Creamy (Dairy-Free) Mushroom Soup
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and cut
5 garlic cloves, halved
1 small cauliflower, rough cut
½ C fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 t. Thyme
8 oz mushrooms - your choice - cleaned and coarsely chopped. Specialty mushrooms will make your soup more nuanced but we prefer regular button mushrooms.
4 C chicken stock or broth
3 C vegetable broth
1. Heat olive oil in a fry pan over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic and cauliflower, cilantro, and spices. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until onion and cauliflower are soft; about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon approximately 1/4 of the vegetables into your food processor/Vita-mix (I used a regular blender and it worked wonderfully) and add a little vegetable broth. Blend until liquefied. (If you add too many hot vegetables at once, the lid can blow off so be careful.) Pour liquefied veggies into soup pot as you go.
3. Saute' mushrooms. Spoon into food processor/Vita-mix and add a little vegetable broth - liquefy. (If you like chunks of mushroom in your soup, hold back approximately half of the sauteed mushrooms and add them to the soup during step 4.)
4. Add the chicken stock and the remaining vegetable stock to the soup pot. Simmer over moderate heat until heated. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. To serve: Ladle into serving bowls and enjoy the best creamy mushroom soup you have ever tasted!
Makes about 2 quarts