Creamy Wild Rice Soup (Vegan)

This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found on www.veggiessavetheday.com.
I used the instant pot for this soup recipe but it can also easily be adapted for the stove top.

My husband's response to tasting this soup was "It's so hearty! Definitely one of my top favorite soups!" 

What you'll need:
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight 
1 cup wild rice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for a few hours
1/2 cup water

Rinse the soaked chickpeas and then add them to a medium size pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil on high heat and then reduce heat to medium and let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Using the saute function on your instant pot, heat olive oil and then add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute for approximately 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add minced garlic, saute an additional 30-60 seconds. Turn off instant pot. Add the chickpeas, rice, broth, bay leaves, and thyme stirring to combine. Seal lid in place with release valve turned to "sealing." Select "manual" on the instant pot and adjust the time to 30 minutes. Allow to natural release (this is very important as the chickpeas will continue to cook!)
While soup is cooking, place cashews and water in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Once soup is finished cooking, add cream to the soup, stir, and enjoy!
*Remove bay leaves from soup before serving*