Cream of Mushroom Soup for the Gastritis Soul (Vegan-Friendly)

As I spent over the last year recovering from chronic gastritis, I started becoming more and more addicted to mushrooms. Although I get why not everyone loves mushrooms, they have so much to offer in terms of flavor, variety, and nutrition, that I would encourage anyone who enjoys them to incorporate them more into their everyday diet. As plant-based foods go, they’re relatively high in protein. They offer a wide range of health benefits and have many cancer-fighting compounds. Because they get nice and firm during cooking, they always feel like a pretty legit meat substitute for me too, which helps keep me satiated. I don’t necessarily think this is the selling point for vegans, but every vegan I know loves them all the same!

What’s more, for those of us suffering from gut conditions like gastritis, GERD, and even mild reflux, mushrooms typically have a pH of 6.0 – 6.7 which is an incredibly safe zone for any of these conditions. Many mushrooms are somewhat high in FODMAPS, but cremini mushrooms, the main mushroom in this recipe, are low in FODMAPS (and the alternatives suggested such as oyster and white button mushrooms are also low FODMAP).

This soup is full of flavor and has a creamy, velvety texture. Although part of the soup is blended to create a nice, hearty consistency, many mushroom slices will remain and get nice and firm during cooking. These leftover slices of mushroom read like meat to me, making this soup really satisfying, for vegans and omnivores alike.

Gastritis/GERD diet:

Cashews are permitted on gastritis and GERD diets so long as they are well-tolerated and don’t cause inflammation. Since they are seeds, they are recommended as a reintroduction after an initial “healing phase” (often lasting around 90 days) in which many healthy but harder-to-digest foods should be temporarily avoided (such as nuts, seeds, legumes, and raw vegetables); garlic powder is in this same category.

Vegan / Meat-eater notes:

The cream in this soup comes from lite canned coconut milk. The stock is any GERD/gastritis diet-compliant veggie stock (you want it to be free of non-compliant ingredients like onion, vinegar, sugar, tomato puree or paste, artificial preservatives and food coloring, etc.). Alternately, for those who are not vegan, any diet-compliant chicken stock or homemade stock will do the trick nicely.

Paleo/AIP:

This recipe is also very Paleo- and AIP-friendly. Just omit the miso paste. You may wish to sub with an extra TBSP of coconut aminos to compensate for the loss of umami flavor. Cashews are Paleo! They are actually seeds, not legumes, and therefore are fully permitted.

Yield:

4 bowls of soup (or about 6 cups)

You will need:

• Knife & cutting board
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Medium bowl
• Dutch oven or large saucepan with lid’
• Fine mesh strainer (recommended for the mushroom stock which can have sediment)
• Blender
• Wooden stirring spoon and ladel

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (28g); or other dried mushrooms of choice, rehydrated in 1.5 cups very warm water
• 1 lb. cremini aka “Baby Bella” mushrooms (454g), sliced (or any mushroom or mushroom mix of choice, e.g. white, oyster, shiitake, etc.)
• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil (+ 1 additional TBSP extra-virgin olive, or can sub w/ 1 TBSP organic ghee if not vegan, for added richness); keep separated
• 1 large leek, chopped (whites); or 2 small leeks as needed
• 1 tsp garlic powder (if well-tolerated)
• 1 sprig rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 2 sprigs thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 sprig oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup lite (unsweetened) coconut milk (canned)
• 2 cups diet-compliant veggie or chicken stock/broth
• 1/2 cup raw cashews (70g)
• 1 TBSP miso paste
• 1 TBSP coconut aminos

Optional: To garnish, drizzle with a bit of good quality extra-virgin olive oil and minced parsley.

Directions:

1.) Place the dried mushrooms in the bowl and add 1.5 cups of very warm water. Allow to soak for around 20 minutes. With a spoon, stir the mushrooms around a few times. When they’re very soft, they may be transferred to a cutting board and chopped. Using the mesh strainer, remove the sediment from the mushroom stock a couple times and reserve the liquid.

2.) Slice the fresh mushrooms. Clean and slice the leeks, making sure to wash away any grit in between the layers of the leek.

3.) Heat the Dutch Oven or saucepan over high heat. Add 1 TBSP olive oil and allow to heat up. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the leek and cook for a couple minutes. Salt the leek (around 1/4 tsp) and continue cooking and stirring for another couple minutes.

4.) Add the additional TBSP olive oil (or sub with ghee) and allow to melt. Then add the sliced raw mushrooms and cook until firm and a little caramelized, around 5-7 minutes.

5.) Add the strained mushroom broth (1.5 cups) and bay leaves. Use the liquid to scrape the bottom of the pan and loosen any bits. Then add the 2 cups veggie or chicken stock, plus the herbs. (The herbs are cooked very well but if they are known to cause you flaring, omit.) Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. When about 5 minutes remain, add the cup of coconut milk, stir, and return lid.

6.) Remove the hard herbs and bay leaves from the soup. Ladel about half the soup (2 cups) into a large blender, along with the cashews, miso paste, and coconut aminos. Blend well until smooth.

7.) Return the blended soup to the saucepan and stir well. Cover with lid and allow to simmer on low for an additional 10 minutes to allow everything to come together.

8.) Serve hot in bowls. Optionally, add some dashes of good quality EVOO and some minced parsley to each bowl to garnish (if fresh parsley isn’t well-tolerated, omit, or cook in the soup during the final ten minutes of simmering).

INTERESTED IN SEEING AND POSTING MORE GASTRITIS & GERD RECIPES? CHECK OUT OUR RAPIDLY-GROWING FACEBOOK GROUP!