Potato Almond Soup

Brr... it's definitely beginning to feel like Winter here.  It's cold and tomorrow's our first chance for some snow (just a little bit) so I've definitely been looking toward soups for dinner.  There's something so hearty and comforting about a hot bowl of soup when you've come in from the cold.  And this Potato Almond Soup from the Washington Post has the added benefit of being super easy.  Plus, it's pretty healthy, vegan and gluten free!

 

Photo from the Washington Post

4 Servings

Ingredients

2 medium russet potatoes

4 large cloves garlic

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup skinless almonds

2 cups water, or more as needed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more leaves for garnish

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2. Peel the potatoes, garlic and onion.  Chop all veggies into bite-size chunks and place in a bowl. Drizzle with the oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until tender.

3. While the veggies roast, combine the almonds and water in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, but do not let them boil over; cook for 2 minutes.  

4. Toss the roasted vegetable mixture into a blender with the almonds and their water, the vinegar, leaves from the thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Puree until very smooth. It looked to thick to us so we added more water at this point, as well as some olive oil and more vinegar. So it's important to taste and add anything more you want at this point.  We also added some smoked paprika and garlic powder.

Not quite as pretty as the version from the Post but it was delicious!

And that's it!  Scoop out in bowls, drizzle with some olive oil on top, and some hot sauce if you want.  We felt like the hot sauce added an extra zing that really worked with this soup.  It tasted even better as leftovers the next day.  We served it with just some steamed green beans but it would be perfect with a simple salad too.  

I'm linking up with Deborah and Sarah for Meatless Monday.