Soup's on

Someone posted a website today with raw food holiday recipes. Immediately I went prowling on that site as well as several others, copying down various recipes along the way. While I don't intend to deny people their royalties for the food preparation books, I tend to be frugal. I love the various raw food blogs available where people so generously and freely share their recipes.

As the weather gets colder, I'm attracted to soups. This one sounds particularly yummy.

Marvellous Mushroom Soup

1/2 c. water
1/4 c. almond butter
1 1/2 c. mushrooms, quartered
1 T. Liquid Aminos
pinch of salt
4 T. finely chopped mushrooms

In a blender, combine the water and almond butter, and blend.
Add the quartered mushrooms, liquid aminos and salt. Blend until smooth.
Warm in a double boiler so that the temperature doesn't rise above 115 degrees. (If you dip your finger into the bowl and it's pleasantly warm, that's sufficient heat without killing the living enzymes.)
Pour into individual bowls and top with finely chopped mushrooms. Yields 1 cup.

Here's a creamy version of Mushroom soup for raw foodists.

Raw Creamy Mushroom Soup

1 cup torn Chanterelle mushrooms (they pull apart like "chicken")
1-2 T. olive oil
1/2 ounce dried mushrooms
1 cup water
4-5 large fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 T. dark miso paste
4 cups water
sliced green onions tops (garnish)
olive oil for garnish

Take the torn Chanterells and marinate them with a little olive oil. Place them on a Teflex sheet and dehydrate for about 1 hour at 100*.

While the Chanterelles are in the dehydrator, soak your dried mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. In another bowl place the sliced shitake mushrooms and miso paste. Pour the now reconstituted mushrooms along with the soaking water over this mixture. Massage it with your fingers to loosen up the miso paste. Let this mixture now stand for 30 minutes or so.

Take this mixture, pour into your blender and blend it along with the 4 cups of water until smooth. Add more water if the flavor is too strong. Pour into individual soup bowls, top with the chanterells and garnish with some green onion tops and a little drop or two of olive oil.

When I was a child, the first recipe I asked my mother to teach me to make was beef-barley-mushroom soup. It was easy to do, and I have since made countless variations. If I stop being 100% raw this winter, it will probably be with this soup or one like it where I substitute lentils for barley.

Beef-Barley-Mushroom Soup

4-8 cups water
beef bones (short ribs are plain knuckle bones work swell)
1-4 bay leaves
1-2 t. salt, depending on your taste buds
1 c. barley (or half barley, half yellow or green split pea)
1 pound mushrooms cut
2-4 carrots
1-3 stalks of celery
1 onion (more or less to your taste)
Your favorite seasons (salt, pepper, liquid smoke)

Put soup bones into a pot with water and a bay leaf plus salt. Bring to a boil and skim the surface. Now add the barley, or a combination of peas and barley. These absorb water like crazy, so be sure you started with enough or add more as needed. Once the barley is soft, about 40 minutes, add vegetables as well as other seasonings.

Stay warm.
To your good health!