when i was in high school, my bff’s grandmother was in her 90’s and had 24/7 assistance at home. nurses would come by everyday, and my bff and i would have a few shifts a week to make her food, play cards, and whatnot. yes, i always let her beat me in SKIP-BO (which she would call skidoo).

dinner was always a hoot. veggies were boiled to death, lettuce was overdressed into soup form, and mushrooms… ohhh the mushrooms. i forget exactly what we were making, but i remember her asking me to PEEL them. true story, mushrooms can be peeled. i have to admit, it was kind of relaxing.

have i done it since? heck no. but, whenever i see a mushroom, i think of Mrs. G… she was a true gem, may she rest in peace.

anyway. let’s talk about this “creamy” cashew mushroom soup. ACK i’m phleming up just typing it… creamy. for those of you out there that have the same reaction, this is THE faux-cream for you. put it in any soup your little heart desires. tomato soup. broccoli soup. asparagus soup. yup, faux creamy soup.

you’ll get the smoothest results if you use a food processor (better yet, a vitamix), to make the cashew cream. you’ll get even better results if you’re drinking prosecco out of a giant goblet.

the end result should look like this:

and the end END result should look like this:

vegetarian and easily made vegan. high in protein plus whatever vitamins and nutrients mushrooms contain. probably also some dirt, if you didn’t peel them. aaaaand a speck of gold nail polish. perhaps i’ll be as excited as charlie when he found the golden ticket. my girl Jessica over at little miss runshine had a bowl of it yesterday, dare i tell her?

“CREAMY” CASHEW MUSHROOM SOUP
adapted from Vegan Sparkles

1 pound fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small brown onion, sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter (or vegan margarine)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/2 cup water

1. MELT butter in a heavy stock pot on medium heat. add onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes.
2. ADD vegetable broth. cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes.
3. BLEND cashews and water in a food processor until smooth, 3-5 minutes. if you are using a blender, soak the cashews in water for 10 minutes prior to this step.
4. STIR herbs into the stock pot, (remove from heat!) and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. add cashew cream and blend until well combined.
5. SIMMER soup for 15 minutes.
6. EAT.