Mushrooms are usually one of those foods that people either love or hate, and there is no in between. I am always dumbfounded by the mushroom haters--I could survive off sautéed mushrooms and onions for days on end and not get sick of it. I usually have no problem using up a whole package of mushrooms in a couple days, but for the past week, I have had an entire, unopened pack of baby bella mushrooms stare back at me every time I open up the fridge. I hate wasting food, and I wanted to use these up before they went bad, so I knew I had to make something that would call for a lot of mushrooms. I had the day off from work, and it was cold outside, so I didn't want to leave my house for any reason. Using some staples in my kitchen--vegetable broth, almond milk, and cashews--I was able to come up with a creamy mushroom soup.
You can make this recipe using any kind of mushroom you like--portobello, baby bella, shiitake, etc. Experiment!! I just recently discovered oyster mushrooms and fell in love. It's important to branch out and try new flavors together, so you can find exactly what works for you. It is actually kind of hard for me to write recipes sometimes because I am always adding random ingredients into the pan as I go, but that is how you learn!
YIELDS
2 bowls of soup
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 package of mushrooms (8 oz), sliced and diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1-2 tablespoons spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves, shredded
- to taste black pepper
- For the topper:
- 1 oyster mushroom
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 green scallion, diced
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
Directions
1. Before you prepare your ingredients, set your cashews in a bowl of water to soak.
2. Wash, slice, and dice your mushrooms. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium and add the mushrooms, diced onions, and minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
3. Strain the cashews and add to a blender with the almond milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add to the pot with the mushrooms.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth and mix. Stir in the nutritional yeast, sage leaves, and black pepper.
5. To thicken the soup, you can stir in a tablespoon or two of spelt flour. This is really up to you how much you add--the more flour, the thicker the soup will be.*
6. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, so the flavors can infuse themselves.
7. While this is cooking, heat up the rest of the olive oil, tamari, and garlic powder in a separate pan over medium heat. Add the oyster mushroom (any mushrooms will work, really) and sauté until dark brown and soft.
8. To serve, top the soup with the oyster mushroom, green scallions, and slivered almonds. *If you added even a couple more tablespoons of flour, this thickens wonderfully into a cream sauce to use over pasta as a sort of mushroom stroganoff spin-off.
2. Wash, slice, and dice your mushrooms. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium and add the mushrooms, diced onions, and minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft.
3. Strain the cashews and add to a blender with the almond milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add to the pot with the mushrooms.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth and mix. Stir in the nutritional yeast, sage leaves, and black pepper.
5. To thicken the soup, you can stir in a tablespoon or two of spelt flour. This is really up to you how much you add--the more flour, the thicker the soup will be.*
6. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, so the flavors can infuse themselves.
7. While this is cooking, heat up the rest of the olive oil, tamari, and garlic powder in a separate pan over medium heat. Add the oyster mushroom (any mushrooms will work, really) and sauté until dark brown and soft.
8. To serve, top the soup with the oyster mushroom, green scallions, and slivered almonds. *If you added even a couple more tablespoons of flour, this thickens wonderfully into a cream sauce to use over pasta as a sort of mushroom stroganoff spin-off.
Also by Lauren: Vegan Butternut Squash and Fig Naan Pizza
Related: Vegan Tomato Mushroom Avocado Quiche
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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote
