Creamy Root Vegetable Soup w/ White Beans

Hearty and healthy is always the best combination in my opinion.  Sure, fatty, greasy food is sometimes a necessity and I will not hesitate to indulge if the time is right.  But for everyday?  I would much rather have something incredibly satisfying and not feel guilty about it afterword.  This soup is rich and thick with a creamy texture and it is made (almost) entirely out of vegetables.  Cheap vegetables in fact.  Serve with some good bread and curl up on a cold night.

Creamy Root Vegetable Soup w/ White Beans
1 lrg onion, chopped
2 lrg carrots, peeled and chopped*
1 Tbsp oil
1 lrg sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 med-lrg white potatoes, peeled and chopped
5 C water
1 tsp vegetable base (veg bouillon)*
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 14-oz cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 C half and half or thick buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp hot or sweet paprika

   Heat oil over medium heat.  Saute onions and carrots until tender, 5-7 minutes. 
   Add water, potatoes, veg base, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover simmer over med/med-low heat for ~30 minutes.  Until potatoes are soft and just start to fall apart on their own.  Pull out bay leaf.
   Use an immersion blender to puree soup.
   Add beans, dairy, and paprika.  Cook 10-15 minutes, until beans are hot.
   Serves 4.

*If your carrots taste a little bit tinny (just not as sweet as they should be), add 1 tsp honey before pureeing.
**Don't have vegetable base?  Use 3 C veg or chicken broth and 2 C water in place of the 5 C water.