Gluten Free Bean Soup

Bean soup is such a great way to fill up for lunch or dinner! I always make a big batch and jar some while it is hot so I can store it for later. You can also freeze some of the unused soup so it is there when you need a quick lunch. This can also be made vegetarian by simply removing the meat and adding a little more salt.

Ingredients:
2    cups of mixed dried beans (kidney, black, pinto, lentils, northern)
6    cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1    onion, chopped
1    stalk celery, chopped
2    garlic cloves
1    bay leaf
2    ham hocks
1/4 cup salted pork cubes (or bacon)

Directions:
1) Soak the beans overnight or use a quick-soak method.
2) Brown the onion, celery and garlic briefly in a soup pot, then add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Cover the pot, bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 3 hours until the beans are soft.
3) Cool the ham hocks and remove the meat. Put the meat back into the soup.

This recipe serves 6. Serve with some GF bread or crackers or on its own!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Soup

In the fall I was making a batch of pumpkin seeds at the end of the season. The woman who worked the local pumpkin farm told me to take all the pumpkins I could handle... for free! The trick is going a week after Halloween to do your pumpkin shopping! My intention was to gut a few to roast the seeds and throw the flesh to the chickens. But once she helped me fill up my trunk I knew I had way too many. I took the flesh out of them and put them in freezer bags for later use.

All winter I was sneaking pumpkin into chili, pasta sauce and soups. It has a wonderful texture and makes soups smooth and creamy and adds a ton of extra vitamins. Here is a recipe I found for pumpkin soup. Sometimes I season it a little different to suit the meal but this is a great recipe just the way it is!







Ingredients:
1    small pumpkin (about 3 cups pumpkin pulp)
2    Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
4    cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg


To Make Pumpkin Puree:
1) Preheat over to 375F. Wash pumpkin, cut in half and remove the insides. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet or oven rack and bake for 40 minutes or until soft.
2)Scrape out the insides and puree in the blender.

To Make the Soup:
1) Saute the onions in the butter in a soup pot until onions are translucent.
2) Add the stock, spices and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with some GF crackers or bread.