Cream of Mushroom Soup

From "A Guy's Guide to Great Eating," by Don Mauer

1 TBLSP Olive Oil
1 pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
dash nutmeg
4 cups chicken stock
(1 tsp salt - I omit)
1 1/2 cups sour cream ( I used light)
2 TBLSP flour
2 TBLSP dry sherry or cognac
(chopped fresh parsley)

Saute mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add cayenne and nutmeg.
Add 3 cups of broth, bring to boil then turn down to simmer for 1/2 hour.

While simmering, combine sour cream, flour and 1 cup stock with whisk.

After simmering complete, whisk cognac into soup, then add sour cream mixture and reheat, but do not boil.

Serve with parsley garnish.

Rosemary Potato Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts washed and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Heat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat and add the oil.

2. Add the leeks, onion, and sea salt and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion begins to turn translucent.

3. Add the garlic and stir well. Cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the potatoes, rosemary, nutmeg, and vegetable stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 20 minutes.

5. Remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soup in the pot or ladle the soup into a blender, 1 cup at a time. Blend the soup with the fresh rosemary leaves until smooth and free of chunks. Pour smooth soup into a heat-proof bowl and continue until all of the soup has been blended.

6. Transfer the blended soup back to the original soup pot and warm over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste, or individually at the table.

Serves 4 – 6.
Adapted from The Great American Detox Diet Cookbook