When we were little, mom used to make leek and barley soup. Otherwise known by us as Leek and Barfy soup. Its my dad’s fault, I swear. I think its cause we couldn’t get over the pale green colour, because for the life of me, I can’t figure out why I wasn’t so keen on it at the beginning. Now I looooooove leek and barley, even though barley and dairy are off limits. So, as a work around, I’ve come up with this little recipe to share that has all the great flavour and no gluten or milk products.
Here is my version of Leek and Barfy. Instead of cream, there are potatoes. You can add a generous dollop of cream or yogurt if you can have dairy. Or, even grind up 1/2 cup of cashews as finely as possible (coffee grinder works), and add it for a dairy-like creaminess, or even a spoonful of cashew butter per bowl.
If you wanted to boost the ‘stick to your ribs’ factor, you can add in cooked chicken pieces, and some cooked quinoa grain ( you can cook it the same way you cook rice).
I’ve tried this soup pureed and chunky- I gotta say, I seem to be liking the chunky business a bit more these days.
Oh! And if you want to boost the flavour of this soup, add in a generous spoonful or two of pesto and swirl around just before serving, along with some chopped fresh chives. Don’t do it while the soup simmers, you’ll lose the delicate herb flavours.
This is so perfect for the cold wet and rainy fall day we’re getting today!
MyRealFoodLife.com
Dairy Free Leak and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, washed and rinsed thoroughly
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 medium potatoes peeled cut into bite-sized pieces
- 5-8 cups chicken stock (Vegan: vegetable stock )
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (or use more for zing. start with half and taste first) (note: this is an optional flavouring)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped (leave them whole if you don’t want them in the soup later)
- salt, to taste (at least 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- “Cream”: 1/2 cup finely ground cashews, or or cashew butter, or sugar free almond milk Nut Free: yogurt or non-dairy yogurt
Directions
- In your soup pot, saute the leeks and onion in the olive oil on high heat till they begin to brown. If you continue to caramelize them, this will intensify the flavour.
- Add in the celery and potato, turn down the heat to medium.
- Note: To intensify your soup flavour, try boiling and reducing your stock before adding it to the vegetables.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer until the potatoes are super tender (about 20-30 min). You may wish to take out the celery stalks after boiling. I like them left in, but thats just a personal preference.
- You can puree the soup now, or leave the soup chunky. Add in any of the creamy ingredients mentioned above or boost the protein content with the suggestions above.
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yay! so glad it worked well for you hilary! thanks for letting me know :D alea
This recipe is AMAZING! I took out the “cream” but added tofu in for extra protein! blended, it tastes amazing! thanks for the recipe!
Hi there Ari!
Leeks are part of the onion family- the look like big fat spring onions, from 1-2 inches in diameter and about a foot long. They are much much milder than onions and have a slightly sweet flavour to them when cooked. You could caramelize 2 large onions instead- it would be a tasty onion soup if you like :)
Is there anyway you could sub onions for the leeks or something else? I don’t have them but i do have everything else? Also, I’ve never used leeks before so I’m not sure what they do/taste like.
wow… hailey – honestly you totally made my day. i can’t tell you how much something so kind meant to me when i read your comment. thankyou- thank you so much.
I just made this soup today and it is amazing! I love it, it is really hard for me to find good recipes that are gluten and dairy free. Thank you so much for putting this up, you are my new hero!
thanks so much for the comment steph! if there are any dairy free recipes you are lookng for in particular, or any special requests, please do let me know! i’d love to help :)
Wow this looks super yummy and I’ve been looking for a good potato soup recipe that is sans dairy! Thanks!
wow… thank you so much Rebekah… i had no idea :) you totally encourage me.. thank you!!
I must say I have never been a great cook. However with your passion and no rules approach to cooking you have encouraged me to try different recipes and just go on a taste bud adventure. I have tried many of your recipes and am actually making the apple radish one to accompany supper tonight. I admire your passion and it has sparked a little cooking passion in me and Jim is so thankful. LOL! Actually I feel healthier daily since I have decided to recreate your recipes. Love it and PLEASE keep on cooking.
It really looks delicious but I can’t even think about soup right now…. ugh. :)