VEGETARIAN "NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER"

VEGETARIAN

Yield 3-6 appetites

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 cups chopped oyster mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small crumbled dried chipotle pepper
fresh thyme leaves from several sprigs (or 3 teaspoons dried)
3 finely chopped sage leaves (or 3 teaspoons dried)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
6 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cups lactose free or soy milk
1 10 oz. container of Tofutti sour cream OR 1/4 cup flour (or corn starch or potato starch) diluted in 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon chopped, fresh dill

Steps:

Put the oil in a soup pot and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, chipotle pepper, thyme, sage and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes to the soup pot with the vegetable broth or water. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the milk and the mushrooms. Stir in the tofutti sour cream or flour/water mixture. Heat thoroughly for another 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle finely chopped fresh dill over soup and cover pot with a fitted lid. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve with oyster crackers.