The Lush Chef

Libations used: 1/2 cup white wine...
Libations left over: Pretty much the whole bottle, so serve with dinner or pour yourself a glass while the soup is simmering...
I love that my mom and dad indulge me in this little blog endeavor.  Ever the supportive parents, they send me recipe ideas and text me pictures of what they're making.  This past weekend, they made this Cream of Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup from the Mayo Clinic that has some white wine (I used Viognier) and low-fat half & half - so it's a lighter soup.  I didn't do any cooking over the weekend because of all the awards show fun (Hollywood's Christmas, as I like to say!), so I needed something quick and easy to whip up on a Monday night to get me through a week of dinners.  I added more rice and mushrooms than the recipe originally called for.

Cream of Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup - serves 4-5
Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• Half a white onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped carrots
• 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms (I used Crimini) 
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used Renwood Viognier)
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup fat free half and half
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1/4 tsp dried or fresh thyme
• 1 cup wild rice
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

- In a medium pot, cook the rice according to the package instructions (should take about 30-45 minutes).
- In a stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil.
- Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook until tender (about 7-10 minutes).
- Add the mushrooms, white wine and chicken broth.
- Cover and turn heat down to low.
- In a small bowl, combine the half and half, flour and thyme.
- When the rice is done, add to the pot with the half and half mixture and bring the heat up to medium.
- Cook until the soup is thickened and bubbly.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.