No-Dairy Broccoli Soup with Backpacker's Lightweight Option

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion diced
4 cloves of garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups soy milk (or regular milk)
2 heads of broccoli crowns (finely diced)
1 large russet potato (peeled and chopped)
cracked pepper to taste
cheddar shreds (optional)

In a large pot or saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until soft with the butter. Add in the potato, broth and soy milk, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes (or until the potato is soft). Add in the broccoli and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Using a hand blender blend the whole soup mix until creamy. If you don't have a hand puree mixer, just pour batches into your blender to obtain the creamy texture. Serve with a handful of shredded cheddar on the top. This soup stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For backpacking, fill your dehydrator plastic trays with the soup and dehydrate until completely dry. Take this mix and rehydrate it at camp sans cheddar.

Serves 8