Creamy Mushroom Soup & Fruity Stuffed Celery

Words that come to mind for this dish are "easy elegance." The mushroom soup is a breeze to make. Its silky texture and earthy flavor are perfect lunch for a chilly afternoon. And the stuffed celery sticks are a wholesome, crunchy, sweet & salty compliment (celery is very high in natural sodium)...

THE SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped mushrooms (any kind) 
• 1 medium red onion 
• 4 cups water 
• 1 cup raw cashews 
• 1 TBS Bragg's Organic Sprinkle (or substitute 1.5 tsp dried rosemary + 1.5 tsp dried thyme) 
• 2 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tamari (see notes) 

Directions:

• Chop the onion and place in medium/large pot. 
• Rough chop the mushrooms and add to pot. 
• Add spices and aminos/tamari and water. 
• Cover and simmer until veggies are tender. 
• Place cashews in a high powdered blender. 
• Ladle some of the cooking liquid onto the cashews until they are just covered. 
• Blend until smooth. 
• Add the rest of the soup mixture, except for about one cup of the mushrooms. 
• Blend until smooth. 
• Return to pot and stir until well mixed. 
• Top with a few sliced mushrooms for garnish if you prefer. 

THE CELERY

Ingredients:

• 4 stalks celery
• 1 cup vegan creamed cheese (see homemade cashew cream cheese recipe here!)
• 1 clementine orange (fresh if possible, or 1 small can Mandarin Oranges, well drained)
• 1/2 cup raw pecans
• 1 tsp coconut sugar

Clementines, also known as Mandarin Oranges
are in season in the winter and wonderfully sweet!

Directions:

1. Chop the orange and the pecans.
2. Mix into the creamed cheese with the sugar.
3. Scrape the celery stalks to remove the course strings and cut in half.
4. Stuff with the creamed cheese mixture.

Helyn's Notes: I don't use added salt much in any of my dishes which is why you will see ingredients like "Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids" or Tamari. These are fermented products which add sodium to the dish but with some added nutrients as well. I mentioned a product in a previous post called "Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos" which is my "salt" of choice due to its lower sodium content (65% less than soy sauce) and abundant source of amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

Serves 4. Enjoy!

Healthy Trails,