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Hearty Mushroom Buckwheat Soup
I decided to use buckwheat instead of barley for this soup. Why? I’ve found my body to be a bit sensitive to gluten. Little known fact- buckwheat is actually a fruit seed (related to rhubarb), and in no way related to wheat/flour/gluten. This recipe would be good for those with any gluten allergies or sensitivities or those looking to cut a few calories (1 cup of cooked buckwheat is around 150 calories, whereas 1 cup of cooked barley is about 270 calories… brown rice clocks in at around 220 if you wanted to compare).
Ingredients (feel free to experiment)
2 cups slightly undercooked buckwheat groats
2 tbsp olive oil (I recommend cold-pressed, extra virgin)
1 medium yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 stalks of celery diced
salt, chili pepper (can be omitted) and pepper to taste
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 box vegetable broth (make sure it’s low sodium and without MSG/yeast extract)
1 lb mushrooms sliced (I prefer crimini mushrooms, but buttons work as well- a mix of wild mushrooms could also be very good!)
1 cup carrots carrots (shredded, sliced or diced)
Braggs Aminos to taste
Dill to taste
Parsley to taste
Instructions
Leave your cooked buckwheat groats to the side (drained and rinsed) for now.
1. Sautee onions, garlic, celery, salt, pepper and chilis together in the olive oil on medium in your soup pot, until they are soft and the onions start to brown.
2. Add white wine vinegar to deglaze your pan.
3. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft.
4. Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, pull it down to a simmer.
5. Stir in your carrots, buckwheat groats, and the rest of the ingredients (make sure to keep tasting your soup!). Let it simmer for as long as you can handle… you can even toss in more olive oil at this point. It really depends on your broth and how much oil you like. Some is good; too much will make your soup greasy, and not delicious… or healthy.
6. Enjoy!
The reason to add the buckwheat groats in later is so they 1- keep their consistency, and 2- don’t add a ton of extra starch to the soup. They will add a little, helping the soup thicken, but not so much that it’s gooey (I’ve had some bad soba noodle in my culinary past). This soup is hearty, healthy, and deliciously filling. I won’t lie… I topped this with a little gruyere earlier. It was delicious!!
To good health,
J
