sautéed mushroom soup

oh my, how i love sautéed mushrooms. there is something divine in those tender little fungi all buttery and warm. when i was young, my family would always make them with steak and brown bread, and the mushrooms were my favourite part of the meal (although brown bread rocks pretty hard). i hadn't made them in years, but thanksgiving left me an abundance of mushrooms and i decided to incorporate that awesome flavour into a warm and filing soup.

• 3 cups veggie broth
• 2 cups mushrooms
*i used half button and half baby bella

• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tablespoon of corn starch (optional)

in a food processor combine the veggie broth and 1½ cups of the mushrooms. process the mushrooms until they well blended are no large pieces are left behind. when i made my soup, the mushrooms were almost nonexistent after i was finished blending.

add the mushroom broth into a large sauce pan, and place on burner set to medium-high. when the broth starts to simmer, add in onion powder and soy sauce and reduce heat to medium. let simmer lightly, stirring occasionally.

meanwhile, in a small non-stick skillet, sauté 1/2 cup of the mushrooms with butter and garlic on medium-high heat. after approximately 4-5 minutes, or when the mushrooms are tender, remove from heat and add to the mushroom broth. continue simmering on medium for approximately 5-7 minutes. add the coconut milk, and allow soup to return to a simmer for 5 more minutes. at this point, you can add in the corn starch as a thickener if needed. if adding the corn starch, keep saucepan on burner for a few additional minutes. otherwise, remove from heat and let cool at least 3-5 minutes before serving.

serves 3-4.