Meatless Mondays - Potato Soup

As you can tell, I'm on a soup kick right now. I chose this one because I had 2 leeks arrive in my Farm Fresh to You box last week and all I could think about was making a soup with potatoes and leeks (those are the kind of secret mysteries that go on in my head).I know the year is not over yet, but I'm going to be bold and claim that this is my favorite Meatless Monday recipe this year.We had a friend drive up from Southern California Friday night to spend the weekend with us. A cold rain storm was in progress when he arrived and he was so happy to have our fireplace and this warm, hearty soup waiting for  him (along with Bubba's kisses).I've included a lot of optional items below simply because that is what I threw into the pot and it was delish. Leave them out if you're looking to create a more simpler potato&leek soup. If you leave them out, you will probably need to use adjust the amount of broth you use.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups vegetable broth (2 containers as shown above)
• 6 cups cubed potatoes (about 4 regular size, I used red so it was about 8)
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 leeks, white and light green sections thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion chopped into small pieces (optional)
• 1 cup frozen corn (optional)
• 1 can butter beans drained (or cannelini beans - optional)
• 3 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 1 cup plain soy milk
• 1 cup shredded soy cheese (Daiya - optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into inch and a half cubes. Put potato pieces into a large (2 quart minimum) pot with a lid.  Add enough stock to cover (approx 6 cups).  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer.2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium low heat.  Add onion, leeks and celery.Cover and allow to cook on low heat until vegetables are partially tender, and juices are emerging into the pan stirring occasionally.3. Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture, a little at a time, constantly stirring as you add.4. Slowly pour 1 cup of stock into this mix, again, stir constantly to prevent lumps from forming.5. Remove from heat and carefully stir this mixture into pot of potatoes.6. Add final 2 cups of stock, 1 cup frozen corn and can of beans to the pot. (if not using corn or beans, adjust stock here - more if you want the final soup thinner, less if you want it thicker).7. Off to the side, put the soy milk into a bowl and add a ladle full of the hot mixture to the milk, stir together completely and then carefully add this mixture back into the pot.8. Cover and allow the soup to simmer on low heat for 1/2 hour or more, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.9. A couple of minutes before serving, add salt, pepper and shredded cheese (if using).Serve hot with a fresh, warm loaf of bread.Aaaahh..this soup hits the spot!Enjoy,~ LitaP.S. the can of butter beans displayed above happens to be one of my newest LOVES - they are simply delish!!