Loaded Broccoli + Chicken Soup

1 Preheat oven to 400*
2 Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over garlic bulb and coat well
3 Place on baking dish and bake for 30 minutes
4 Heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat and add olive oil
5 Once hot, add onions and sauté for 5 minutes
6 Add chopped carrots to pan and sauté until onions are golden brown and carrots are tender
7 Remove onions and carrots from pan and set aside
8 Using the same pan add additional oil if needed and add mushrooms
9 Sauté mushrooms until tender and set aside
10 Bring a large pot of water to a boil and steam broccoli until tender, approximately 10 minutes
11 Add broccoli, garlic, 1/2 of carrot and onion mixture and 2 C. of chicken broth to your Blendtec and blend on soup cycle
12 Pour soup into large stock pot
13 Add remaining 2 C. of chicken broth to your Blendtec and blend well until all bits are scraped off of the sides
14 Add broth mixture into the rest of soup
15 Add remainder of the carrots and onions, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, onion powder, thyme, salt and almond milk into pot and stir
16 Add chicken to pot and combine
17 Simmer soup for 10 minutes prior to serving