Broccoli Soup for One

The wind howled all night, and although it’s calm and still now, the temperature must be nearly 20 degrees below what it usually is for this time of day. You'd best make soup to warm up your bones!

¼ cup raw cashews

1 ½ cups water or vegetable broth

¼ onion, chopped fine

1 cup broccoli, chopped coarsely

Pinch dried basil

½ cup cooked white or brown rice

Salt to taste

Pinch ground pepper

1. In a blender, whirl the cashews and ½ cup of the water or broth until it’s smooth, about a minute. (You could replace this with ¾ cup of non-dairy milk of your choice.)
2. In a saucepan, add the rest of the water or broth (a cup), and add the onion, broccoli, and basil. Bring the whole thing to a boil, turn the heat down a bit, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender but not mushy.
3. Add in the rice and the cashew milk and some salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a simmer.
4. Either use an immersion blender or let it cool a bit and send it through the blender or food processor, whirling away until it’s smooth and creamy. Reheat, if necessary. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Shown here with chopped pistachios and a little mushroom.