We don't use canned soup anymore in our home because most have the ingredient MSG.  My husband is very allergic (it causes him extreme headaches!) MSG in general is good to avoid at all costs. Click on the word to learn more about it. It's crazy how harmful it is yet they add it in  A LOT of things. Pay attention to your chip and soup labels because it is in a lot of them. In fact, click HERE for an entire list of foods to avoid. 

This next recipe is a simple homemade Beef flavored Vegetable Soup. Its a great hearty soup that can be frozen for easy use later too. Enjoy!

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, 
Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Can be Vegan)
Adapted by jalene from a Better Homes & Gardens Recipe

Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper OR you can use zucchini instead
• 1 & 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 28 ounces of beef stock (or sub beef flavored Vegan stock)
• 1 & 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup brown rice OR millet
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1- 14 & 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes with their juices

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan cook the onions, sweet pepper, and garlic in oil until tender. (If using zucchini instead, you'll add that later.)
2. Stir in broth, water, lentils, brown rice (or millet), basil, oregano, rosemary, sea salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 
3. Stir in carrots and zucchini (if using). Cover and simmer about 20 minutes more or just until the carrots are tender. Add the un-drained tomatoes and heat through. 

I like to double this recipe and freeze this soup in ice cube trays for a quick meal later for my toddler Audrey or in ziploc bags for a quick meal for ourselves.

Hey, hey. I know what you're thinking...It's May 1st yet here is another great recipe! That's right, we just finished up our whole month of April with a recipe-a-day! Hope you've enjoyed them. I decided I will still be posting recipes (just not on the weekends mainly). There's just so many good recipes, I can't help but to share them...
 

When I was younger, I had a little sister who would BEG for split pea soup. I remember her eating it all the time! I, on the other hand, would look at the green goo and turn my nose up. It wasn't until I created this recipe for my daughter that I fell in love with Split Pea Soup! Even my husband who also HATED Split Pea Soup since his childhood will eat this one! There is a catch though... you need a pressure cooker to make it. My mother tried making it in a crock-pot and simmered it all day and even after doing that, it still was not as soft or green in color as the pressure cooker version. So, I apologize in the exclusivity of this recipe but once you taste it you'll understand why it has to be cooked in such a way.  

My pressure cooker plug: Before I begin, I just want to say that I DO NOT get paid to say any of this but it is out of simple sure-love that I decided to tell you about my Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker. I bought it from Costco and have absolutely adored it! (It also has a low-pressure setting, browning, simmering, and saute' option.) 

It was not a cheap appliance but it's one that will definitely pay for itself over time. Dried beans are super cheap to buy and making them in the pressure cooker is so much healthier! Not only are you leaving out the added preserving chemicals but you also don't get all the added sodium (salt) and BPA from the lining of the can. It's a total win-win situation. (If you're not sure what BPA is click on the highlighted word above to read a SUPER-GOOD article on the dangers of it. 

I freeze my beans in BPA-free ziplock bags or in BPA-free ice cube trays (see picture below) for quick use later. In the pressure cooker I can cook beans in 30 minutes (and they are soft just liked the canned ones). I also can cook beets in 25 minutes, Quinoa in 2 minutes, long-simmering soups in 25 minutes, and much much more. PS the Pressure Cooker also comes with a recipe book! Alright, enough plugging, here is the recipe. Maybe you'll fall in love with Split Pea Soup again. ;)

Directions: 

1. Throw everything into a pressure cooker. Cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes, use Natural Pressure Release. 

Serve warm or place into ice cube trays and cover with Glad Press n Seal. 
(You can purchase it on Amazon with the link below if your local grocery store does not have it.) 

If you were to ask someone what their favorite thing about the Olive Garden is they might say the breadsticks. But for me, I LOVE their Zuppa Toscana Soup. The only problem is its not Gluten-Free (or Dairy-Free or Soy-Free). So of course I took that as a challenge and now here is my Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and even Soy-Free version of their soup. It's close enough you wont miss the real thing. Buon Appetito!

PS-You can see a complete list of their dishes and their allergens by clicking HERE. In fact, they have a Gluten-Free menu that you can view on my website page HERE. 
 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Almost-like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup
Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 lb spicy or regular gluten-free sausage 
• 2 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small onion, diced
• 6 sliced gluten-free bacon
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups kale leaves, diced 
• 2 Tbsp chicken base (gluten-free)
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk 
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Cook ground sausage until brown. Set aside. 
2. Cook onion and bacon. When bacon is crispy, take out of pan and leave onion. 
3. Add garlic to the onion and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. 
4. Add chicken base, water, and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender. 
5. Crumble the bacon and add to soup along with sausage, kale, and milk.
6. Simmer 4 minutes. Soup is best served hot. 

Tom Kung Gai...Funny name. INCREDIBLE SOUP! In fact, my husband absolutely LOVES this soup so much, he orders it no matter what when we go to a Thai Restaurant. So of course I was determined to know how to make it!  You pronounce the name:

Tom (hopefully you know how to say that one)
Kung (as in KUNG fu fighting) 
Gai (as in see that GUY over there?)

