Cooking with FOX 7: Creamy Vegeful Chowda

Health coach Lisa Rice who also works with Whole Foods Market Medical Wellness Center talks about healthy eating and makes a plant strong recipe.

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 large celery sticks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 T Herbs De Provence
1 head of cauliflower, de-stemmed and cut into large florets
1 large yukon gold potato, large dice
1 cup of corn (fresh or thawed frozen)
6 - 8 cups low sodium vegetable broth or bouilion (set aside 1/2 cup for cooking mushrooms)
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked and drained 
3 T cup chickpea miso
1/2 a head of kale, destemmed, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces
 
3 cups oyster mushrooms whole, plus the stems rough chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth 
1 1/2 tsp kelp granules or flaked nori
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Heat a large pot to medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, celery and carrot, into soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes, splashing broth as needed to prevent sticking/burning.

Add the Herbs De Provence and saute another minute more. Stir in the potato and cauliflower, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes or until the potato and cauliflower are fork tender. Add corn and cook a few minutes more.
 
While the pot of soup is cooking, heat a skillet and add a few splashes of the saved vegetable broth. Add mushrooms with chopped stems and 1/2 tsp of the kelp or nori and stir frequently adding broth as needed to prevent sticking. Cook until soft. Set aside.
 
Scoop one to two cups of soup from pot into a blender or Vitamix and add the cashews, miso and remaining tsp of kelp or nori. Blend until smooth and add back into pot and stir.
 
Add kale and mushrooms to pot and continue cooking a few minutes more.
 
Ladle into individual  bowls and serve with lots of fresh cracked pepper and some crusty bread.
 
Variations: this recipe is great for using up bits and bobs of vegetables in your refrigerator or freezer. Fresh or frozen peas, parsnips, green beans, snap peas, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, sweet potatoes, partially used onions or scallions, mushrooms, spinach, chard, collards, etc. Just cook the harder vegetables first and add the softer vegetables later and wilt the greens in at the end. So easy!