Creamy Mushroom and Brown Rice Soup

It's been over a week since my last post? I didn't even realize it. I must have been bitten by the lazy blogger bug!  I'll fix that by sharing a yummy soup recipe with you.  This is a soup I created last November but never got around to posting.  It's definitely soup season here in Michigan, so it's a great time to dust this recipe off.



Creamy Mushroom and Brown Rice Soup

Ingredients:
½ oz. dried chanterelles
½ cup boiling water
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ large onion, diced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
½ tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp salt
1 cup cooked brown rice


Directions:
Combine chanterelles and boiling water in a small bowl and steep 20 minutes.  Pulse mixture in food processor and set aside.

Heat olive oil in large soup pot.  Add onions, cremini mushrooms, and thyme and sauté until tender.  Sprinkle in flour and cook for a few minutes.  Slowly whisk in beef broth.  Add brown rice and chanterelle mixture.  Check for seasoning, adding salt if necessary.

Makes 4 servings.

This is a very comforting soup on a cold day!  I love the combination of the two different types of mushrooms.  And while you can certainly use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian, I love the the flavor of the beef broth with the mushrooms and thyme.

Whenever I make rice for dinner, I always save the leftovers, even if it's just one cup.  I bag it up and stick it in the freezer and it's perfect for throwing into soups like this.

I'll be back tomorrow with something sweet and Christmasy!