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Shitake Soup With Cashew Cream
This recipe is from Leslie Cerier’s wonderful new cookbook “Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook”. This book is packed with whole food, nutrient dense and delicious recipes. Leslie has been kind enough to share one of her original recipes with us this month. Try it and check out this great cookbook. This recipe feature shitake mushrooms which are one of the best vegetarian sources of vitamin D.
Cashew butter makes this soup rich and creamy without a drop of dairy, and the shitakes are very healthful. In China, they’ve been used for their immune-boosting properties for thousands of years. What a delicious way to ward off colds and flus! When cooking with any type of fresh mushrooms, sauté them first to seal in the flavor or they will give it all to the broth.
Serves 6-8
3 Tablespoons of sunflower oil
3 Cups grated yams
3 Cups sliced onions in half moons.
6 Cups stemmed and coarsely chopped shitake mushrooms
1 Cup Cashew butter
7 Cups hot water
1 ½ Cups diced red bell pepper
8 cloves of garlic pressed
1 Tablespoon sea salt
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the yams and sauté for about ten minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the yams from sticking.( if they do stick just add a bit of water.) When yams begin to soften and take on a brighter orange hew, add the onions and sauté for about 30 minutes, until the yams are tender. Add the shiitakes and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to soften.
Use a handheld blender to blend the cashew butter and hot water until smooth, then add the mixture to the soup. If you only have a standard blender, put ½ cup of the cashew butter in the blender, add 3 ½ cups of the hot water, then blend until smooth. The hot liquid can cause the blender lid to pop off, so put the lid on loosely (so the steam can escape) and cover it with a kitchen towel. Add the mixture to the soup and repeat with the remaining cashew butter and water.
Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in the bell pepper, garlic and salt.
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