Mushroom Cream & Wild Rice Soup

A plate of mushroom soup!
Sorry! Not the best lighting nor photographer over here!

I have always been a fan of thick creamy soups. I never grew up on them (unless you count sancocho as a creamy soup). My mom always did the clear liquid type of soups- maybe that's why I stear away from them? Lol

Well, one of my favorite soups is mushroom soup. You're either a mushroom person and agree with me that this soup is amazing or you're not a mushroom person and aren't picking this off the menu. Well, there hasn't been a mushroom soup I've tasted that I didn't ask for another serving. When I first started working at AKS/NYDA I would have lunch at this cute place a block away named Pecan. They had great sandwich and soup combos. Of course lunch will ring me at about $15 but, their mushroom brie soup was too good to pass up. Eventually they switched ownership, the store changed names and changed its menu. Mushroom brie soup was no longer an option! So I just stopped going there. It saved me money but I was sad! So I did a little googling to find a recipe. It was no surprise that the creaminess of the soup came from a creamer (woah fat calories!) and sour cream (more calories!). 

On this new lifestyle change (yes lifestyle change; it's certainly not a fad for me) I have been trying to stay away from "bad", "high calorie", "empty calorie" type of foods. It's been a bit harder to avoid these kind of foods when I am outside having dinner with friends but, it's definitively doable in my kitchen. So again I went to google and typed "HEALTHY mushroom soup" in the search box. 

And BOOM! There it was, a simple (no crazy ingredient needed) recipe that did sound appetizing. No creamer added for richness; the secret ingredient was cauliflower. Huh? What? The white broccoli? Umm yes. Cauliflower. The blogger went on to state how cauliflower is a ✨magical✨ vegetable. I'm going to have to look more into this magic but, it DID give the soup that nice rich thickness I like! I'll be using cauliflower as a base for many more soups. 

Another ingredient I want to bring up is Wild Rice. On the contrary to the name, it's not really rice but, a type of grass originally grown in North America. The way it looks took me completely by surprise; I was expecting a white/brown colored grain and instead I see that it's black! However, you cook it just as you'd cook any rice; boil it in a saucepan with salt and water. Simplicity is appreciated. It's packed with vitamins, minerals, rich in fiber and, super high in protein. Wild rice does have the traditional carbs associated with grains but, low in fat. It's taste is a bit earthy/woodsy/smoky. 

This recipe yielded quite the amount of soup so, I incorporated the soup into my meal prep plan for the week. I've been eating it all week and I'm still not tired; it's delicious. I am definitively writing this into my recipe book and making it again! 

See the recipe below. 

Per one cup serving: 93 calories, 0.2g fat, 14.2g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 3.1g sugar, 7.9g protein,.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 7 cups water, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• 1½ tsp salt, divided
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2lb mushrooms, chopped rather finely
• 1 cup plain low fat Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil Cauliflower: Place cauliflower to boil with water and salt. When done boiling (20 minutes) drain water. 
2. Cook wild rice: add 1/3 cup wild rice, 2 cups of water and ½ tsp salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until water is almost completely absorbed and rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Add onions, garlic, celery, 1 tsp salt and black pepper to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat for one or two minutes, just to soften up the veggies a little bit.
4. Throw the cauliflower in and continue cooking for a minute or two. 
5. Add 4 cups of water, Dijon mustard, onion powder and half the chopped mushrooms. Bring to the boil then reduce heat, cover loosely and simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Transfer the mixture into your blender and process on high speed until super smooth and silky in consistency. You might have to work in several batches
7. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the cooked wild rice and the rest of the mushrooms. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked, about 3-4 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, mix the remaining cup of water, yogurt and flour together in a small mixing bowl. Add that to the soup and stir until well incorporated; bring back to a simmer once more then turn off the heat and serve.

P.S. After the soup is done, I like to let it sit in the pot for a while before serving. One, because right now it's really hot and two, because after the mixture begins to cool the ingredients begin to expand and the consistency of the soup thickens. Just a bit of kitchen science.


Buen provecho!
<3 Mariela