Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mmm-m-m-mushrooms!

Over the holiday, we had perhaps the worst meal ever, at a "restaurant" that made all their foods from processed products, and while that is perfectly normal for many American establishments, this one couldn't even prepare the food properly. The kids' frozen hamburger patties were not cooked all the way through, the fries were cold and soggy and worst of all, was the Cream of Mushroom Soup. It was obviously out of the can, as there were lumps that had not even dissolved. Ugh! 

Once a childhood favorite, now the salt levels in condensed soup are way too high for me. One can of soup contains more than half of the recommended daily sodium intake. Making this (or any) soup from "scratch" is so easy and so delicious, you will think twice about reaching for those cans. And without the heavy cream it's even more indulgent! :)







VEGAN "CREAM" OF MUSHROOM SOUP

3 cups water
1⁄2 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup raw cashew nuts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1lb - 20 oz (454g - 567g) fresh mushrooms*, coarsely chopped 
1⁄2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt 
  • In a large stockpot, heat the water, cauliflower and cashews on medium high heat. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, on medium heat, add olive oil and sauté mushrooms and onion for 5-7 minutes. Set aside. • Using a handheld blender, or a regular blender, blend the almond milk-cauliflower-cashew mixture until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches.) Pour back into the stockpot. Add the mushroom-onion mixture to the pot. Turn the heat back on and let cook a further 15 minutes. Season with salt.

*Use button (white), cremini, portobello, or any other mushrooms for variety. Adding 1 oz (28g) chopped porcini mushrooms, brings this soup to another level. Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups (480ml) just boiled water for 30 minutes, to soften. This soaking liquid can also replace the vegetable stock. 

Another great and easy way to prepare....


JAPANESE FOIL-WRAPPED MUSHROOMS
3 cups (400g) Mixed mushrooms
Sea salt & pepper
1 Tbsp low-sodium tamari (GF soy sauce)
1 Tbsp sake, or vodka
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 stem scallion or chives, thinly sliced

1 lemon, cut into wedges

  • Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Place a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet, then place the mushrooms onto the foil. Season with salt & pepper. Add the tamari, sake, and olive oil, tossing to coat. 
  • Close up the foil by folding the sides and ends together. Make sure that the package is well sealed.  Bake for 10-15 minutes. 
  • Carefully open the parcel. Sprinkle with green onion or chives. Serve with lemon wedges and maybe some Japanese pepper if you have any.

1 comment:

  1. Your mushroom soup recipie rocks! I used half & half instead of heavy cream first but definitely yummier with heavy cream. :) I used the 1 pint carton of the cream to measure soup stock (i.e. roughly 2 cups) so that was one less gaget to wash. I think 2 tbsp of flour is just right to thicken up. A little goes a long way!

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