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Cream of Wild Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

The other night I was making a wild rice soup that I found in the Spring 2018 Forks Over Knives magazine, by Carla Christian. The recipe was great, but due to my inability to actually follow a recipe, I kept adapting one thing after another and ended up with something quite a bit different.

I wanted to share the recipe here because it has become one of my favorite soups (I’ve made it twice this month already). It’s slightly reminiscent of my hugely successful cream of quinoa soup, with tons of rich umami from the mushrooms, some cool wild rice flavors, cream from cashews, and tofu to make this a really complete and satisfying meal that would be perfect for one of these wintry nights…

Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 leeks
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms (any kind)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1+ tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup black/wild rice
  • 1+ cups fresh water
  • 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
  • 2 cups cubed firm tofu
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh herbs – thyme, oregano, or rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat or brown rice flour (optional)

Prep: soak the cashews in some fresh water for at least 1 hour before blending into cream.

Step One

Thinly-slice the bottom (white) half of two leeks and add them to a large stockpot with a splash of water over medium heat. Then slice the mushrooms, mince the garlic, and thinly-slice the bell pepper and add them to the pot as well with a splash of soy sauce and a grind of black pepper.

Step Two

After the veggies have reduced considerably in the pot and turned translucent (5-7 minutes), add in 1 cup of uncooked wild rice and 4 cups of vegetable broth and a cup of water. Bring to a simmer and then cover (just as if you were making rice on its own) and allow the rice to cook until tender, about 40 minutes.

Step Three

While that’s cooking, drain the cashews of their soaking water and add them to a blender with a bit of fresh water. Blend on high until the cashews are totally dissolved and no chunks remain. Pour this into the soup (reserving a few tablespoons for garnish) with some herbs and a few handfuls of cubed tofu.

Step Four (optional)

Now, the soup is done at this point, but I like to thicken the whole thing with a tablespoon of whole wheat flour and add a bit more water. To do this, pull out about 1/2 cup of broth into a separate dish and mix it with some whole wheat flour until dissolved, then add the mixture back into the pot (this prevents the flour from clumping if dumped right into the soup). Give it another 5 minutes to simmer and add about 1 cup of water, to taste.

Serve with a garnish of herbs and a drizzle of the cashew cream, reserved above.

5 Comments

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  1. Andrew,

    Just made this soup and it’s awesome with a capital A!!

    I didn’t need to thicken it was already thick enough for me once the rice was done. I used a wild rice melody.

    Thank you for taking the time to create really delicious vegan recipes. They are always tasty!

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