Kosher category: Pareve (neutral)
Prep time: 2-3 hours
Labour intensity: Medium
Vegetable stock.
To prepare stock, save vegetable trimmings throughout the week in the freezer-- tips and tops of carrots, capsicum caps, cabbage cores, even entire vegetables that are too old to use but not so old that they've begun to rot-- then place them into a stock pot or your largest available saucepan. Fill a pitcher with water pour over the veg in the pot. Turn on heat to medium high and cover the pot. Once a fast boil is attained, reduce heat to medium low and allow to slow-simmer for 1-2 hours.
Using a sieve, strain the stock into the pitcher you used to fill the pot earlier. In order to cut down on messes, place the pitcher into the sink so if you spill any, it'll end up in the sink instead of all over the counter.
Soup.
Chop the carrots, onion, and celery as finely as you can. Add cooking oil and chopped veg to a saucepan and sautée lightly until the onions become translucent.
Add the veg stock and potatoes, then add the seasonings. I don't normally recommend branded products, but Badia Complete Seasoning is a very nice blend for this application. If you can't find it, use 1/2 tbsp extra of granulated garlic and onion, 1 tsp extra salt, and 1/3 tsp each dried oregano, basil, and parsley (do try to find it, though).
Boil potatoes until tender, approximately 45 minutes. Please note, this procedure will thicken the soup a bit with the potatoes' natural starches.
When done, add the almond milk and allow the soup to return to a simmer. Remove from heat and serve.