Potato and Leek Soup with Herbed Croutons

Ingredients 
  • 5 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Whole Grain Bread
  • 4 Yukon Gold potatoes cubed
  • 3 cups chopped leeks
  • 1 cup celery sliced
  • ½ cup onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 7 cups vegetable broth or stock
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
  • 5 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • chives (optional, for serving)
Directions 

For the Potato and Leek Soup:

  1. Clean and chop the leeks, garlic, onion, celery, and potatoes.
  2. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large stockpot and add the leeks, onion, 1 clove of chopped garlic, and celery until softened.
  3. Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, sprig of thyme (reserving 2 tbs of thyme for croutons), and salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.
  4. Tear 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Whole Grain Bread into medium-sized pieces and add to soup to thicken.
  5. Once the bread is fully softened, remove the fresh thyme and puree the soup either with a hand-held immersion blender or in a high-speed blender.
  6. Return soup to pot and stir in the almond milk. Simmer for a few additional minutes.
  7. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

For the Herbed Garlic Croutons:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cut 3 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Whole Grain Bread into 1-inch cubes.
  3. Spread out on the baking sheet and sprinkle with reserved chopped thyme, garlic, and rosemary and drizzle over 2 tbs olive oil.
  4. Toss bread cubes in the herb, garlic, and olive oil mixture. Season with salt.
  5. Bake until golden brown and toasted, about 15 minutes. When done baking, toss with 2 tbs fresh parsley.

To Serve:

Spoon soup into a bowl. Top with chives and herbed garlic croutons. Enjoy!

This recipe serves 4-6.