Cream of Broccoli Soup

Now that it's been getting cold here, i've been busting out my winter recipes. This involves a lot of soups and kassroles. This is one of my favs, and adaption of Omni Evan's mom's recipe.

Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups broth
2 tbsp earth balance (optional)
1 cup soymilk
1/2 tsp of thyme
dash of black pepper

1) Fry onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
2) Add broth, spices, and broccoli and bring to a simmer.
3) Reserve 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the soup, getting as many broccoli pieces as you can in the cup. (this will determine how chunky the end resulting soup is)
4) Add soymilk and heat through.
5) Blend the soup with a hand blender or in a blender till smooth in consistency.
6) Add back to pot, and stir in the cup of reserved soup and broccoli chunks.
7) On low heat, melt the EB and serve immediately with crusty bread.

MmmMmm Gravy

So this is the gravy that i use in basically everything that will taste good with gravy on it. It takes a few minutes, but i make a lot at one time and freeze it in ice cube trays to use later, and believe me, it's well worth it. (Just be sure to let your guests know what it is before they get some ice for their drinks...)

MmmMmm Gravy
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3-6 cloves of garlic minced very well
2-3 slices of yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
4 tsp nutritional yeast
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 or 6 white mushrooms, sliced (optional)
extra flour or cornstarch (optional)

1) Cook onion and garlic in oil on med heat till onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant
2) Add flour, yeast, and soy sauce to make a paste, stirring to combine
3) Slowly wisk in the water, bring to a boil
4) Lower to a simmer and add mushrooms if you like, and spices
5) Pour over everything!!!

Tips:
-After you take the gravy off the heat, wisk in 1-2 tbsp of Earth Balance for richness and a glossy sheen.
-When you add your flour, be sure to cook it for a few minutes to get that powdery taste out of the way.
-The longer you cook your flour, the darker the gravy, just be sure to keep stirring!
-When making "white" gravy, like for 'chick'n fried steak" or biscuits, substitute the soy sauce for some vegan broth. You'll get a lightly colored gravy with a simple rich flavor.

Creamcheese Frosting

This is a great frosting, soft, sweet, and tangy like real cream cheese! Be sure to cool your cakes and brownies before frosting, cause this stuff will melt when warm.

Creamcheese Frosting
1 tub Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese
3 cups powdered sugar

1) Beat the cream cheese and the powdered sugar together on low or medium speed. You can actually do it by hand, just add the sugar in increments and incorporate before adding more.
Notes:
- You can add a few spashes of soymilk if it's too thick or too hard to work with.