Creating vegan versions of signature soups, like this creamy wild rice and mushroom, has been a fun challenge. By simply pureeing soaked cashews with unsweetened nut milk, you can create a replacement for cream. Making the recipe with fresh herbs and a high quality wild rice blend will add great flavor. Use mushrooms of your choice, I like a blend of baby portobellos or button mushrooms (stems and all). This is a great one to make in a batch and eat throughout the week.
Vegan Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 pound mushrooms (your choice), diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sea salt or Herbamare
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped
½ cup white cooking wine (optional)
1 bay leaf
4 cups organic vegetable broth
1 cup wild rice blend
Cashew Cream:
1 cup Malk Unsweetened Cashew Milk
½ cup cashews, soaked in water minimum 2 hours, then drained
1 pinch black pepper and 1 pinch sea salt
Direction:
In large soup or stock-pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots with a pinch of sea salt. Cook for approx. 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, and white wine.
Cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the wine has cooked off the alcohol and the mushrooms have cooked down.
Add the bay leaf, vegetable stock and wild rice to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for approximately 40-45 minutes until the rice is cooked.
While the soup simmers, make the cashew cream. Add the cashew milk, pinch of sea salt and pepper, and the soaked cashews to a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Remove the bay leaf from the soup and then stir in the cashew cream mixture. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve. If the soup is too thick for you liking, thin out with additional broth.
