Mixed Mushroom Soup - Vegan

Mixed Mushroom Soup Recipe (vegan)
Ingredients:
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks (halved lengthwise thinly sliced and rinsed)
2 carrots (scraped and cut julienne style)
1 parsnip (scraped and cut julienne style)
1 clove garlic (minced)
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 lb fresh mushrooms (assorted, white button, cremini, oyster, and shiitake - stemmed, rinsed, and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp tomato paste
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
1/2 cup marsala wine (optional)
4 cups vegetable broth

Directions

1. Soak porcini in 1 cup warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Lift porcini from liquid and coarsely chop; strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and reserve.
   
   
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add leeks, carrots, and parsnips; season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. Add garlic, porcini, and chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 7 minutes or until mushrooms just begin to brown. Add bay leaves, tomato paste, and tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add marsala (if using), porcini liquid, and broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.
   

About
This hearty soup is a wonderfully warming winter soup that will help to build immunity and protect against colds and flu.

• Mushroom have long been known to boost the immune system and protect against respiratory diseases.

• Cooking tomatoes makes the fruit heart-healthier and boosts its cancer-fighting ability.

• Carrots are rich in beta carotene which is one of the powerful natural anti-oxidants that help protect body from harmful oxygen-free radical injury.
• Half a cup of sliced cooked parsnips has 3 grams of fiber and only 55 calories. They are a good source of vitamin C, folate, and manganese. It's no coincidence that the parsnip resembles the carrot. The two veggies are close relatives.