Golden Clam Chowder Trial: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free

Given that chowders are my favorite kind of soups, its surprising that I haven’t attempted a dairy-free clam chowder before. But with it being a cool and rainy end to February, I figured now was a good time to attempt it. For my base, I used Taste of Home’s Golden Clam Chowder recipe. For the record, this is the first time Joseph has eaten shell fish. Not because I was super afraid of him reacting to it, but because we eat shell fish so rarely.

The Changes

To make it dairy-free, I substituted coconut creamer for the evaporated milk. Everything else was the same.

The Method

Chop celery, onion, and carrots. Saute with the olive oil in a dutch oven until tender.

Add 1 cup water, clam juice, clams, potatoes, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Stir in creamer. Bring back to a boil. In a small cup, combine cornstarch and remaining water. Stir into soup. Cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in bacon.

Golden Clam Chowder

Adapted from Taste of Home

Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free

Ingredients

• 2 celery ribs
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium onion
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) minced clams, undrained
• 1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice
• 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon water, divided
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup coconut creamer
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Chop celery, carrots, and onion. Saute vegetables in a dutch oven with the olive oil until tender. Add potatoes, clams, clam juice, 1 cup water, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Stir in coconut creamer, and bring back to a boil. In a small cup, combine cornstarch and remaining Tablespoon of water. Add cornstarch mixture to soup. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in bacon.

Makes 5-6 servings.

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This recipe is featured in my cookbook The Best of the Rice of Life: Over 70 Gluten-free, Dairy-free, and Nut-free Recipes available now in print (Amazon, Create Space) and e-book (Kindle, iBooks, nook, Kobo and Smashwords).

 

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What I Thought

I really liked the taste of this soup. The pepper gives it quite a kick, which surprised me. My husband, who has a cold currently, found it very helpful for his throat, and he took leftovers to work for lunch. My kids only fished out the bacon to eat. I’d do this again.

Shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Gluten-free Wednesday and Allergy-free Wednesday