warm up — with a bowl of creamy mushroom + quinoa soup

I love the fall. Just when I start to feel in a rut with summertime cooking, the shift in the season sparks my creativity. I’m refreshed with a new arsenal of produce – like roots, squashes, and dark leafy greens – and switch from creating light, energizing meals to those that are warming and grounding. Specifically — I start making a lot more soups.

Soups not only satisfy our cool weather craving for comforting foods, but they also keep really well, and last for a few meals. I find prepping vegetables for soup to be really meditative and love the sensory experience of sounds, smells, and tastes that come from a big pot simmering on the stovetop.

This creamy mushroom + quinoa soup was my inventive take on a classic mushroom barley soup. It’s a literal “dump everything in the pot” recipe. It may seem at first that there isn’t enough liquid, but after salting and simmering the mushrooms, they’ll release a lot of liquid and in turn, make a really flavorful mushroom broth. You do have to prepare the quinoa separately, but if you plan ahead, you can make good use of leftovers!

The cashew cream could be optional – but it lends a subtle, nutty creaminess and helps thicken the broth a bit.