The base for the soup is coconut milk which is an excellent substitute for heavy cream.  I usually throw it in soups instead whenever they ask for heavy cream. 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Tom Kung Gai Soup
Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• One can (13.5oz) Gluten-Free unsweetened coconut milk 
• 2 tsp of Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste
• Four 2-inch strips of lime zest (I take a peeler and peel a washed lime)
• 1 tsp of finely grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 3 cups gluten-free chicken stock
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders or 2 chicken breasts (sliced into 3/4 inch pieces)
• 1 1/2 Tb Taste of Thai Asian Fish Sauce 
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepan combine the coconut milk, curry paste, lime zest, ginger, and honey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
2. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 8 minutes. Then raise heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Add chicken, fish sauce, 3 Tbsp of the cilantro and the basil. 
3. Stir and simmer soup until chicken is cooked thoroughly (about 4 minutes). 
4. Discard the lime zest and add the remaining 1 Tbsp of cilantro and stir in the lime juice. Serve hot. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days. 

I don't know about where you live but today it's so cold and rainy! What better way to warm up than with a yummy soup. I have mastered this one Gluten-Free but it's not quite yet Dairy-Free. There are some suggestions at the bottom of the recipe on how to alter it but it will change the taste slightly. 

 

Garden Chowder (Gluten-Free)

adapted by jalene

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchinis, chopped
  
• 1 large carrot
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 T fresh parsley, minced or 2 tsp dried parsley
  
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh basil
  
• 1/3 cup butter or ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 3 Tbsp potato starch or you can use 1/4 cup white rice flour
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• ¼ tsp pepper
  
• 3 cups chicken broth
  
• 1 tsp lemon juice
  
• 2-3 tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk or 1 cup of dry milk mixed with 1 and 1/4 cup of water
  
• 1 can (14.5 oz) corn or 1 ½ cup frozen corn
  
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 ½ cups medium cheddar cheese
  
  

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, zucchini, onion, parsley, and basil and saute until veggies are tender.
   
2. Add the potato starch, salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
   
3. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
   
4. Add the tomatoes, milk, and corn and bring soup back to a boil. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes or until corn and tomatoes are tender.
   
5. Take soup off heat and stir in the cheeses. Serve warm. 

Alterations:

*You can use a variety of other veggies instead of the ones listed. Potatoes, celery, or broccoli would also work well in this soup.

*To make Dairy-Free you can add a can of coconut milk instead of the evaporated milk and leave out both the cheeses or sub Vegan Chedder Cheese for the Chedder and sub Nutrition Flakes for the Parmesan Cheese.  This will change the taste slightly but will still be good. 

Sometimes when we are just beginning to eat Gluten-Free we tend to focus on all the things that we CAN'T eat.  But the truth is there are a lot of things we CAN!  Things that were always Gluten-Free to begin with (or can easily be made into Gluten-Free just by a couple of slight changes).  Fruits and vegetables in their pure form are always Gluten and Dairy Free!  This next recipe is an example of one of those.  This recipe is great because it uses so many different colors. Just look at that variety there! Red apple, orange carrots, red tomato, purple onion, and brown (I guess? ha ha) raisins. All with different vitamins and nutrients to contribute to this unique soup. 

GF DF Easy Mulligatawny Curry Soup
Adapted by jalene

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups chicken broth (make sure label says GF)
• 1 cup water
• 1 organic apple (cut into cubes)
• 2 large carrots (sliced)
• 1 cup tomatoes (diced and with juices)
• 2 stalks organic celery *see note
• 1/3 cup rice (I used brown but I did have to increase the cooking time slightly)
• 1/4 cup onion (chopped)
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot combine the everything except for the chicken (if you decide to add it). 
2. Bring everything to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer around 20 minutes (or until your rice is tender). Stir in chicken and heat through. 

*Note:
Just like apples, celery show up on the "Dirty Dozen" list of fruits and vegetables that are highly contaminated by pesticide residue.  So if you're going to buy anything organic, celery should be at the top of that list along with apples. 

Many people have been asking me for my gluten-free recipes so introducing...a recipe a day for the month of April. Shoot, that would have rhymed if I would have chosen to do this in May. Oh well, what can you do. My first recipe is a great soup that we LOVE in our family. We have been on a Thai kick lately and this one helps ease the craves. 

Gluten Free, Dairy-Free Thai Soup
Adapted by Jalene

Ingredients:

• 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (13.5oz)
  
• 2 tsp green curry paste (gluten-free)
  
• 1 tsp of fresh lime juice
  
• 1 tsp ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp honey
  
• 3 cups chicken stock (gluten-free)
  
• 1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast (cut into small pieces)
  
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free) or Liquid Aminos (You can also use Fish Sauce if you have it)
  
• 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 tsp basil or 6 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions: 

1. Cook the pieces of chicken in a pan over medium heat with a slight bit of water so the chicken does not burn. Cook just until no longer pink. (Optional; Add 1 tsp of curry to chicken while cooking). Set aside. 
2. In a large saucepan, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, 1 tsp lime juice, ginger, and honey and bring to a simmer on medium heat. (Steam will be rising up.)
   
3. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer over medium-low for 8 minutes. 
   
4. Raise the soup to a boil and add the chicken, soy sauce, 3 Tbsp of cilantro, and basil. Cook about 3 minutes. 
   
5. Add the remaining Tbsp of cilantro and stir in the lime juice. Serve hot. 
   

Optional: To make soup more substantial, add 2 cups cooked rice or rice noodles before serving.