Kitchen Tip Tuesday! My Dairy-free Secret to Creamy Soups!

Who doesn't love a creamy soup?  I'm a huge fan of soup, nearly ANY soup, but especially of creamy soup.  The warm, filling, comfort of a creamy soup is hard to beat on a blustery Fall day, or in the midst of Lake Effect Snow - like today!  

The view from my kitchen! 

When dairy is taken out of the equation, it's sometimes difficult to get that creamy mouthfeel that I crave in a soup when the cold weather sets in.  There are several standard purees that can be added to a soup to make it "creamy," like pureed cashews - which doesn't work for this nut-free crowd, or potatoes, blended right into the soup.  Both are good, but I'm going to share my secret with you, are you ready?  Here it is: 

TA DA!!!!

Some of you might recognize this gorgeously odd looking veggie from the aisles of the produce department.  You might have filed it under "Things I don't know what to do with." Or, maybe it doesn't look familiar to you at all.  One of my friends and I were grocery shopping together when I bought this, and her exact words were "WHAT is THAT???"

I'll tell you what it is, it's CELERIAC!  Also known as "Celery Root," this underutilized gem of a vegetable is delicious as a mash, or even blanched and fried like a french fry.  It has a delicate celery taste and a potato-like texture.  But, it has a secret...it makes soup creamy!  This is my secret weapon!  I use it in any veggie base that I will be pureeing into a "cream" soup.  Here's how to get at the pale, lovely interior of celeriac. 

First, cut off the top stalks, and the bottom "bumpy" part, so it sits flat on the cutting board. Then use a knife to peel the thick exterior to reveal the surprisingly smooth, dense interior. 

Proceed to dice as you would a potato!  After
cooking them along with carrots and onions
for a soup base, add the broth and then puree with an
immersion blender!  The soup will be dairy-free and
have a delicately creamy texture! 

Now that I've let you in on my secret, you can start making creamy soups of your own!  Start by trying my Potato Leek soup, or simply replace the celery in your favorite Chicken Soup recipe, with one large bulb of diced Celeriac.  Before adding the chicken pieces, blend soup with an immersion blender for dairy-free, gluten-free "Cream of Chicken Soup!"

 As always, from The Allergy Safe Kitchen, I wish you "Good Cooking, and Safe Eating"!