Well I believe January has been declared SOUP Month. And there is nothing I love more than a hot bowl of soup on a cold day in the middle of winter. Since my food allergies and intolerances seem to be a moving target, and buying ready-made anything is almost impossible because there are too many ingredients I’m trying to avoid, creating new recipes for things that I CAN eat seems to be my best option for a good meal. Aside from safe, I’m pretty sure a good healthy, home-cooked meal is more nutrient dense and preservative-free. So, I suppose in some ways I’m grateful for being forced into the kitchen to become “Suzie-homemaker.” Since I posted a photo of my tasty dairy-free, gluten-free cream of celery soup recipe on Facebook, I’ve had a few requests for the recipe, so here it is. Whip up a batch and let me know how much you love it! Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Cream of Celery and Chicken Soup Recipe Created by home-chef Aliesa George

1. One 32 oz package of Chicken Broth (I use my own home-made stock, or “Imagine” brand Organic Free Range Chicken Broth)
2. 1 Bunch Organic Celery Hearts / or 6-8 full Celery stalks w/leaves. Washed and diced.
3. ½ Sweet Onion. Chopped.
4. Himalayan Pink Salt to taste.
5. White Pepper to taste.
6. ½ tsp. Toasted Garlic Flakes
7. One 10 oz. Can of Chicken Breast (my brand of choice “Valley Fresh” 100% Natural Chicken Breast in Water)
8. 5 Stalks of Celery – Diced
9. 16 oz. of additional Chicken Stock

• Bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil for @ 5 minutes.
• ADD 2 T. of dry Cream of Buckwheat cereal. (this is wheat & gluten free, fat-free, sodium free!) The brand I’ve found is “Pocono.”
• Then lower temp to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Pour hot soup into Vita-Mix blender and blend on Variable 7-8 to “cream” soup.
• Put creamed soup back in stockpot, on medium heat and add the can of chicken breast, 5 celery stalks and chicken stock.
• Cook on medium heat until celery is tender. (5-15 min.)

I often ignore my soup as it is simmering so times are suggested and your soup may need a few more or a few less minutes. Remove from heat and eat! Or use as a base for other casseroles and recipes. I pour mine HOT into Large Half-Gallon wide-mouth Mason Jars, and pop into the fridge. How many does this serve? Depends on how BIG your bowls are! I probably get 6-8 meal-sized servings from one ½ gallon jar of soup. So that’s approximately 2 cups +/- of soup per bowl. If you can eat rice. This soup rocks with the addition of cooked rice when you’re re-heating to serve! Enjoy!