Creamy Vegan Broccoli And Cauliflower Soup With Garlicky Clamshell And Pioppini MushroomsPacked With Foods For Long Life

Contains 7 of my Top 20 Foods For Long Life
Dairy and gluten free and only 134 calories per serving!

Follow us on Facebook and Pinterest.

Food Makes a Great Gift

Who doesn't love a beautiful gift basket - especially when it's full of mushrooms! This beautiful 2 pound gourmet mushroom basket from Gourmet Mushrooms Inc. inspired lots of meals last week. Meals like mushroom risotto, mushroom frittata, mushrooms and kale, and more. But my favorite and healthiest creation was this Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup with Garlicky Clamshell and Pioppini Mushrooms. 

Mycopia Mushroom Gift Basket 

Now that you have my list of Top 20 Foods For Long Life, it's fun to see just how many longevity foods you can pack into one recipe. This one has seven: two cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower), mushrooms, two alliums (garlic and onions), fresh lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. To top it off, this recipe is very low in calories and packed with a pound-busting 15 grams of fiber, so if you are trying to lose weight, having this for lunch or dinner is a great way to do it.

Alba clamshell, brown clamshell, and velvet pioppini mushrooms are used in this soup but you can substitute any others.

For other weight-loss tips, see Lose up to Four Pounds a Week on a Healthful Vegan Diet and Forget Gimmicks or Fad Diets - Lose Weight with a Vegan, High Fiber Diet.

For additional healthy recipes, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. 

          *                       *                         *                       *

Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup with Garlicky Mushrooms

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

[makes 8 servings]

Requires a blender or immersion blender

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces of gourmet mushrooms (like clamshell and pioppini)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups veggie broth*

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 pound yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium head cauliflower, bottom leaves removed and cut into pieces

12 ounce broccoli crown, cut into florets

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

* I like to use a Rapunzel vegan bouillon cube in water for the broth. The bouillon cube also provides the necessary salt for flavor.

DIRECTIONS

Break clamshell and pioppini mushrooms apart and set aside. If using larger mushrooms, such as crimini, cut into small slices and set aside.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute or less. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. If they start to stick to the pot, add a tablespoon of water. Salt and pepper to taste, remove from the pot, cover and set aside.

Saute mushrooms with garlic, salt and pepper.

Once cooked, remove, cover and set aside.

Without washing the pot, add the broth, onion, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and thyme and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are cooked, about 20 minutes. 

Add the nutritional yeast and blend in batches. Return blended soup to the pot.

Stir in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the mushrooms, saving a few to garnish each bowl. Heat to the desired temperature.

Serve in individual bowls. Top with the reserved mushrooms and fresh parsley.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 134 calories, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 60 mg omega-3 and 243 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 6 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 15 g dietary fiber, and 50 mg sodium (does not include added salt).