Cream of Mushroom Soup (Low Fat)

Blogging Marathon# 26: Week 2/ Day 3
Theme: Soups & Salads
Dish: Cream of Vegetable -- Cream of Mushroom Soup

For the 3rd day of blogging marathon with 'Cream of Vegetable' being the star ingredient, I made Cream of Mushroom soup. But the creamy consistency for the dish actually comes from pureed cauliflower. I thought  using  pureed cauliflower instead of cream or other thickening agents in a soup is a genius idea!! Don't you think?? It's not my idea though, I found this amazing vegan cream of mushroom soup here and absolutely loved the idea.

I added some fat free half-and-half that needed to be used up instead of non-dairy milk and hence this is not a vegan recipe. Also instead of cauliflower I used broccoliflower which is a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli. Other than that I followed the recipe to the 'T' and this soup is super creamy and hearty, perfect for the chilly weather.

Ingredients:

White Button Mushrooms - 1½cups, finely chopped

Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely minced
Dried thyme - 1tsp
Cauliflower (or broccoliflower) - 2 cups, cut into florets
Liquid (can be non-dairy or dairy milk) - 2cups (I used 1cup fat free half-and-half with 1cup vegetable stock)
Onion powder - 1tsp
Salt and Pepper - to taste

 

Method:

• Prepare the Cauliflower Puree: Combine the cauliflower florets with the liquid, onion powder, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the florets are very tender, about 10-12 minutes. Then puree the mixture either with an immersion blender or a food processor.
• For the Mushrooms: In the meantime, heat 1tsp oil in a sauce pan; add onion, finely chopped mushrooms, dried thyme and garlic cloves, saute till onions start turning lightly golden around the edges and the mushrooms are completely cooked through, about 8-10 minutes
• Add the cauliflower puree to the mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes for the flavors to mingle and soup to thicken. Serve warm!!

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up today for BM# 26.