Creamy broccoli soup

My baby is 9 months old and right at the point where she is fully getting into eating meals. It really snuck up on me. She went from trying different foods every so often to wanting to eat actual meals multiple times per day. I absolutely love it. She's been gobbling up this creamy broccoli soup so I wanted to get the recipe written down as soon as possible. This can easily be creamy broccoli cheese soup or be dairy-free or vegetarian depending on your tastes and / or dietary restrictions.

Creamy broccoli soup
Ingredients*
 - olive oil
 - 1 small onion, diced
 - 3 carrots, diced
 - 3 celery stalks, diced
 - 2-3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (I use gold potatoes)
 - 6 small broccoli heads, cut into small florets (you could also do 3-4 full stalks of broccoli including the stems)
 - 1 quart reduced sodium chicken stock or veggie stock
 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional) (it must be sharp cheddar, mild and medium are not flavorful enough with the broccoli)
 - salt / pepper to taste

*Note all ingredients are organic whenever possible

Directions
In large pot heat olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery (these should be cut in approximately the same size), cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and cover. Stir occasionally, cook about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cover. When broccoli has turned bright green, about 5 minutes, add stock. Liquid should almost cover veggies. If it doesn't, add water or additional stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes and broccoli are tender.
Using an immersion blender (or transfer to blender or food processor) puree until smooth. If the soup is thicker than you would like, add water or additional stock. If it's thinner than you'd like turn up the heat and let it reduce a bit. If it's the perfect consistency, add the cheese and stir until melted.

Our whole family ate this with a crusty baguette from a local bakery. I left out salt intentionally since I was serving it to my 9-month old, but added it to our family's servings once it was done. This would also be good with crumbled bacon on top, garnished with roasted broccoli pieces and / or finely chopped chives or parsley.

This soup is just as yummy without the cheese if you wanted it to be dairy-free. The potatoes make it creamy without having to add cream or milk.

Age: 6 months+
Store in fridge for 4-5 days or freezer for up to four months. Favorite storage containers (this and this)