Before making this soup, cover your cashews with water in a bowl and let them soak for a few hours.

In a large saucepan, sauté the carrots, celery, zucchini and onion for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are soft. Stir in the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes and stir well. Let cook 1-2 more minutes.

Add in the tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir everything well. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the soup to cook for about 30 minutes. You want all of the vegetables to be very soft and tender.

Remove the bay leaves and then with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth. Pour the pureed soup back into the large saucepan.

Rinse out your blender and drain and rinse your cashews. Place the cashews and 1 cup of water in your blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the cashew cream into the pureed soup and stir well.

Heat until warm and serve!