I made a double batch of what this Latino brother makes on his youtube channel called RawFoodMuscle.
Raw Creamy Spicy Mushroom Soup episode #11
Many of his recipes are fast, full of flavor, vegan, and raw. I’m also enjoying this show because it’s a person of color cooking, much in the spirit of Bryant Terry, Nwenna Kai, or Angela Shelf Medearis. In short, if you can’t afford the fancy cookbooks, check out some recipes on youtube or online. You don’t have to be obsessed with vegan cookbooks like me!
Since my fiance is recuperating from bronchitis, I cross-referenced with Gillian McKeith’s “Food Bible” and substituted his ingredient of baby portobello mushrooms with shiitake mushrooms.
Apparently, shiitake mushrooms are good for bronchitis. Other sources say that shiitake mushrooms stimulate the immune system, are anti-viral, prevent platelet aggregation (good to avoid heart attacks, but not for hemophiliacs), and increase resistance to pathogens (such as the flu virus).
In terms of flavor, the shiitake mushrooms complement the miso used in the recipe much better. I would share a pic, but my fiance threw down on the soup before I could snap one. If you prefer warm food, you can heat this soup as well, and the flavor is still there. He mentioned that heating the soup made the elements come together and thicken into a heartier soup. It’s also a satisfying soup for a cold day or when you’re feeling congested.
My take:
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of raw, unsalted cashews
4 cups of water
12-16 shiitake mushrooms (Some are big. Others are smaller.)
A little bit of olive oil
1 whole jalapeño chopped (with seeds)
1/2 cup of cilantro
3 tbsps of white miso (available at an Asian grocery if not a mainstream grocery)
2 tsps chili powder
1 tbsp of onion powder
1 1/2 tsps of garlic powder
2 tsps of sea salt
a little black pepper
a little red pepper
DIRECTIONS
Wash and chop the mushrooms. You can massage the mushrooms gently with some olive oil. You won’t need much oil at all. The original recipe called for a food dehydrator, but it’s not necessary.
Chop the jalapeño and leave in the seeds. If you are sensitive to peppers, wear the cooking gloves so the pepper does not burn your hands.
Put 4 cups of water, then the cashews in your blender.
Add the miso, some of the cilantro, and all the seasonings, then puree.
Add some of the chopped mushrooms and the whole jalapeño to the mix.
The mix should look like a creamy, beigey mustard when it’s completely blended.
Pour servings into bowls, add more chopped mushrooms for texture and a little of the leftover cilantro for garnish. I’d also recommend a good green tea and some rice crackers on the side, but it’s up to you.
I’ll be writing about poetry and children’s books soon and catching up on other long overdue blog topics soon. I’m reading at NYC’s Brecht Forum on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 7 p.m. for Women On Wednesdays: “K’uychi Ñayñaykuna del/My sisters of the rainbow”. Features include The Mimi Jones Band, curator Latasha N. Diggs, Tonya Foster, dancer/choreographer Paloma McGregor, and “Rhyme Like a Girl” with Toni Blackman.
