Creamy Mushroom Soup (Gluten-Free/low-Fat )

Happy Tuesday Fellow Foodie!

We had a healthy version of creamy mushroom soup last night for dinner that came out so spectacular, I had to share it!

I have mentioned in the past, that most soups (especially commercially made ones) are thickened with roux. Roux-in case you are not familiar-is a 50/50 mix of melted butter and all purpose flour. It is a very fine way to thicken a soup or sauce. It adds richness and a WONDERFUL velvety texture, but because of this, it allows a cheaper and lower quality soup to pass for sellable in a restaurant.,
 For the record; none of my restaurants that I have ever worked in (or Chefs I have worked with of for) have ever served anything less than top-quality. Just ask my friends Mikey, Liz, and Tracy!!!

The thing that roux adds is fat and gluten protein. While I am not anti-carbohydrate, and I am not anti-fat either, I think that cutting back a bit hear and there is a good way of life practice. Not to mention that someone I loves has a gluten sensitivity, and deserves a few yummy recipes that are easy and quick, and delicious.

With all that said, here is the recipe:

Julie's Creamy Mushroom Soup
1 Tsp. olive oil
2 Lbs. Crimini mushrooms-roughly chopped
8 Crimini caps set aside
1 cup diced onions
4 cloves freshly pulverized garlic

2 cups rich beef (or veggie) stock
1 cup low fat (please don't use fat free) Sour Cream (Daisy works best)

In a very large skillet, heat the olive oi. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook on high heat until the mushrooms have shrunk up and are well browned, about 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile slice your reserved mushroom caps into thirds horizontally, then dice into small cubes (about 1/4 inch).

Once your mushroom mixture is well browned place into a blender with the stock and the sour cream. Puree until very smooth and creamy.

In a clean skillet cook your mushroom cube over high heat until they are well browned. Pour the mushroom soup into a sauce pan and add the mushroom cubes. Allow the mixture to gently simmer for a few minutes, reducing to a thick velvety consistency. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

A word about Crimini Mushrooms:

Like most mushrooms, crimini mushrooms can provide us with unique immune system support. But contrary to public belief, these common button-type mushrooms have recently been shown to surpass some of their more exotic mushroom counterparts (like shiitake or maitake mushrooms) in terms of immune system benefits. We've seen several recent studies that placed button mushrooms at the top of the mushroom list with respect to regulation of unwanted inflammation. Included here were studies on laboratory animals involving the development of arthritis--an area where we expect to see more news about the health benefits of mushrooms.

Protection against cardiovascular disease has become an area of special research interest in crimini mushrooms. Along with extracts from oyster, shiikate, maitake, and white button mushrooms, extracts from crimini mushrooms have been found to reduce the binding of certain immune cells onto the lining of the aorta. When mushrooms reduce this binding, they also lower risk of damage to the aorta and risk of blood flow problems.

For women who are at risk of hormone-dependent breast cancer, crimini mushrooms may be an important diet addition. These mushrooms have recently been shown to be a significant source of conjugated linolenic acid (CLA)—a unique type of fatty acid that can bind onto aromatase enzymes and lessen the production of estrogen. Since some breast cancer tumors are dependent upon estrogen for their growth, this blocking of the aromatase enzyme by the mushrooms' CLA may lower risk of this breast cancer type. The presence of CLA in mushrooms is fascinating, because we typically expect to find this type of fatty acid exclusively in animal foods like milk, cheese, and meats.

Crimini mushrooms may sometimes be a valuable source of vitamin B12. Even though this B12 issue can be a little confusing, we believe it's important for you to know that recent studies have found significant amounts of vitamin B12 in some samples of fresh crimini mushrooms. The B12 in these mushrooms was apparently produced by healthy bacteria growing on the surface of the fresh mushrooms. Mushroom content of B12 varied significantly, and sometimes it varied from farm to farm. That kind of diversity makes sense to us because growing conditions for mushrooms can vary dramatically. Traditionally, we've thought about animal foods as being our only reliable source of vitamin B12. Animals tend to store up small amounts of this vitamin after it has been produced via being consumed in a food or produced by bacteria in their digestive tract. This way of thinking about vitamin B12 still holds true. However, it might also be smart for us to start thinking about fresh mushrooms (including fresh crimini mushrooms) as a potentially valuable source of vitamin B12.

Nutrients in
Mushrooms - Crimini
1.00 cup (87.00 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

selenium32.3%

vitamin B225.2%

copper21.5%

vitamin B316.5%

vitamin B513%

potassium11.1%

phosphorus10.4%

zinc6.4%

 

manganese6%

vitamin B15.3%

choline4.5%

protein4.3%

folate3%

Calories (19)1%