Begin by soaking cashews in a bowl of water so cashews are completely submerged.
In a large Dutch oven or any large pot, saute onion, garlic, carrot, celery and oregano in a few tbsp veggie broth for a couple of minutes or until onions are soft. **If using crushed red pepper, add here**
Add potatoes to the pot along with 7 ½ cups of veggie broth. Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. **if using quinoa, cook according to instructions on package at this time**
In a high-speed blender, place 1 ½ cups veggie broth, 1 cup cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder and Braggs Liquid Aminos if using. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add this blended cashew mix back to pot and stir until everything is mixed together.
In a high-speed blender, blend 3-4 cups of the soup (anything in the pot gets blended here) and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture back into pot and stir until it’s all mixed together. **If using quinoa, add here**
Serve soup hot and enjoy!