Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup

This soup is healthy, low-carb, low-sodium, suitable for vegetarians, and diabetes-appropriate.

Ingredients:     
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 cups dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 1/2 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sliced shallots (about 8 ounces)
- 1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 cup dry sherry
- 3 pounds assorted fresh mushrooms (such as cremini, portobello, shiitake and button), sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- ⅓ cup cream
Directions:

1. Rehydrate porcini mushrooms in 2 cups of boiling water for 20 minutes.
2. Drain the porcini mushrooms in a colander over a bowl, save the mushroom broth; set the mushrooms aside.
3. Strain the mushroom broth through a cheesecloth-lined colander into a bowl; discard the solids.
4. To the mushroom broth, stir in the cornstarch, soy sauce, salt, pepper and the remaining 2 cups boiling water, then set aside.
5. Heat the oil in a medium-sized nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook and stir in the shallots and garlic until the shallots are soft. About 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Add in the sherry; bring to a boil, and cook for further 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
7. in a 5-quart slow cooker, stir together the porcini mushrooms, broth mixture, shallot mixture, fresh mushrooms and thyme.
8. Cover and cook on high until the vegetables are tender and the flavors blend, about 4 hours.
9. Uncover and cook until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
10. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure the lid on the blender. Place a clean towel over the opening in the blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.
11. Return the puréed soup to the slow cooker;
12. Gently stir in the cream.
13. Ladle the soup into bowls, and serve hot.

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