freezermealdiva: 04/06/16

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Homemade, GF Whole-Food Cream of Chicken Soup!

I love casseroles. I have loved them since I learned to cook...because they're easy to throw together, they usually involve a Crock-Pot (saving me lots of time), and they are delicious. Since we made the switch to whole foods, I have missed my easy casseroles. As we reintroduced raw milk, I've been looking for ways to liven up our menu. My sweet Mama sent me a casserole Crock Pot for Easter, and I was determined to use it. So I perused the recipes and was very sad to see that we couldn't eat most of them...because Cream of Chicken soup from the can is not something we can eat. As I mourned the recipes, I began to wonder...why is it called Cream of Chicken Soup? Does that mean it's just cream and broth? Hmmm....and the answer is YES!

For the yummiest, healthiest Cream of Chicken you've ever tasted...check out this recipe!

Whole-Food Cream of Chicken Soup!
1/2 cup Arrowroot powder
8 cups Homemade Chicken Broth or Stock (NO POWDER OR CANS!)
2 Tbsp Sea Salt (less if your broth is salted)
1/2 Raw Cow's Milk Cream

Whisk arrowroot powder and 1 cup chicken broth until smooth and no longer lumpy.
Add remaining broth and salt to the arrowroot mixture.
Cook over medium high, keep whisking until mixture begins to boil, continue whisking until mixture is clear.
Remove from heat, whisk in cream.
Substitute for canned Cream of Chicken in any recipe. Remember that the canned stuff has to be thinned by milk or water (since it's concentrated), so when substituting, take that in to account.
My kids said it tastes as good as gravy!

Freezes beautifully.

Happy Casseroles Whole-Food Style!!

Welcome!

It's never too late to learn! When I got married, I had lived in the dorms for almost my entire college education. I did not learn to cook, since my meals were served in the cafeteria (I remember calling my mother to find out how to cook spaghetti noodles). My sweet husband had worked in a bakery, so he had great baking skills (another area where I was at a loss) that he shared with me, and my little sister became a great resource (she has a Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Management). The only thing I knew how to to was follow directions (thanks to my high school cooking class and my mom). So I learned to follow recipes. I spent a lot of time at the side of women who I consider master chefs and bakers. I started out simple (with many mistakes...ask my husband about my first attempt at Chicken Parmesana), and have moved to more complex recipes.

For the first twelve years of our marriage, I searched for ways to feed my family on a very limited budget (we were students for a LONG time), and ways to keep my sanity with four small children before dinner time. That meant learning to use inexpensive ingredients, grocery shopping once a month with a list, shopping the sales, cooking with food storage/pantry items, using a menu calendar, and reading A LOT of cookbooks. This is what I have discovered. I hope it helps you.

Now, 18 years of marriage and three more children later, (and 6 years of blogging, teaching people about freezer meals, GAPS eating, whole food diets, and more) we continue to learn. Thanks for letting us be a part of your culinary journey!

-Avalie (The Freezer Meal Diva)

freezermealdiva

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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