Mushroom & Seaweed Soup

This delicious soup recipe comes from the wonderful cooks at Heartwood Retreat Center in North Carolina. I don’t use the dulse seaweed, but the original recipe calls for it. I feasted on it every day while staying there. We often have it at the temple.

Ingredients

• 6 whole dried medium shiitake mushrooms
• 4 1/2  cups warm water
• 3 medium-sized pieces wakame seaweed
• 2 Tbsp dry vegetable stock or water
• 1/2 medium onion, quartered and sliced thin (optional)
• 2 medium chopped ​garlic cloves (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped dulse seaweed (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• sea salt and pepper to taste (Use Himalayan Pink Salt as it has 84 minerals)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse mushrooms and wakame and soak in 1/3 of warm water for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Save water.
   Heat 1 Tbsp mushroom-seaweed water in medium-sized soup pot. Add onion, if used, and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic, if used, and ginger and continue to sauté for another minute.
   When mushrooms and wakame are soft, slice the mushrooms thin and chop the seaweed. Cut out stems when slicing mushrooms and discard. Add to soup pot along with soaking water, and the rest of the water (or vegetable stock). Bring to a boil on high heat.
   Add dulse, if used.
   Once it boils, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 8-10 minutes. Season with Tamari sauce or aminos, rice vinegar, sea salt, and pepper. Add scallions, if used, and serve.
2. MONASTICS:  Omit onions and garlic, substituting more mushrooms. Scallions may be served separately as a condiment for non-monastics.
3. OPTION:  Add arrowroot and almond milk or coconut cream to create a chowder.

4 Servings.