This is an easy way to use up extra turkey (or chicken if you prefer). I didn’t have a lot of soups growing up because my father wasn’t a “soup” guy. But a long-time friend really loved creamed soups and when she was dying of cancer, one of the few things I could always get her to eat was my cream of chicken or turkey soup. So here’s the recipe revamped without the dairy or gluten.
In a medium size Dutch oven, heat:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Add:
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced turnip and/or parsnip
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dry sage
Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add:
2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour and stir to mix and absorb all the fat. Let cook for several minutes before adding:
2 cups chicken or turkey STOCK (use stock not broth for a stronger flavor)
1 small bag of mixed vegetables (if you’re like me, remove the corn; wish someone would make mixed frozen vegetables without corn!)
Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer until vegetables are cooked, 10-15 minutes.
The soup will thicken while it simmers so stir occasionally so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
When the vegetables are cooked, add 1 cup of non-dairy milk and 1-2 cups of cooked brown rice. Heat and serve.
Variations if you don’t care for sage or tumeric, or just want a different taste!
Italian: Add 1 tablespoon diced garlic and substitute thyme, basil, marjoram, and/or rosemary for the sage and tumeric.
Indian: Use a peeled and diced sweet potato instead of the turnip/parsnip. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder instead of the sage and before the flour. Curry powder needs to develop its flavor so cook it for a few minutes before adding the flour and stock.
Mushroom: Add a 6-8 ounce box of sliced baby bella or whatever mushrooms you love instead of the mixed vegetables.
Vegan: Use vegetable stock instead of chicken or turkey and delete the meat. Add a drained can of your favorite beans.