FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Shiitake Mushroom Soup

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen posted a recipe on her Facebook page earlier today. One look at the accompanying picture and I was taken. I've had some frozen Brussels Sprouts (New Veggie #9) in the freezer for a while and I was looking for an interesting way to use those. And I love mushrooms ... I've often said "I've never met a mushroom I didn't love" and this recipe also allowed me a chance to try one more item on my 'pending' list of veggies/plant products to try ... Great Northern Beans - my New Veggie #53. 

FFVK Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Soup

Prep Time: 30 min 

Ingredients: (FFVK Recipe) The list below includes my modifications based on what I had on hand. 

1. 1 medium onion, diced
2. 1 bag of frozen small Brussels sprouts, thawed and cut in half
3. 0.5 oz Shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
4. 0.5 oz Porcini mushrooms, reconstituted, liquid saved.
5. 6-8 fresh Cremini mushrooms, sliced
6. 2 tsp Minced Garlic
7. 6-8 fresh leaves of Sage, minced
8. 1/2 cup Quick cooking Brown Rice
9. 1 can (15 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed.
10. 2 cups of Vegetable broth
11. 4 cups of Water
12. Salt and Pepper, to taste
13. 2-4 tsp lemon juice.

Directions:

Some of the modifications I made resulted in reducing the cooking time. I had a frozen bag of Brussels sprouts, and I thawed them in the microwave which helped cook them some. I also used quick cooking brown rice which helped my case. I didn't have any rubbed sage so I used fresh Sage leaves instead. I cooked onions and garlic in water until translucent and then added Brussels sprouts. Cooked everything together for a couple of minutes and then added the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice which I added after the soup was done and removed from the stove. Getting the soup together took me about 10 minutes, including dicing the onion and mushrooms and reconstituting the dried mushrooms. Then I just let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes until we were ready to eat. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper. 

My Assessment: This was a hearty heartwarming soup. I loved it. My newly herbie husband also liked it and even agreed to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow (always a good sign). Thank you, FFVK, for another great recipe.