Dairy-Free Creamy Mushroom Soup

January can be summed up in two words:
1. polar
2. vortex.

Time for more soup!!!

Dairy-Free Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
20 ounces of mushrooms, sliced - I used 2 whole packages, 1 white button and 1 baby portobello
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
32 ounces of beef broth - I used 1 whole container from Trader Joe's

A handful of fresh rosemary & thyme
Sprinkle of dried ground sage
Salt & pepper
Unsweetened, plain almond milk or coconut milk

Preparation: It's so simple! In a soup pot, sauté the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender. Add fresh herbs and season with salt, pepper, and sage. Toss together. Once the veggies are soft and fragrant, add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5-10 minutes, then reduce heat. Carefully blend soup using immersion blender (or standard blender - work in batches if necessary). Blend until the soup is smooth, and then add almond or coconut milk until the soup reaches its desired creaminess. If you don't live the dairy-free life, feel free to use half and half to thicken your soup. Simmer for a bit before serving (about 10 minutes). Add more salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Love,
Amy

Savory Sausage, Kale & Mushroom Soup with Pumpkin Broth

Happy October, friends! To start the month off right, I bring you soup #2 of the season. And yes, there's some pumpkin in it. 

 

Savory Sausage, Kale & Mushroom Soup with Pumpkin Broth 

 

Ingredients:

One medium onion, quartered and sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, diced

4 Italian sausage links

2 cups sliced baby portabella mushrooms

4 cups low-sodium veggie stock (sausage is salty & low-sodium stock offers a great, light flavor to this dish)

5-6 cups Tuscan kale

A can of pumpkin purée 

Sprinkle of dried rosemary

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

Salt & pepper

Block of fresh Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, and make sure it has a rind! (I'll explain later)

2-3 tbs olive oil

Fusilli noodles (cooked) 

 

Preparation: Brown sausage in a pan over medium-high heat (I removed the casing in order to "crumble" the meat). In a separate soup pot, sauté garlic, onions,  mushrooms, and kale in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add nutmeg and rosemary and a dash of salt & pepper. Once the veggies are tender, add the browned sausage to the soup pot and toss together. Confession: For flavor purposes, I did not drain the fat off my sausage using a paper towel. But I did use a slotted spoon so... don't judge me. 

 

Add veggie stock to soup pot and bring soup to a boil. Drop in pumpkin purée by the tablespoonful (I did 6 scoops) and stir  to combine. 

Now here is the mother of all soup tips, given to me by my brilliant mother: cut the rind of your block of Italian cheese off, while leaving some cheese on it, and drop it in the soup. Let soup simmer with the rind for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. It'll make the broth opaque and really boost the flavor. Amazing. 

In the meantime, cook up some fusilli noodles according to the package's instructions. Add some to each bowl you serve and top with shaved parm or Pecorino Romano... and enjoy!

My next post will most likely not be a soup... but I can't make any promises. :)

Love,

Amy 

Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup (gluten-free, with vegan option!)

 

Fall & winter are great for many reasons, but soup is definitely in the top 3. My favorite food of all time is my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup that takes a full day to make. It has magical healing powers, I kid you not. I'm pretty sure it could heal a broken bone.

To kick off soup season, here is a fairly quick & easy recipe to warm you up. The spices and color got me so amped for fall I went into the grocery store for sugar this week and came out with 2 mums and about 7 mini pumpkins & gourds. I've also just about overdosed on spiced lattes. And I'm just getting started. 

Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup
 

Ingredients:

3 medium to large sweet potatoes 

1 cup carrots, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup sweet onion, diced 

1/2 of a tart apple, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 can coconut milk (full fat)

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbs garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves (or 1/4 tsp if you're not as big a fan as I am)

A few sprigs of parsley 

2-3 tbs olive oil

Preparation: Scrub sweet potatoes, pierce each one several times with a fork, and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until tender (about 45 minutes). 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, sauté onion, carrots, apple, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add garam masala, curry powder, and salt and toss to coat the veggies in the spices. Once the potatoes are baked through, scoop their meat out and discard the skins. Add the sweet potato to the other spiced veggies and toss to coat.
 

Add chicken (or veggie) stock and bring to a boil for about 2-3 minutes. Then lower the heat to a simmer, add parsley, and blend soup using an immersion blender. If you are using a standard blender, work in batches until soup is smooth (careful - hot!). Once soup is blended, add coconut milk, ginger, and clove. I used coconut cream for my soup, and so I only added about 3/4 of a can. Feel free to adjust the coconut milk to your creaminess preference. 
 

Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until ready to serve. I garnished mine with a bit of cayenne and cinnamon for a kick. 

Stayed tuned for more soups as we head into chilly weather! It really is so good for your soul.

 

Love,

Amy