"Cream" of Mushroom Soup and "Give It To Me" Garlic Bread

Oh man, oh man.  I am in heaven.

It's not just because having soup on a snowy day (especially a snowy day at the end of March) feels like perfection.  It's because I have been drooling over the recipes in www.joythebaker.com for a while now, and finally decided I would take the plunge on Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup and Not-So-Vegan Garlic Bread.

I was so excited  about how this would turn out that I skipped a big step just so I could get it in my belly faster.  Lessons learned?  It's okay to cut corners (who wants to strain soup anyways?) - because this is the most comforting and delicious meal I've had in a long time.  The garlic lingering on your fingers (and the buzz from a ten dollar bottle of viognier you should pick up) will give you fond memories of your meal for the entire night.

What you'll need:

SOUP

mushrooms

onion

garlic

oil

worcestire sauce

soy sauce

vegetable broth

cashews

water

pepper

BREAD

fresh baguette

garlic

green onion

butter

oil

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

What to do for the soup:

• Slice your mushrooms (about 4 8 oz packages); This may take awhile (depending on your skills) but perservere - it's worth it
• Heat oil in a large pot, add sliced onion and chopped garlic
• Add mushrooms and cook on medium heat until they are soft and omitting liquid
• Add ground pepper, 1-2 tablespoons each of worcestire and soy sauce, and 3-4 cups of vegetable broth
• Meanwhile, in a blender, blend 1/2 cup each of cashews and water to make a lovely cream and set aside
• [You can get your bread started now (see below)]
• Use a hand-held blender to puree your mushrooms and/or transfer to blender to puree (I did both)
• Please PLEASE don't hurt yourself making this soup.  Hot liquids rise when blended so BE CAREFUL and blend small amounts at a time
• Transfer back to large pot, add cashew cream and heat on low until you're ready to serve(immediately if you're me)

What to do for the bread:

• Cut thick slices in your baguette, making sure to not slice it right through
• Mash together a couple tablespoons of butter, one finely chopped garlic clove and spring onion, salt and pepper, 1 tsp of olive oil, and fresh parmesan cheese
• Spread throughout and wrap in tinfoil
• Bake at 350 C for ten minutes.  Or less - or more
• Be careful not to scald yourself as you pounce on the finished product

I called it "give it to me" bread because that's what you'll be thinking until it's in your mouth.  You may as well call the soup that too.  And you didn't think I'd let you get away with not hearing about what you're eating, did you?  Well..mushrooms are high in vitamins, minerals, and FIBRE, AND have none of the bad stuff.  Check it.

Get the legit recipe from the master herself and a million other drool-worthy recipes here.