Happy Humpday!
Two nights ago, for the first time in about a week, I actually had time to make something for dinner that wasn’t a large salad or a bowl of quinoa. I thought, hooray! Then I thought, oh how the mighty have fallen. I need to get better at uncooking and cooking under time constraints.
Regardless, this was a nice way to spend some quality time with my poor, neglected VitaMix. Inspiration for this recipe was the fact that I had a container of portobello mushrooms sitting in my fridge that were going nowhere fast. It occurred to me that I’m one of the few raw eaters I know who’s never made a raw cream of mushroom soup — weird, since I’m a raw soup fiend. I kept it simple with this basic recipe, which was inspired (at least in part) by Philip’s recipe in Raw Food, Fast Food. I changed the soup base here (almond milk and cashews rather than hemp butter and water), but kept flavorings quite similar.
The resulting soup looked suspiciously like a chocolate smoothie in a bowl:
(Right??)
But tasted perfect: really subtle and earthy. I served it with two slices of Ani Phyo‘s zucchini bread, which also happens to be delicious:
You can find the recipe in Ani’s Raw Food Essentials. Here’s how it all happened:
Raw Cream of Mushroom Soup (serves 4)
2 giant (or 3 regular sized) portobello mushroom caps
2 cups of almond milk
1/4 cup cashews
2 tbsp nama shoyu or tamari (I used reduced sodium; if you use regular, I’d use 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp mellow white miso (optional)
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp dried thyme
Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other blender till very smooth. Serve as it is, or with a mushroom garnish.
Obviously, I forgot about the garnish, but that didn’t detract from the taste. Along with salad, it was quick and easy and a comforting meal on a cool day:
Many raw foodists I know have cautioned me against mushrooms (or any other fungi). I’m not persuaded that there’s anything wrong with them. But more importantly, I’d be awfully sad without them.
Before I go, I wanted to direct you all to a blog post from fellow blogger, Ashley. Ashley wrote me this morning to say that some of the conversations here on CR had inspired her to reconsider the foundations of her desire to eat a plant based diet. I was so touched to hear it: as you know, I’m ever more interested in the whole impact of what we do and do not choose to eat. Part of my own vegan journey has meant realizing that food is not merely a means of obtaining nourishment, or of keeping my own body healthy, but also a means of doing what good I can for animals and for the planet.
In keeping with these thoughts of mine, here are Ashley’s honest musings on how her own relationship with food is evolving. I admire Ashley for wondering how her own food choices might have consequences that go beyond her personal health or well being, and for writing about them.
Finally, Lauren has a terrific post up today that resonates heavily with my post yesterday on the shift away from veganism in the raw world: you’ll see that she’s had many of the same thoughts that I have. If you can get past the photos of exotic fruit (ack! Lauren! I may have to file for a food twin divorce!), I urge you to give it a read 😉
xo
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Haha! Oh no! Don’t divorce me!!! 🙂 I knew you’d love the egg looking fruit! 🙂 Thanks for the shout out. And this soup looks really good. Oh food twin, how I adore you!
i’m not vegan or a raw foodist, but this sounds amazing. you can bet i’ll be making this to have for lunches next week!
i know pretty much nothing about raw food, so tell me – do you eat this cold? room temperature? can you heat it?
I eat it room temp. But sure, heat if you want to!
drool. now i that i am the proud mama of a vitamix, i think i just might be making those soup very soon! i <3 shrooms!
Ahh, I seriously would kill for a vitamix! My gimpy old blender wouldn’t do much in terms of making a soup, more or less a chunky raw mushroom batter :/
Yum, mushroom soup! Your soups always look so lovely.
One question- you often post recipes that make several servings. Can you write about what you do with the leftovers? I worry about things going bad in the fridge, especially raw foods, and I’m wondering if you have anything special you do with these kind of leftovers, like freeze them, or if you just happen to use it up in two days. Thanks!
yum! I also have a question for you. I just got a Vita (finally!!) but was looking for some tips on how you don’t “lose” ingredients into the bottom of it. For example with this soup I imagine it would all pour out easily but I made a batch of your tofu burgers and felt like I was losing a ton of batter sticking to the blender and especially at the bottom that I struggled to get out. This was disappointing because it was much easier (and less leaky) to make the batter in the Vita than my food processor but with the processor one swipe at the end and all the batter can be used.
