20 Minute Creamy White Bean and Pesto Soup

This soup is so good! I use my pressure cooker to bring it together really fast. If you don't have a pressure cooker, just use your stove and cook it for 30 - 40 minutes.

White Bean and Pesto Soup

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 c cooked white beans
• 10 oz frozen spinach (don't defrost)
• 1/2 c pesto
• 2 c vegetable broth
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 c nutritional yeast
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• fresh herbs and croutons for garnish if desired

Method:

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes
2. Add beans spinach, pesto and broth
3. Bring to high pressure for 2 minutes
4. Allow pressure to come down naturally
5. Stir in yeast and vinegar. Puree with an immersion blender for a creamy texture if desired

I tasted a bit of my HOMEADE VEGAN BLUE CHEESE this morning and it's maturing! Woohoo! The longer this sits, the better. I used make huge batches of it at the health food store and after two weeks, it was SUPERB! It's hard to wait that long. 

Things I am going to be making with it:

• Panini with Chutney, Blue Cheese and Augula 
• Gluten Free Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Sage and Spiced Roasted Pears
• Old Fashioned Blue Cheese Dressing
• Buffalo Fries with above mentioned dressing
• Big Salad with Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas and dressing
• Brown Rice Penne with Sun dried tomatoes, kale and blue cheese

In order to fund these more expensive dishes and the amount of cashews I bought to make the Goat Cheese and Blue Cheese, I will be eating a lot of Banana Collard Smoothies and Bean soups to make up for the splurge!  My freezer is stocked with bananas so I'm good to go!