Pizza Soup!

This recipe was derived from Susan Powers' blog Rawmazing.  Take one glance at her blog and you'll quickly notice her cuisine is indeed amazing; many of her recipes are delicious, aesthetically pleasing, and cater to raw foodists across the world.  Pizza Soup is adapted from Susan's original recipe entitled "Raw Stuffed Mushrooms with Rosemary 'Cream.'"  Our version below is cooked, not raw, and modified with respect to the flavor palate.

Pizza Soup:

Main Dish
4 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
1 c sweet or yellow onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, diced finely
2 T agave syrup or sweetener of choice
1-2 c tomatoes, diced (Roma tomatoes work quite well)
1 large bunch rainbow Swiss chard, chopped OR 4 c fresh spinach leaves
6 T Tamari
1/2 c sprouted walnuts*, diced finely
salt & pepper to taste

Cashew Cream Sauce
1 c raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1/2 c water
1 clove garlic
1-2 tsp dried rosemary
salt & pepper to taste

*Sprouted walnuts are an easy modification of your traditional walnuts.  Sprouting has the effect of removing tannins from walnuts; it is the tannins that typically give walnuts a bitter flavor, make them astringent and somewhat difficult to digest.  To sprout: simply cover your walnuts in water (providing them with a bit extra water and room to expand) in a covered bowl or jar.  Soak walnuts in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, changing the water every eight hours or so.  Your walnuts should definitely be ready after 3 days and will store in the refrigerator for at least 10 days.

**We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

To Prepare the Main Dish:
Steam the portabella mushrooms in 1) a separate pan with a 1/4 - 1/2" water at the bottom, or 2) a double boiler until cooked to your desired toughness.  Meanwhile add a bit of water to a large frying pan.  Add onions and garlic to the pan, steam on medium heat for at leat 5 minutes.  Add Swiss chard OR spinach and continue steaming vegetables until mostly cooked through.  Once vegetables are near desired toughness, add in tomatoes, sweetener, Tamari, and salt & pepper.  Turn off heat and toss sprouted walnuts on top.

To Prepare the Cashew Cream Sauce:
Combine cashews, water, garlic, and 1 tsp dried rosemary in blender.  Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Taste sauce to determine if you would like to add more rosemary and adjust accordingly.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Final Preparation:
Place one steamed portabella mushroom cap into a bowl, top with mixed vegetables and broth.  Add a dollop of cashew cream sauce on top and enjoy!!