Second Soup: Cream of Potato and Endive

I've been trying to use fewer animal products in my cooking, and have found it difficult to find the same sense of richness in plant-based foods, but this soup is creamy and hearty and has a quality which cannot be described as anything other than rich. I started with the "Cream of Belgium Endive Soup" recipe at the site devoted entirely to Belgian Endives, and then made vegan substitutions and modifications for those who, like myself, do not currently own a food processor. I actually enjoy learning how to cook without a lot of gadgets. Like solving math problems without a calculator or spell-checking your own work, I think it's good to be able to do something by scratch or by hand if you need to.

Take 2 endives. Remove the cores. Chop finely. Finely chop one white onion. Finely chop one clove of garlic. Peel and dice two potatoes. Heat canola oil in large skillet, add endives, onion, and garlic. Saute for about three minutes. Add the potatoes and 2 cups of vegetarian vegetable broth. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or so, until the potatoes are very soft and the broth is significantly reduced. Much of the creaminess happens when the starch from the potatoes begins to bleed into the broth. Add 1 cup soy milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add one chopped green onion.

I hope you like this as much as I did. I froze some of it. It unfroze very well. This is definitely something I'll make again.