Any tips would be appreciated!
mmmmmmmm I went ahead and made this soup too and it is delicious! My first raw soup! I used baby portobellos and red miso cause it’s what I had and it worked out great
One comment wasn’t enough, I’m totally in love with this soup. I’m dipping baked eggplant in it because that was what was closest to me but I think just about anything would be good using this as a sauce. It is like the most delicious gravy ever.
Oh hooray! So glad you liked.
Kelly,
I never use the Vita for stuff like a tofu blender, etc. That’s food processor business! Ditto for hummus, etc. I use Vita mostly for really liquidy stuff.
G
good to know, thanks! The soup really is soooooo delicious. I am eating it again today, I just want to bathe in the stuff. I am a huge mushroom fan!
Ooo… mushroom soup!!! I’d sort of let that wander out of my head as it’s been so warm here lately, but the last few days have been Soup Weather with a capital S and W! Hmm… may have to brave the rain for a mushroom run…
Oh I love mushrooms. I do wish they were less expensive, though!
Yes please! This sounds so delicious! My friend (no-vegan or raw) told me she made a decadent cream of mushroom and I cringed and then wished I could have my own vegan kind tomake casseroles. This is just great and just as a soup! Thanks!
THIS is a good idea. I am a (recent) lover of mushrooms, so I’m surprised it hadn’t occurred to me to try a mushroom soup either! Maybe because I don’t know what the conventional variety tastes like, since I grew up disliking shrooms so much. I’ve only ever sort of tasted it when it’s the Campbell’s crap baked into casseroles. I would much rather sip a stand-alone recipe such as yours. And since I have everything but the shrooms themselves, maybe I should just shut up and do that.
Ooh, I loooove mushrooms!
Had to star this post, the soup looks wonderful! Thanks!
My mom and I were just discussing cream of mushroom soup. She said it would be hard to make it vegan, but look at this! Vegan AND raw! YUM!
That soup looks fantastic! I’d love to try it with sesame milk.
Mmmm, mushroom soup, I have never made a raw one. Pate – yes. Soup, no. Must try!
“I’m one of the few raw eaters I know who’s never made a raw cream of mushroom soup “–
Well I’m another! I had no idea raw ‘shroom soup was popular among raw foodies…I have honestly never seen it on blogs. And I read one or two of those every day 🙂 haha!
Then again, maybe I am just not plugged in…I kinda also gloss past soups in general but I want to make more! Opposite of raw, but I got a crock pot. Yes, for yrs had wondered why a “raw foodie” would want one as it is the opposite of eating living foods…simmering them for hours…but, honestly made a batch of vegan chili that was so EASY and i have food for the family for 3 days and it was did i mention, easy? Yes! Blogging the recipe tomorrow.
Anyway great job on your soup and bread, tis the season for some soup I’m thinking.
🙂
“I was so touched to hear it: as you know, I’m ever more interested in the whole impact of what we do and do not choose to eat. Part of my own vegan journey has meant realizing that food is not merely a means of obtaining nourishment, or of keeping my own body healthy, but also a means of doing what good I can for animals and for the planet.”
EXACTLY.
I wish some people would try being less selfish.
Our food choices don’t just impact us and our bodies. Period. Thanks, Jaime, for chiming in.
Hi Gena,
Thanks for your thoughtful, delicious posts! I started exploring raw foods when I was forced to remove gluten and dairy from my (already vegetarian) diet. Thought you might enjoy this seasonal raw apple (honey)crisp recipe, borrowed from Whole Foods. Enjoy – and thanks for the inspiration! – Kate
http://bread-n-chocolate.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-bout-them-apples.html
Thanks Kate! And for intro-ing me to your blog.
Just another reason why I NEED a Vita-Mix. This soup looks excellent! I love mushrooms!
Yum! I just love mushroom soup!
They are safer if they are dry, I’ve read a book about a raw foodist living in the woods, she eats them like this since childhood… But only dried. Maybe they would make the soup even thicker =)
I just may have to try this soon. My raw food intake has been a bit low lately. Funny, I have had my VitaMix for over a year now and have only made gazpacho once and raw soup once. Raw soups would certainly be an easy way of getting more raw foods.
Your VitaMix says thank you 😉 Can’t beat a classic mushroom soup (even if one isn’t a soup fan).
Thanks for the recipe– don’t use shrooms much either for soup. So i’ll definitely doing to hopefully give this one a try!