Cream of Mushroom Soup

(Vegan)

• 16 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• A little olive oil
• 5-8 oz. boxes mushrooms, sliced. ( I use a Pampered Chef slicer. It goes very fast or get them pre sliced-even faster!).
• 8 C water with 4 tsp McKays Beef seasoning, and 4 tsp. McKays chicken seasoning. You can add more water and seasoning at the end if you want the soup thinner. (2 C water takes 1 tsp. each of beef and chicken seasoning). (Or you could use 8 C. vegetable broth instead of water and McKays seasonings.)
• 1⁄4 C sherry or white wine
• 1 C silken tofu (reserve 1 cup of water to blend up the tofu)
• 4 Tbs. cornstarch
• 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1tsp salt
• 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
• 3⁄4 C dry hulled barley (cook ahead and add last)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring for 3-5 min. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 min. Add water, McKays and sherry and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 min. If you want chunks of mushrooms in your soup remove some and replace after you puree.

Blend the tofu, tamari, salt, garlic pwd. and cornstarch with the smart stick and add to the soup. Puree the soup using a hand- held immersion blender (Smart Stick) or regular blender. The regular blender must be done in batches and takes more time. Season to taste if needed and add the cooked barley and reserved mushrooms.