Mushroom Soup

Mushrooms are interesting little fungi. White caps, baby bellas, portobellos, truffles...there are so many types with different flavors and uses. They're loaded with good-for-you things like protein and antioxidants. A portobello mushroom burger is meaty in flavor and has a great texture.

I personally love mushrooms. I love them in soups, pasta dishes, and it's my favorite pizza topping. Typically, I buy a bunch, cook 'em, and freeze 'em so they're ready when I want to use them in a dish. Recently, I got my paws on one of those warehouse club tubs of baby bellas, and after freezing some, decided to use up the rest in something fresh.

Mushroom soup isn't a dish I'd have created on my own, because most of the time mushrooms are an accessory to another dish. Sure, we've all had cans of cream of mushroom soup, but even that is often used as an ingredient in another dish (see green bean casserole) That varies with things like the portobello burger I mentioned before, but for the most part, mushrooms aren't something you think to eat on their own. And that's where changing ideas is important. Just because I haven't had it before doesn't mean it won't be amazing. I can't even believe there was a time in my life that I didn't eat sushi. There was a point where I'd tried a small amount, detested it, and wrote it off as a disliked item. Several years later, I gave it another shot and realized I'd been missing out. That's the lovely thing about being open and forgiving when it comes to food; you just might discover a long lost love.

But back to the mushrooms. I wasn't sure what to expect in a mushroom soup, except maybe something that tasted like a large collection of steak topping. Once I saw the thyme and garlic involved, my interest was sparked.

This was very simple to make. I sauteed the mushrooms, onions, and garlic in some avocado oil until fully cooked. Mushrooms are speedy cookers, they only take 5-7 minutes and just get darker in color and soft. Once they were done, I added veggie broth, coconut milk, thyme, oregano, soy sauce, and a bay leaf.

The remainder of cooking was just adding in seasonings, broth, coconut milk, and some starch, then letting the ingredients simmer.

The thyme combined with the mushrooms I believe is what really made this dish a treat. It was a unique, savory flavor, and took the concept of boring right out of mushroom soup. I have to say that trying this was truly surprising; I never expected the combination of these ingredients to create something so tasty.

Mushroom Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil (I used avocado)
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut milk (or milk of choice)
1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon starch (cornstarch or tapioca flour)

1-2 tablespoons water

Instructions:

Heat oil in a saucepan and heat to medium. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, until mushrooms are softened. Stir in soy sauce, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and salt. Add vegetable broth and coconut milk to the pan. In a small bowl, use a fork mix starch with water until dissolved. Mix starch into pan. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

adapted from best ever mushroom soup