Velvety Collards Soup

This soup became an instant favorite in my house.  I opted to make a creamy, blended soup that still had chunks of vegetables.  It's a really simple recipe, taking a short amount of time to create, and allowing the individual flavors of the ingredients to come through.  Hot, satisfying, and healthy, this soup can be enjoyed right now or anytime!

This recipe makes two generous bowls of Velvety Collards Soup, perfect portions for VeganMoFo, but you could definitely double it.

Ingredients:
1 large yellow potato, peeled and diced
1 small bundle of collards, stems discarded, and chopped
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 small onion, diced
1 sprig parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
4ish cups vegetable broth (I just used "Better Than" bouillon and added water until the right consistency was achieved)
salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to drizzle on top

Method:
1. Boil the potato in water until soft (about 8-10 min).  Meanwhile, steam collards (about 5-6 minutes) until bitterness is gone and collards are soft.  Reserve about 1 cup of the potato cooking water, draining the rest.  Cool.

2. While potato and collards cool, saute the carrot, onion, parsley, and garlic in olive oil for 5-7 minutes.  Add vegetable broth.  Add half the cooked potato.

3. Blend the other half of the potato and the collards in 1 cup of the potato cooking water until smooth.  Add to the vegetable broth mixture and stir until the contents are well combined.*

4. Serve hot with a swirl of hot sauce and nice piece of sourdough and a salad!

*If you have a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) you may need to spoon foam off the top of the soup.