Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-autumn-wild-rice-soup/

This is awesome.  I cooked this last night as part of a zoom cooking collective with Kindworks, a wonderful giving organization.  Starting last week, there is a weekly group cooking initiative to produce large quantities of soup to donate to local food banks.  We shop in advance for the ingredients and try to chop the vegetables before the zoom meeting starts.  Then we chat and cook together.  Last night, Chef Saanya started the conversation by asking us to tell kitchen stories from our past, time we spent with our grandparents.  It was a wonderfully warm hour of soup and sharing.  

As many soups are, this one seems like it can easily be altered to suit your tastes.  For instance, I didn't have any Old Bay, which was the main flavor ingredient for this soup.  I had Tagine, which is a Moroccan spice blend of paprika, cinnamon , turmeric, ginger, chili pepper, black pepper and cardamom.  I'll have to make some up, or replenish my supply at Whole Foods.  After dinner, I realized that the 'Best By' date was 2016!  I used a lot of it - might have been able to use less if it were fresh! 

I used only 1/2 of the coconut milk and will try it with another non-dairy creamer.

The wild rice was a wonderful texture with the other ingredients.  I might consider using another hearty grain like farro or bulgur.  

I might try with more kale also.  

From the Gimme Some Oven website, which I will now have to check out: 

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup features fresh seasonal produce, hearty wild rice, and a zesty creamy broth. The vegan version of the soup is listed here in this recipe, or see options below for the cream sauce version.

---

SCALE INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice*
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
• 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed

• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

---

INSTRUCTIONS
INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) METHOD:

1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Stir briefly to combine.

1. Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.  Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.  Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.  Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.

1. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

1. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

CROCK-POT (SLOW COOKER) METHOD:

1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of a large slow cooker.  Stir briefly to combine, then place the lid on the slow cooker.

1. Slow cook. Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours*, until the rice is cooked and tender.

1. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

1. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

STOVETOP METHOD:

1. Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.

1. Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning.  Stir to combine.

1. Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

1. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.

1. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!