Creamy Mushroom Soup

Sometimes in July, it gets cold and rainy and all I want to do is curl up with a blanket and a bowl of my favourite soup. 

Today is that day. 

RECIPE: CREAMY MUSHROOM SOUP

Ingredients:

Coconut oil

Large package of mushrooms, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 litre chicken stock (or vegetable or mushroom stock)

2 cans coconut cream

Garlic powder

Salt 

Black pepper

Method:

> heat up a spoonful of coconut oil and sauté the minced onion and mushrooms until soft and slightly caramelized

> pour into a blender and blend with as much of the stock as needed to make it smooth

> return the blundered ingredients to the pot; add in the rest of the stock and coconut cream

> season with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste

> heat and serve

Vegetable Soup

There are times when I discover two or more types of leftover roasted, steamed, or otherwise pre-cooked vegetables hiding in the fridge. Just enough to keep, but not enough for anyone's dinner or lunch. The solution? Soup!!

Comfort Soup

At my house, we have been sick for a week. My husband has been mostly home since last Thursday (he went in twice but came back home soon thereafter). It is one of those colds that have hit all of us, all at the same time and it has been awful.

Trying to cook or eat when you are sick is not a simple task. Our week has been full of soup, grilled cheese, and skillet-browned boneless chicken thighs and rice. 

Tonight we had soup with a broth that has simmered since yesterday. It was simple and delicious and took (maybe) 5 minutes.

Hearty Mushroom Soup

There are times when I want something hearty, meaty, but... meatless. This soup is the solution.

What mushrooms should you use? As many different kinds as you can - variety is one of my favourite spices! I have used white button, brown button, cremini (baby portabella), large portabella, oyster, enoki, and shitake all in this soup.

Winter Soup

Tuesdays and Thursdays I am always running. After I pick the boys up from school, we have a small amount of time at home before we need to jump into the car and run to the city for a class. By the time we get back, it's 7:00 and bedtime is looming. If dinner is not ready when we get home, the boys are up way too late.

Yesterday, my solution was soup. While the boys are at school, I had time to pull it all together and pop it into the crock pot or a ceramic pot in the oven, covered, on low and it was waiting for us when we got home. It was orange, happy, warm, and totally satisfying.

Comfort Food

The other night on our way home, I asked the boys what they would rather have for dinner: 1) leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, gravy, and salad... OR 2) soup with coconut milk, peanut, curry, and rice noodles. My 7-year-old asked for the soup and my 5-year-old asked for the curry noodles.

Amazing how comfort food for me when I was little would have been option 1, but now I find the more comforting food to be option 2, as do the boys.

Chicken Soup for the Soul and Stomach

I love the smell of a pot of chicken broth bubbling away on the stove.  There is something so homey, warm, comforting about it.  It is a great way to use up the left-over meat, bones, and skin from a roasted chicken. Also, it is surprisingly little work.

CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients:

Chicken bones, joints, skin, etc.

3-6 bay leaves 

10 pepper corns (or 1/2 tsp ground pepper)

1 onion, cut in half

garlic (1 or more cloves)

water to cover the contents of the pot

Method:

Cover and simmer over medium-low until it comes to a gentle boil. Allow to simmer for one to five hours before serving. Alternately, you can use pre-made chicken broth and simmer with the bay leaves, pepper, onion, and garlic for 20 minutes.

To Serve:

Pre-boil noodles until they are "al-dente" or still a bit firm. While the noodles are cooking, chop up a few fresh vegetables. Arrange the chopped veggies, cooked noodles, and leftover meat in each bowl.  Ladle strained broth over the contents of each bowl and serve.

Note: 

Store extra noodles and broth in separate containers in the fridge. If stored together, the noodles will continue to absorb broth and will become mushy.

Do you make chicken soup? What do you do to "personalize" it?