Make the Soup

1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add a splash of water or vegetable broth. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the herbs and spices. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add the artichoke hearts and 5 cups of the vegetable broth.
2. Turn the slow cooker onto low and cook for about 8 hours.
3. Using a stick blender (or working in batches in a blender) blend the soup – not so that it’s uniform and smooth (unless you prefer it that way), but so that there are still some large pieces of artichoke.

Make the “Sausage”

1. Drain the soy curls well and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Add the herbs and spices and pulse 5-6 times to crumble the soy curls. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, lightly spritz the pan with olive oil cooking spray (or to go oil-free, add a splash of water or vegetable broth) and scrape in the soy curl mixture. Cook until very fragrant and beginning to brown. If you’re using the no-oil method, add small amounts of water or broth as the soy curls begin to stick to the pan.
2. Once the “sausage” has browned, deglaze the pan with the red wine.
3. Stir into the soup just before serving.

Make the Cashew Cheese

1. Put the cashews and the broth they’ve soaked in into a high-speed blender. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Process until very smooth, adding more broth or water so that the consistency is thick, but pourable. Set aside until ready to serve the soup.

To serve

1. Divide the soup between 4-6 bowls. Drizzle each serving with the “cheese” and slurp!