Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 5 cups fresh mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
• 1 ½ cups Gluten Free chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons butter (use oilve oil for Dairy Free)
• 3 tablespoons Rice flour or Gluten Free flour blend
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half (use plain soy or almond milk for Dairy Free)
• 1 tablespoon sherry

Directions

1. In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In blender or food processor, or using a stick blender, puree the mushroom mixture , leaving some chunks. Set aside.
3. In the saucepan, melt the butter or warm the oil and whisk in the Gluten Free flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, half and half or milk and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil and cook until thickened*. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add sherry to finish.

Serve warm, with chopped parsley if desired,  or separate into containers and freeze for up to 4 months.

* the Dairy Free version of this soup will need an extra 15-20 minutes of cook time to get to the traditional creamy consistency.