Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

Here is a recipe for a vegan version of cream of mushroom soup without dairy. This recipe uses shitake, maitake and crimini mushrooms with vegetable broth and vegetable boullion along with onion, garlic and spices. It takes about an hour and a half to make.

The brandy I used was Christian Brothers VS and the nutritional yeast flakes were made by KAL. Both of these are readily available in stores. The creamy texture comes from raw cashews and a blender.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 lb rehydrated asst dried organic mushrooms, chopped – use equal amounts of:
    • Shitake
    • Maitake
    • Crimini
  • 4 cups organic vegetable broth
  • 3-4 organic vegetable boullion cubes dissolved in 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and add water to about half way. Allow to rehydrate for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Net 1 lb rehydrated weight. Include any leftover liquid in the soup, if any.

Add olive oil to a large cooking pot. Sauté the garlic over a medium flame. Before they turn brown, add onions and continue to sauté. Add a little water if needed. When the onions are soft and translucent add the chopped mushrooms. Add a little more water and continue to sauté for another 10 – 12 minutes.

Next, and then add the 2 cups of reconstituted vegetable boullion. Stir well. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the 4 cups of vegetable broth along with brandy, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Turn off heat. Place 4 cups of the hot soup into a blender. Add cashews and nutritional yeast and blend for about 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and creamy. Return to pot and heat for a few more minutes. Serve hot.

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and add about 1/2 bowl of water. Allow to rehydrate, stirring every once in awhile to turn them under into the water. Give it about 30 – 40 minutes. After they are rehydrated, chop them up into small pieces on a cutting board.

Note: You can also use fresh mushrooms and skip the rehydration and just chop them up.

In the meantime, add boullion cubes to 2 cups of water in a small saucepan and place over a low heat. After 5 minutes or so, they should be dissolved.

Add some olive oil to a large pot and sauté garlic for a minute or so. Do not brown. Add chopped onions and continue to sauté until they are soft and translucent – about 10 minutes or so. After that, add the chopped mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another 10-12 minutes. Add a little water as needed to keep the olive oil from smoking.

Next, add the reconstituted vegetable boullion and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes. Next, add the vegetable broth, brandy, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes more.

Turn off the flame and add 4 cups of the heated soup to a blender along with the cashews and nutritional yeast. Blend for about 8 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Add the blended part back to the rest of the soup in the pot and stir well. Heat for a few more minutes.

Serve hot. You can vary the recipe a bit with different mushrooms and different brands of broth and boullion.


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