Mushroom Soup

Last night we enjoyed Vegetarian Times' Creamy Mushroom Soup (Feb. '10 issue) which is both low in fat and cholesterol! It was very flavorful and even for non-lovers of mushrooms, like JD, it is still very yummy!

* The soup was not as thick as I would've liked it to be (even after adding more cornstarch), so next time I would add more flour in step 3.

Recipe:

1 oz. mixed dried mushrooms, such as oysters, porcini and chanterelles, plus more for garnish, optional (I chose dried porcini)

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I make my own with vegetable bouillon cubes)

1 tbs olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. salt, divided

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, such as cremini and white button, chopped (2 cups) (I used both)

1/2 cup finely chopped shallot

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 cup sherry

1 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 cup soy creamer (I used half and half, but if you want to keep the recipe vegan, use soy)

1. Placec dried mushrooms in medium bowl. Cover with 2 cups of hot water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and keep warm.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add rehydrated mushrooms and 1/4 tsp. salt; saute 2 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Transfer mushrooms to plate; set aside (I then chopped them because the pieces were a little large).

3. Heat remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil in same saucepan over medium heat. Add fresh mushrooms, shallot, pepper and reamining 1/4 tsp. salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in sherry. Simmer 3 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half. Whisk flour into broth mixture. Stir broth mixture into mushroom mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. Transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return soup to pot; stir in creamer and reserved rehydrated mushrooms, reserving a few for garnish, if using.

Per 2/3 cup serving: 88 cal; 3 G protein; 4G Total fat (<1g>