Sauté the carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a pan over medium heat using oil (or veggie broth) until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the basil, oregano, thyme and smoked paprika and cook a few more minutes. Allow to cool a bit.
Add the rest of the ingredients into a blender, then add the sautéed veggies. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
If your blender is able to, you can blend it until hot and serve right away.
You can also transfer it to a pot and cook 5-10 minutes, or until hot, and serve.
Notes
If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 30 minutes or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
You can also sub some of the cashews for slivered almonds.