Incomparable.

Incredibly delicious.

That’s what my husband thought of the cream of mushroom soup I made last night. Very happy that my effort pleased my man, making it was so easy to be called an effort!

Whether you’re making it for your man, family, friends, and even for yourself, whoever is eating deserves better than any cream of mushroom–and the bundle of preservatives, flavors, and coloring that come along–you buy in a can.

Did you know that mushrooms are good sources of the B vitamins niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid? Plus, they are good sources of selenium, an antioxidants, and potassium, a mineral that you need to have enough of for good heart health.

So, what type of mushroom is healthiest?

There are several types of mushrooms, and often, you need one type for a certain dish or cuisine rather than another. But if we were to compare portabella with white mushrooms, portabella wins the battle. They have more of the nutrients I just mentioned.

Now to the recipe. It serves 3 to 4 people (depending how much they really enjoy it). You can make it as rich (fatty) or as light as you want. I used 2% milk to give it some richness, which is still much healthier than using cream or whole milk.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp butter flavored tub margarine (make sure it’s trans fat-free), separated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms (small pieces)–I had white
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth–you can use vegetable or chicken if you prefer
• 1 cup water
• 1.5 cups low fat milk, cold
• 3 tbsp flour
• A handful of dried or fresh thyme

Heat 1 tsp of the tub margarine in a medium size saucepan. Drop the onions and saute till soft. Drop the garlic and saute until soft but not burnt.

Stir in the mushrooms and the second teaspoon of the margarine. Cook for few minutes.

Stir in the beef broth and water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, dissolve the flour in the milk. Make sure there are no lumps then pour into the soup. Stir continuously until it comes to a gentle boil and the soup thickens. If it’s too thick, you can add some water, if it’s too thin, dissolve another tablespoon of flour in a small amount of cold water and add to the soup.

Stir in the thyme after you reach the desired consistency and almost ready to serve. If using fresh thyme, chop it. If using dry, crush it into the soup.