the diced potatoes, leek bottoms, and whole garlic cloves with the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

When the potato mixture is about halfway through cooking, thinly slice the green leek tops. Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat and saute the leek tops until bright green and just starting to sear. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the potato mixture is done, blend with the remaining ingredients except for the leek tops and parsley. Stir in the leek tops and top with parsley for serving.