We went mushroom picking last weekend, in Daylesford. It was so much fun and sooo beautiful! The country side at this time of the year is absolutely gorgeous, the colours of autumn are magical and it is so refreshing to leave the city for a little journey in the wonderland. It is also a wonderful way to practice mindfulness without having to remind yourself to stay present. Because in such environment, you naturally are. The practice of mindfulness is radical in its simplicity, yet it sometimes seems so challenging to practice in our daily lives. Mindfulness is the perfect antidote for our scattered minds, restless bodies and multi-tasking distracted culture. As taught by the Buddha, mindfulness is critical to understand ourselves. It is a powerful tool for perceiving how we create our own pain and how to live a life of peace and freedom in this very moment…try it: highly, extremely, recommended! And a little adventure in nature is the most conducive environment.
I had never gone mushroom picking before and I loved it so much that I already set a reminder in my calendar to renew the experience next year! For our first time, we have been very lucky and came back buckets full. Amongst other delicious dishes, a mushroom soup was on the list. I made a mushroom soup once and I remember how difficult it had been to find a recipe that didn’t heavily rely on either cream, butter or flour to thicken up the texture. I’m not a big fan of those, I like my soups to be as ‘clean’ as possible. That way I can enjoy a nice piece of bread and some cheese on the side, yummmm!! So again I desperately searched for THE perfect mushroom soup recipe and got very inspired by the one on veggienumnum.com. It was pure bliss, read on…
Type of dish: Main or entree
Serves: 4 to 6
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low (if you pick your own mushrooms)
Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 20 to 30 min
Ingredients:
600g pine mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
oil
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 02 2 leeks, washed and roughly diced
fresh parsley
1l vegetable stock
0.25 cup brown rice
1.5 cup soy milk
As always, prefer organic ingredients: better for you, better for the environment!
To serve:
fresh parsley
roughly chopped dry roasted almonds
Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a good sized pot, add the garlic (I like to roast it slightly), then the leeks and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add the mushrooms and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes tossing well.
Add the parsley. Turn down the heat and place a lid on the pot to allow the mushrooms to gently cook for 10 minutes tossing the pan occasionally.
Add the rice and stock and bring to a gentle simmer, cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.
Using a stick blender or in batches in a food processor blend the soup until thick and creamy.
Over a gentle heat stir in the soy milk and heat through continuing to stir for a few minutes until hot.
Serve the soup in warm bowls topped with a little extra parsley and the chopped almonds.
Bon appétit!!! ^_^