Cream of mushroom and spinach soup

I promise will start posting more adventurous recipes other than soup, but it is cold outside and soups are a healthy, cheap way of filling up. One of my new year's resolutions is to make my lunch for work every day, so I am cooking lots of soups to keep up my resolution. Sandwiches just don't cut it in the winter.

Now, my other half has a love/hate relationship with mushrooms so this recipe won't go down too well with him, but I am a fan of the funghi. There is nothing better than a good mushroom soup when you're feeling a little under the weather. I also try to get as many iron-rich leafy greens into my diet as possible, and this recipe is no exception. This soup is a pale greenish colour, which I think is much more interesting than the boring beige of most mushroom soups.

Cream of mushroom and spinach soup

Olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
1 litre vegetable stock
Pepper
15-20 mushrooms, chopped (I use button and chestnut but any mushroom is lovely)
Handful fresh baby spinach
Fresh Alpro Soya cream (or dairy cream)

Handful freshly chopped chives, plus extra to serve

1. Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a heavy based pot and throw in the chopped onions. Stir until onions are beginning to turn see-through, about 5 minutes, then throw in the garlic. Turn down the heat and stir occasionally for about 15 minutes or until the onions have begun to slightly brown.
2. Add the mushrooms and stir occasionally until they begin to release water take on colour, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, a good pinch of pepper and cream and heat through, but do not boil.
3. Add chopped chives and fresh spinach at the last second, blitz with a hand blender/food processor and check seasoning. If the soup is too thick, add more stock.
4. Ladle into bowls and dress with chopped chives.