Everyone loves a good soup in the fall.

I had never made soup before being diagnosed because I could just run out and buy whatever soup I felt like eating! I have found that many of my favorite and most comforting soups are polluted with gluten. So with much regret I have turned myself away from those delicious soups and created even better gluten free ones.

The first soup I created was a good comforting chili. Now many of these recipes are taken from the three very important gluten free cook books that I brought along with me, however, finding the correct ingredients in a foreign grocery store, in a foreign language, is a bit like trying to find a needle in a hay stack! The first couple weeks I was utterly distraught when I realized that Italians don't eat anything other than Italian based food. So my hopes were not relinquished when I realized that Austrians have a broader palate and carry a wider array of food within their grocery stores. However, I still do not find some of the simplest items and my time spent in the grocery store is hours longer than before, as I am constantly reading ingredients in Italian, German, and French trying to decipher if this item really does contain gluten or not! Thankfully the Europeans are more aware of Celiac Disease, and mark many of their products with a GF symbol or disclose to potential buyers that indeed their product does contain our nemesis gluten. So I have adapted the following soup recipes according to what ingredients I can find in the grocery store on any given day.

Chili

~2 pounds ground beef
~ 1 yellow onion, chopped
~ 500 g (usually 2 cans) kidney beans
~ 800 g (2 larger cans) crushed tomatoes
~ 2 green peppers, thinly chopped
~ 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
~ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
~1 teaspoon sugar
~ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
~ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
~ 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
~ 2-3 cloves garlic minced
~ salt
~ 2 cups water

Sauté ground beef, onions, and garlic in large pot until brown and liquid has almost evaporated. Add all of the rest of the ingredients in pot, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 2 hours. I personally like to test my food along the way making sure the seasoning is what I like. So after about an hour test the chili and if it needs more seasoning feel free to add it! You can also cook this chili in a slow cooker for 4-5 hours.

Minestrone

~ 300 g cannellini beans
~ 200 g shelled peas
~ about 5-6 plum tomatoes chopped
~ piece of parmesan rind, about half a finger long
~ 4 cups/ 1 liter water
~ 2-3 carrots chopped
~ 2 celery stalks chopped
~ 2 cloves garlic, minced
~ olive oil
~ 1 yellow onion chopped
~ 100 g prosciutto

Sauté onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until transluscent, then add garlic, celery, carrots, and prosciutto. Cook until the prosciutto is slightly browned. Then add tomatoes, water, and the piece of parmesan rind. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add in peas and beans. Simmer soup for 10-15 minutes more or until soup thickens. Remove from heat and place in fridge for 1-2 hours, or overnight. To reheat soup, bring to a boil, simmering for a couple minutes and then serve immediately. Make sure to find and discard of parmesan rind, as I forgot the first time I made this soup and had quite the mouthful of cheese!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

~ 1 pound chicken, cut into cubes
~ Can of corn, about 200 g
~ 400 g crushed tomatoes
~ 4 picadello peppers(or 3 bell peppers; red, yellow, and green)
~ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
~ olive oil
~ salt and pepper
~ 3 cloves garlic, minced
~ 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
~ chipotle powder to taste
~ 1 zucchini
~ 1 yellow onion

Options to add on top of soup:
~GF tortilla chips
~Onions
~Avocados

Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in large soup pot. Add chicken and cook for until almost done, about 5 minutes. Then add veggies, except corn, and cumin powder and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until veggies soften. Add broth and crushed tomatoes and bring to boil. Add salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to taste. Boil for another 5-10 minutes and then serve immediately. I like to serve this soup with a dollop of sour cream.


Comforting Chicken Noodle

~Olive oil
~ 3 celery stalks, chopped
~ 1/2 yellow onion chopped
~ 2 carrots chopped
~ pepper
~ dried oregano
~ 1 cup Bi-Aglut Fusilli, or Tinkyada
~ 1 pound chicken, cut into cubes
~ Italian flat leaf parsley, about 2-3 tablespoons chopped
~ half a fresh lemon
~ 6-6 1/2 cups Vegetable or Chicken broth

Sauté chicken in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until almost cooked on outside. Then add celery, carrots, and onions. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until slightly crunchy. Add broth an bring to boil. Add all spices and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes covered. Then add the noodles. Once noodles are cooked through, stir in lemon juice from the half of lemon and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.