Forest Mushroom Soup with Soba Noodles

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenForest Mushroom Soup with Soba Noodles

Skill Level	Intermediate

Preparation Time	15 minutes	Total Time	45 minutes
Servings	6	Cost Per Serving	$2.52

2 L	Vegetable Stock (Beef or Chicken Stock will also work)
3 cups	Fresh Mixed Mushrooms (try to include shiitake, they have the most Vitamin D of the edible fungi), roughly chopped
1 8oz package	Soba Noodles
1/4 cup	Dried Mushrooms (any kind, e.g. porcini)*
1/2	Lemon
3	Scallions (Green Onions), thinly sliced
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
1	Medium Onion, small dice
2 stalks	Celery, small dice
5 sprigs	Fresh Thyme, removed from stem
2 cups	Dark Leafy Greens (e.g. bok choy or kale), roughly chopped
1 tbsp	Soy Sauce
1 tbsp	Grape Seed Oil or Olive Oil
To taste	Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

^{*If using dried shiitake, start soaking them one hour prior to making the recipe.}

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add oil to a large soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onions, celery and garlic to the soup pot. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions have softened.
Add fresh mixed mushrooms and thyme to the soup pot and stir well. Continue to cook for another 7 minutes until the mushrooms have shrunk in size and are slightly golden brown.
Cover the mushroom mixture with vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add your soba noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
Add your dried mushrooms and soy sauce to a small bowl and ladle in about a cup of the boiling water from the pot with the soba noodles. Let the mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes*.
Add the dried mushrooms with liquid to the soup pot, along with your leafy greens. Season to taste.
Remove cooked soba noodles from boiling water, drain well under cold water and set aside.
Serve the mushroom soup with about ½ cup of the soba noodles in each bowl. Garnish with some scallions and a squeeze of lemon.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for Forest Mushroom Soup with Soba Noodles

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because it is produced in the body when ultraviolet light from the sun reaches our skin. Getting enough vitamin D can be a challenge, especially in Canada and other countries at far northern or far southern latitudes. That’s why we have to turn to food or supplements to meet our vitamin D needs. Try to get between 600 and 1000 IU of vitamin D every day. While experts disagree on how much vitamin D is ideal, make sure you don’t go above the safe upper limit of 1000 IU per day, as this may cause negative side effects. If you have a health condition that makes it difficult to absorb vitamin D, your doctor or dietitian may suggest different vitamin D goals for you.
Vitamin D is mostly found in foods that come from animals, fortified foods such as milk and in supplements. Mushrooms are the only natural plant source of vitamin D.
Mushrooms contain ergosterol, a compound that is converted into vitamin D by ultraviolet light from the sun or artificial lights. 100 grams (about 1 cup) of white button mushrooms provides 7 IU (1% of your daily needs) and shiitake mushrooms offer 26 IU (4% of your daily needs). Research is underway in Guelph, Ontario and around the world to create “Super-D” mushrooms that contain 100% of the vitamin D we need each day.