30-Minute “Cheesy” Potato Leek Soup

by ALEXA

A stint on the Anti-Candida Diet (ACD) is not easily forgotten. My son and I were on it last fall for three months. People would ask “what can you eat?” to which I replied “basically meat, non-starchy vegetables and berries.” Potatoes were out which meant no oven fries, no mashers and no creamy potato soup.

Here we are a year later and my son’s GI system is functioning optimally on a gluten-free, casein-free and egg-free diet. I have more energy than I have had in years. For us, the ACD diet was a great way to give our guts a fighting chance against our internal candida albicans overgrowth and provided a clean slate to which we could slowly add foods back to. Basically, an elimination diet in reverse. Fortunately, a year later, our tummy’s like and tolerate potatoes just fine. They are back in our diet. Woo hoo!

“Cheesy” Potato Leek Soup

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Nightshade-Free | Peanut-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Grain-Free | Sesame-Free | Sweetener-Free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Vegan

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time:  15 minutes
Cook Time:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons OLIVE OIL
2 cups thinly sliced LEEKS (white part only)
2 roughly chopped ONION
4 cloves GARLIC, smashed
1/2 teaspoon dried DILL
1/2 teaspoon dried ROSEMARY
1/2 teaspoon dried THYME
4 cups RUSSET POTATOES, peeled and 1/2 ” cubed
5 cups chicken or vegetable BROTH
2 tablespoons NUTRITIONAL YEAST (such as Bragg’s—adds cheesy flavor)
1/4 cup dairy-free DAIYA CHEDDAR STYLE CHEESE SHREDS or cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon SEA SALT or to taste
BLACK PEPPER to taste

Directions:

1. In large pot, saute leeks, onion and garlic until tender. Add dill, rosemary and thyme and saute another minute or two. Transfer leek mixture to blender. Reserve.

2. Add potatoes and broth to pot. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are tender.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer 1/2-3/4 of the boiled potatoes (depending how chunky you like your soup) to blender along with remaining ingredients and 2-3 cups of the broth from the pot (or enough to puree the leek and potato mixture). Allow contents in the blender cool a few minutes before blending on medium/low until smooth (if you choose not to wait for the mixture to cool a bit, please use care when blending! Hot mixtures can blow the top off a blender, splattering hot liquid on you and all over the kitchen … I’ve done it more than once … ouch!).

4. Return blended mixture to pot and bring to gentle simmer for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.

5. Serve topped with Pan-Fried Croutons (gluten-free!) and crumbled bacon bits (optional).

If you are interested in learning more about the Anti-Candida Diet here is a helpful site and another and another with lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid. As always, please consult your physician or naturopath prior to beginning a special diet and/or adding supplements of any kind to your diet. The book I read prior to starting the ACD diet was The Yeast Connection by Dr. William G. Crook—a good read. Here are a couple of helpful articles:

Candida Albicans Divides Doctors and Confounds Patients

Candida Diet: The Only Guide You Need

 

More Good Stuff

6 comments

Kim @ Cook It Allergy Free November 10, 2010 - 2:06 am

I can see that you have got the hang of that new camera of yours. That is another gorgeous picture! And this soup looks amazing. I love potato leek soup. The flavor combinations here sound perfect!

Reply
Maggie November 10, 2010 - 2:50 am

Looks and sounds amazing! I love soup – it can be so easy to get going and have on the table in no time! I've never thought of throwing nutritional yeast in! We'll have to try it next time we have some Daiya Cheese in the house.

Reply
Heidi @adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com November 10, 2010 - 3:47 pm

GORGEOUS photo Lex! Does the nutritional yeast flavor come across in the soup? I've never tried it (seeing that I can't taste), but I bought some recently and had my guys try it straight from the jar…no one would talk to me for a few hours afterward, LOL!

Reply
Lexie November 10, 2010 - 4:59 pm

Kim, Heidi and Maggie … thanks for the comments! About the nutritional yeast. Yes, ALONE it can be pretty potent. It's rich in minerals, B vitamins (B-12), and protein so I like sneaking it it. But what I really use it for is the "cheesy" flavor it imparts to a dish.

-Lexie

Reply
Kelly November 11, 2010 - 2:41 pm

Oh, I wish I had some right now! With the snow lightly falling—perfect! 🙂

Reply
omgoshimvegan November 12, 2010 - 7:20 pm

Cheesy cauliflower that looks fantastic. I've never tried nutritional yeast in a soup.

Reply

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