Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe

I don't know about you, but right now I'm at that point where I cannot remember what it was like to leave the house without donning several layers of clothing, I cannot remember what my yard looks like without two feet of snow in it, and I cannot remember what it was like to feel "too warm." Winter, it seems, has been going on forever and will go on forever, spring is never going to come, and I will be cleaning salt stains off my snow boots for the rest of my life.

That's what January feels like sometimes, but in the depth of winter we must find within ourselves an invincible summer.

Nothing brings forth the invincible summer within like a good bowl of homemade soup. This mushroom soup recipe is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day, and it's non-dairy and vegan. It's deliciously warming and wonderfully savoury. I prefer my soups to be quite smooth, so I puree them, but if you prefer a chunkier soup, leave it as is.

A note about nutritional yeast: not to be confused with baker's yeast, these yellow flakes add a cheese-like flavour to dishes and can be found in health food stores, along with the raw cashews.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups sliced mushrooms (I like a combination of white and crimini, or white and shiitake)

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon dill

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

To make cashew cream, soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, drain, and then process in a blender or food processor along with 1/3 cup water, until very smooth and creamy. It should have the consistency of heavy cream or whipping cream.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil on medium, then add onion and garlic. Saute until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour on the mixture, stir to coat. Add vegetable stock, dill, thyme, and nutritional yeast. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Depending on your texture preference, either leave as is or, using a food processor or blender, process until fairly smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and add cashew cream, stirring well.

Serve with additional drizzles of cashew cream, and enjoy!

NOTE: For a nut-free version, substitute heavy cream, soy cream, or coconut cream for the cashew cream.

Yield: 4 servings