Mushroom Soup

Earthy, thick and creamy, it’s hard to believe this soup is low in fat too.

Ingredients:

9 cups of chopped mushrooms (try to use 2-3 different kinds such as crimini, button, portobello)
¾ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup chopped green onion
28 ounces chicken or vegetable broth (*use a gluten-free brand such as Progresso Natural if you are on a gluten-free diet)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons white wine
½ cup fat free half and half (*use a gluten-free brand such as Darigold if you are on a gluten-free diet)
ICB or 1 tablespoon light margarine or 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Spray a large pan with ICB (or coat with ½ tablespoon light margarine or 1 teaspoon olive oil) add the onions and 7 cups of the mushrooms (put 2 cups of them aside) and sauté on medium heat for 7-10 minutes until mushrooms are soft and browned. Meanwhile add the 2 cans of broth and the garlic powder to a large pot and place on medium heat. Once the mushrooms are done add them to the pot of broth and simmer for 5 minutes, turn off heat, add the fresh basil and set aside to cool a bit. While the mushroom broth mixture is cooling, spray the large pan again with ICB (or coat with ½ tablespoon light margarine or 1 teaspoon olive oil, add the last 2 cups of the mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until mushrooms are soft and browned and set aside.

Carefully transfer the cooled mushroom and broth mixture from the pot into a blender. If you have a smaller blender only add one fourth to half of the mixture at a time (you can put the other half in a large bowl until ready to blend). Blend on low speed for about a minute, until a smooth consistency is reached.

A note about blending hot liquids: In order to be safe, it is recommended when you blend hot liquids that you never fill the jar more than half full, that you put the lid on and then cover it with a dry towel and hold it down by hand. Or instead, cover with the top, but leave out the center plastic covering, place a kitchen towel on top which will allow air to escape more gently Also, use as slow a speed as possible. NEVER blend hot liquids fully covered and at high-initial speed...you're just inviting burns as the hot liquid quickly blends, heats up the air above it, and causes an explosion through the blender top

Put the blended mixture back in the pot, add the cooked mushrooms and white wine and warm on low heat stirring frequently (to prevent the thick soup from spattering.) Add the fat free half and half and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat until uniformly heated.


Makes 7 cups, seven servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 60 Protein 4 g Carb 8 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 4 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat <1g Sodium 490 mg