Mushroom Cauliflower Soup

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I don't know why I haven't written about this really easy to make soup. It's delicious, and nutritious and hardy and I love it.

What makes it easy to make is that it is made with dehydrated mushrooms and frozen cauliflower. If you have anything of the "dark green leafy" family, you can add it.

I usually fill a medium sized pot with filtered water. I add a teaspoon of my spice mix (you might want to develop your own -- spices are very personal and even the smallest quantity of something you don't like can ruin a dish), 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (or to taste) and up to three tea bags (pick whatever teas you like that would work with a savory soup -- something citrus or I have one that's ginger and turmeric and another that is shiitake mushroom and turmeric) to give the water some flavor. Then I add one bag of "Fungus Amongus" dehydrated shiitake mushrooms and 1/2 bag porcini. I let that boil up for a while, at least until the mushrooms are fully rehydrated.

While this is cooking, I take two bags of frozen cauliflower (If I have, I sometimes take a bag of Trader Joe's frozen organic multi-colored cauliflower -- it adds, if nothing else, anti-oxidants) and lay them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil on the cauliflower, I also sprinkle more of my spice mix and then spray with a bit of organic olive oil spray to make sure there is oil over the entire surface (as much as is possible). I roast them at 400-425 degrees F (I think that's about 200-220 degrees C) for about 20 minutes (or until there are some black edges).

When the mushroom mixture is cooked well enough and the cauliflower is roasted through, I add the cauliflower to the pot and boil them all together. Now is the time to add any other veggies you might want to put in (spinach, kale, collards, red cabbage, etc.) and simmer until everything is cooked though.

Let it all cool for a bit and then puree it all using an immersion blender (if you use an upright blender, be very careful -- putting a hot liquid in a canister blender almost always makes a mess since the steam, particularly when it's agitating, will blow the cover off the container). I like it best when it's well pureed but still have some small pieces (very small pieces) of mushroom un-pureed.

This is the kind of soup you pull out when you want something relatively quick -- it tastes good cold too, though I prefer it hot. Keep it in the refrigerator -- it stays well.