French Onion Soup with Cashew Cheese

I love French onion soup: the earthy oniony broth, the gooey melty cheese.

And it’s so easy to make at home.

I even make my own plant-based mozzarella from cashews!

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Ingredients

French onion soup

• 2 large onions, sliced (or 4 small onions)
• 1/4 cup vegan butter or margarine
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 cup wine or vegan fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp gluten-free oat flour or rice flour
• 6 cups vegetable broth or water
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper

Cashew mozzarella

• 1 cup cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, then drained
• 2 cups water
• 6 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt

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Directions

In a large pot, heat the vegan butter/margarine over medium high heat. Add the sliced onion and coconut sugar and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10-15 minutes until they are nice and brown.

Next, add the garlic powder, thyme, and wine or vegan fish sauce. Cook for 5 minutes to cook down the liquid, then stir in the flour to coat the onions. Gradually add in the broth or water, stirring continuously so you don’t get big lumps of flour.

Finally, add the bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and let it all simmer together while you make the cashew mozzarella.

Put all the mozzarella ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and stir continuously for 5 minutes to thicken it up into a cheesy consistency.

Taste the soup and the cheese to adjust the salt/seasoning as you like. Remove the bay leaves from the French onion soup and serve in individual bowls with cheese on top and optional GF bread either in the soup or on the side. We enjoy it with a side salad as well. Bon appetit!

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Inspiration

Today I was learning from the “gangsta gardener” Ron Finley, who is teaching people how to grow their own food no matter where they live.

He has infectious enthusiasm and such a creative spirit. If he has an extra shoe lying around, he will drill a hole in the sole of it and use it to plant something!

For him, all waste is a resource. Compost or repurpose everything you can.

What a great lesson for the planet. Let’s do it!