Mushroom Potato Chowder

Yield: 11 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups/large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups chopped white or cremini mushrooms (340 g/12 oz)
  • 2 tsp mushroom powder, optional (view simple instructions to make your own)
  • 2 ribs diced celery (about 1 cup)
  • 1 diced carrot (about 1 cup)
  • ½ red bell pepper (about ½ cup)
  • 1 layer of diced fennel, optional (about ¼ cup)
  • 900 gr/2 lb potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
  • Large piece of cauliflower* (about 2 cups or 230 gr/8 oz)
  • 6 cups water, divided
  • ¾ cup (114 g/4 oz) raw cashews (soak in boiling water while making soup)
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot sauté onion until transparent and lightly caramelized. View instructions to sauté without oil.
  2. Add garlic, mushrooms, mushroom powder, celery, carrots, red peppers, fennel, and potatoes. Add the cauliflower last. Add 3 cups water. Cover with lid and when mixture comes to boil, turn down heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. About 20-25 minutes.
  3. While soup is cooking soak cashews in boiling water.
  4. To make the cashew cream. When vegetables are tender, carefully remove the cauliflower and add it to the blender. Discard the soaking water from the cashews and add to them to blender. Add the remaining three cups of water, nutritional yeast, and onion powder. Blend this mixture until creamy. 
  5. Add blended cashew cream, parsley and salt to the chowder. Stir and heat chowder until hot. Serve and enjoy!

Note

If possible leave the cauliflower* in a large piece as it will be easier to remove from the pot. It will be blended with the cashews then added back to the pot.