Mushrooms are amazing! However, for most of my life I have steered far away from them! The texture was always weird to me and if they happened to be in my food, I would diligently pick them out. My views have changed and so have my taste buds. While the texture is still quite strange to me, I do love the flavor. I also changed my view when I learned all their healing properties.

Some of the most powerful edible mushrooms are reishi, miatake, cordyceps, and shiitake. The latter being the one that’s used in this recipe. This popular fungus is native to East Asia and has been used for thousands of year in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has many benefits including being antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal.

Benefits of shiitake mushrooms:

• Removes excess fat and cholesterol from the blood
• Are complete proteins
• Reduces cholesterol
• Induces immune response against cancer and viral diseases
• Rich source of b vitamins
• Rich in vitamin D, folate, zinc, and fiber
• Improves energy and brain function
• Reduces inflammation in the body

Isn’t that amazing?! In this recipe I have used them in a soup, but there are so many other ways you can incorporate them into your diet. Add shiitake mushrooms to a rice dish, miso soup, casserole, or in a stir fry.

Ingredients:

• 2 full cups of fresh shiitake mushrooms, cubed
• 1 cup onion chopped (about 1/2 of an onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green onion stalks, chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• cilantro for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in large pot on medium heat.
2. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until brown, stirring often. This take about 5 minutes.
3. Add in onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 or until onions are translucent.
4. Add veggie broth and coconut milk. Bring to boil and then lower to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 15 minutes with lid on.
6. Take off heat and use immersion blender or traditional blender to combine.
7. Stir in green onions and garnish with cilantro.
8. Enjoy!

 print