Healthy, cozy and creamy soup made in a crock pot with dried (fresh) mushrooms, brown rice and chicken breasts.
Um, will you run away if I tell you this soup is made with cauliflower?! Like no flour and milk slurry to thicken the broth. A head of cauliflower. My $2.99 organic vegetable. A few month ago, while experimenting with soup recipes for my eBook, I discovered it does wonders in a crock pot. So, cauliflower, rice, 2 chicken breasts, stock, veggies and spices. Turn on and see you later.
I’m addicted to my crock pot! I love my crock pot and he loves me back. It makes me feel cozy. Did I tell you it cost me $10 at the garage sale, and it’s not stainless steel, and it has no timer?! And then I own this $10 no name immersion blender. It’s black though. I puree my cauliflower right in a crock pot and magic like this happens.
2 appliances I can’t live without: coffee maker and crock pot. And my coffee maker is like the cheapest $20 machine from Target. And it’s black. It’s what goes inside the coffee maker matters. And I’m so into organic medium roast coffee and am so not friends with Folgers.
Alex always tells me I need to buy a gas stove, Vitamix, granite countertops, stainless steel crock pot, Underarmour workout gear. Just buy something, woman! Any woman’s dream man, huh?!
Ok, the soup. Thick, creamy & cozy winter soup. The soup your kids won’t know they are eating veggies. Creamy, thick & rich, with sweet shreds of chicken and chewy pieces of wild mushrooms. L.o.v.e.
Mushrooms… We are friends. As a kid, me and mom used to pick mushrooms every Fall. With a paring knife, a bucket and wooden stick off we went. So much fun, mom! Thank you for shrooming memories, mom!
Wild mushrooms are full of flavour. Waaaaay more than regular white mushrooms. Feel free to use whites. Just make sure to saute prior to throwing in the crock pot. Helps to release flavours, always. A step above would be to use fresh brown mushrooms. You can also pick up dried shiitake mushrooms in Asian aisle of your supermarket.
Before creating a delicious mess with an immersion blender, I recommend scooping out some of the veggies and rice to make the soup chunky. Just return them to crock pot after done blending.
Removing and shredding the chicken is a must. Otherwise you will end up with baby food soup.:)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 3 large celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried or 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 small cauliflower head, separated into large florets
- 3/4 cup brown rice (I used basmati), uncooked
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme, dry
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 - 1.25 lb chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- 7 cups chicken broth, low sodium
Directions
- In a small skillet, on medium heat, add olive oil, garlic, onion, celery and, if using, fresh mushrooms (dried mushrooms do not need sautéing or soaking). Saute until onions are translucent. Transfer to a large crock pot.
- Add remaining ingredients, cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Discard bay leaves. Using an immersion blender puree big chunks of cauliflower or until desired consistency. For a chunkier soup, remove some rice and veggies before pureeing.
- Remove chicken, shred with 2 forks, return to slow cooker. Serve warm.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving = 1.5 cup:
Calories: 286.6
Total Fat: 5.6 g
Cholesterol: 41.2 mg
Sodium: 459.6 mg
Total Carbs: 30.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 26.0 g
WW Points+: 7