Cream of Mushroom Soup

What you need:

• 2 tbsps coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
• 1 cup onion (diced)
• 3 stalks celery (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 3 cups mushrooms (any type will work – I used a mix of shitake and crimini)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsps tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked and drained) – or use sunflower seeds if you want to make it nut free

What you do:

• Heat your oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 – 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in the celery, carrots, mushrooms, black pepper, tamari and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add your cashews to the blender. Ladle in one cup of your soup broth and blend well until smooth to create your cashew cream. Now ladle in the rest of your soup and puree.  I kept some mushrooms aside before blending and added back to puree to have a chunky soup.  
• Ensure you leave a place for the steam to escape from the blender, otherwise the lid will blow off and make a big mess!
• Garnish with parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.