Paleo Cream of Mushroom Soup with Bacon and Leeks (yup, dairy free!)

Confession: I love mushrooms so much that it takes a lot of self control not to eat them all while I'm chopping them. 

Somehow, enough mushrooms actually ended up in the soup pot for this "cream-of" soup to become Cream of Mushroom Soup. You know that saying "good things come to those that wait"? Yea. Good things come to those that wait. 

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See, while the mushrooms sit on the cutting board, they're foamy little bites with earthy flavors that are extraordinarily fun to eat. But once they've been seared, seasoned, and drowned in a creamy broth, they become savory, meaty and rich. 

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup blows the canned stuff out of the water, and not just in flavor and style. It is actually truly nourishing with whole ingredients, healing broth, and no mystery additives. Besides, this homemade version comes with bacon, and you can't beat that. Walking the line between creamy and gravy, this soup sticks to your bones. Each creamy bite is infused with the flavors of fresh herbs, leeks, and mushrooms. Little bits of bacon give your something to go searching for. An empty bowl begs to be licked clean. 

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Cream of Mushroom Soup with Bacon and Leeks

Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Who invented the canned stuff anyways? No offense, but they were totally off the mark.

Serves: 3   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 small leek
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 20 ounces mushrooms, crimini or baby portobellos
• 2 tablespoons dry peppery red wine (such as Zinfandel or Pinot)
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder OR corn starch
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk OR 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons chives, fresh, minced

Directions:

1. Chop the bacon into bite-sized bits. Toss the pieces in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat. Stir the bacon occasionally as it bacon cooks. Meanwhile, prepared the vegetables: remove the green parts of the leek and chop the white parts into thin slices. Mince the garlic, and finely dice the onion. Wash and slice the mushrooms.
2. When the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces from the pot (leaving the grease). Set the bacon bits aside for later. Add the leek slices to the hot pot, cooking them until just browning. Use a slotted spoon to remove about a quarter or the leeks, to use for garnishing later. Leave the rest of the leeks in the pot, and add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. (Tip: To get a good sear on the mushrooms, it's important to have plenty of oil in the pan. If you pan seems a bit dry, add about a tablespoon of coconut oil before adding the mushrooms. It will depend on your bacon). Stir the vegetables occasionally, allowing them to sear and cook through.
3. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot as you do. When the vegetables start look soft, add the arrowroot powder. Sprinkle it evenly over the vegetables, and then still once or twice, just until the powder is well distributed.
4. Add the bone broth and the coconut milk. Stir briefly to ensure no clumps of arrowroot form. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the rosemary and thyme to the soup along with salt and pepper.
5. Allow the soup to simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the broth to thicken and the flavors to blend. Ladle warm soup into bowl and top with a sprinkle of reserved leeks, bacons bits, and minced chives.

Paleo & Primal Swedish Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

Update 1/3/2018: I refreshed this recipe with new photography, and have also updated the recipe a tiny bit to give you the option of making dairy-free gravy or gravy made with milk/cream. It is fabulous with cream, though the original recipe called for almond milk.

After a couple of thunder and hail storms, it has finally cooled off here. We escaped to Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, and I found myself wishing for a sweater and a mug of hot coffee. We were lucky enough to get up close and personal with an Elk! But, these cooler temperatures mean that I am finally in the mood to talk about warm food again. So here we go: Paleo Swedish Meatballs.

When you Google the origins of Swedish Meatballs, you don't find much in the way of answers. What you do find is a lot of people talking about IKEA, and how they've discovered the furniture store's famous recipe. In truth, I've never stepped foot into an IKEA, and so when I hear this I furrow my brow and wonder how a furniture store ended up so famous for beef and gravy. Anyone with me? (Update, 6/28/2017: I have now visited IKEA once. I love it and hate it at the same time. I hate it because I hate shopping. I love it because there are so many solutions in once place!)

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Since I haven't tried IKEA's meatballs, I can't weigh in on their flavor. My own memories of Swedish Meatballs don't make much more sense, anyways: they include a lot of Costco and have nothing to do with Sweden. This is why I found myself searching for answers. Why are they Swedish? While I consider myself a perfectly competent Google-maneuverer, I can't say I came back with many answers. It does seem that in some parts of Sweden, some meatballs are served in gravy. Unlike French Fries, maybe Swedish Meatballs do have an origin-appropriate name. I never really got to the bottom of the issue, because at that point I just gave in and decided it was time to eat. Maybe that's what French Fries and Swedish Meatballs have in common: they're just too dang delicious for anyone to really care what they're named. 

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Serve them over a pile of spaghetti squash or on toothpicks as an appetizer. Swedish or not, there's something about gravy that just hits the spot.  

Paleo Swedish Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free   |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Better than IKEA.

Yields: 25 meatballs   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 white onion, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the gravy:
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup bone broth
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (corn starch will also work)
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1 cup almond milk, coconut milk, OR whole milk (Pro tip: for extra creamy gravy, try 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1/2 cup whole milk)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl, aside from the coconut oil. Thoroughly mix the meat until all of the ingredients are combined.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Form 1-inch balls with the meat mixture, and when the oil is hot, placing the meatballs in the skillet. (I did this in two batches). Cook the meatballs until they are a deep brown on the bottom, and turn them, cooking the opposite side until brown. Remove cooked meatballs from skillet and set aside.
3. For gravy: Using the same skillet that had the meatballs (the meatball drippings should still be in the skillet), sauteé the mushrooms, stirring occassionally.
4. Once the mushroom have a nice sear, turn the heat to medium and pour the broth into the pan. Scrape the pan to get the flavor of the meatballs incorporated into the gravy. The broth should begin to simmer.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the arrowroot powder into 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the mixture to the skillet. Pour in milk or choice, and add the salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to simmer for at least 5 more minutes, until it begins to thicken. Add the meatballs back in. Cook for 1-2 more minutes, coaking each meatball in gravy.
6. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot. Great on their own as an appetizer but a good main dish when served also good over spaghetti squash.