Ok guys, how are we already 20 days into 2020?! I’ve had a pretty great start to my year as I got to spend 7 wonderful days in beautiful Antigua with my Mum and Sister! It was the perfect way to unwind, recharge and soak up some vitamin D after the hectic Christmas period. I let myself shut off from the cooking world, I didn’t bring my notebook nor my laptop and instead spent my time catching up on some good reads, swimming in the Caribbean Sea and just hanging out with my family. Needless to say, I have come back to Italy feeling extremely rested and raring to crack on with whatever 2020 has in store for me, which I am hoping will include plenty of recipes and opportunities to cook for more and more people.
In terms of what you can expect this year, you guys have asked for more recipes using fish, simple post-work and post-gym meals and vegetarian crowd pleasers amongst many others! I am therefore looking to introduce “Meat-free Mondays” as a regular post. There will be a mixture of different kinds of dishes including fully veggie, vegan and pescatarian options! If there is something you’re really craving, just drop me a message on Facebook or Instagram, or you can even contact me via the blog here and I will try my best to cater my dishes to your desires!
So, for the first Meat-free Monday, here is my crowd-pleasing mushroom soup which is creamy without using any cream! Perfect for veggies, vegans and omnivores alike! The lack of cream also means those I love using mixed mushrooms as they add different flavours to the soups, so see what your local supermarket has available and avoid sticking to just white closed cup mushrooms. We also use tinned sliced mushrooms often at home, they’re cheap and are also pretty tasty so I decided to throw them in too. When it comes to blending the soup, if you feel that there is too much stock to mushroom, ladle out some liquid and this will avoid it becoming a thin soup.
If you’re doing a Whole30, just make sure you check the labels on the vegetable stock, as not all stocks are compliant. I know from experience in the UK, that if you need a complaint stock, the best one I found was in Whole Foods. You want to watch out for “caramel syrups” which are often found in stock cubes. Alternatively, you can use homemade compliant vegetable stock!
Let me know if you give this a try – leave a comment below, share with your friends, family, neighbours and if you make it, take a pic and tag me both on Facebook and Instagram! Oh and don’t be shy, come and join our ever growing community! We are ready to welcome you with open arms and delicious food!
Creamless Creamy Mushroom Soup
This mushroom soup will have you fooled! It has the creamy consistency but without the cream! Perfectly dairy and gluten free and great for those on Whole30!
4
servings5
minutes35
minutes40
minutesIngredients
20 g Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Celery sticks, thinly chopped
1 Small white onion, thinly diced
2 Garlic cloves, thinly chopped
350 g Mixed mushrooms, sliced
400 g Tinned sliced mushrooms, drained
Small bunch parsley, stalks and leaves roughly chopped
1 L Vegetable stock
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Black pepper
Directions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add the celery and onions, reduce the heat to low and let them sweat for around 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the onions are almost translucent, add the garlic and fry for around 30 seconds.
- Increase the heat to medium before adding all the mushrooms and parsley stalks, stir to combine and allow them to soften for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove around 4 tablespoons of the mushroom mix and set aside.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, salt and pepper, increase the heat to high to bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Put the lid on the saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Carefully pour the contents into a blender, or using a stick blender, blitz until almost smooth and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Spoon the mushrooms you set aside earlier into the soup when serving and a sprinkle of parsley.