Creamy Roasted Autumn Root Vegetable Soup with Cornbread Croutons

My day is often filled with soup...chopping veggies for, cooking, and refilling soup.  I guess that is a deli in the cold months!  It is always "Will you be bringing out more soup?  You don't have anymore? When are you making...I had my heart set on it!"  The talk of soup is never ending.  You would think I would be sick of soup with the amount of it that I make at work and see every day...but no, apparently not!  I decided to make some the other night...some that I felt like eating that would be healthy and comforting.  I had a large amount of root vegetables in my fridge, carrots, rutabagas and parsnips.  I knew that they would make a delicious soup, especially if I roasted them first to deepen their sweet flavors.  Of course, I had to sample a few after they had been roasted before they made it into the soup...that is part of the fun of cooking for yourself!  I combined the roasted veg with some pureed squash for sweetness, some onions and garlic, and some thyme and rosemary, as they are my favorite herbs this time of year.  I wanted my soup to be as creamy and comforting as something that contained cream, so I added almond butter for silkyness along with almond milk.  To give the soup the flavor of parmesan cheese I included miso, and nutritional yeast as well.  It tasted as if there were lots of things that were not so good for you in it, but I knew the truth!  The soup was delicious, creamy, and comforting as it was, but I like adornments so I added some corn bread croutons and vegan sour cream to top it off!  I served it alongside a salad, and I was one happy girl!  You can never have too many vegetables as far as I am concerned...and this soup is a good way to enjoy them!

Creamy Roasted Autumn Root Vegetable Soup with Cornbread Croutons

Serves 6

3 large carrots, sliced

3 large parsnips, sliced

2 medium rutabagas, sliced

olive oil

1 large red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups pumpkin or squash puree
4 cups vegetable stock

3 cups almond or soy milk

2 Tbsp almond butter
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup light miso

2 cups cubed corn bread
olive oil
sea salt

vegan sour cream

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with the rack set at the top position.  Line 3 large baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on 2 of the sheets.  Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until softened and starting to brown at the edges.  Remove from oven and lower temp to 375.  Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, and saute until translucent and starting to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes.  Add garlic and saute a minute, then add pumpkin, vegetable stock, almond milk, almond butter, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, pepper, yeast, miso, and roasted veggies.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (you can also use a blender and puree in batches, but allow steam to escape, or let cool a bit before blending to prevent the soup making the top of the blender explode).  To make croutons, toss cornbread with a little olive oil, and spread out on remaining sheet pan.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt, and bake until crunchy, about 10 minutes.  To serve soup, ladle some into a bowl, and top with a bit of vegan sour cream and croutons!