Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

• Chicken Soup with Dumplings

Dumplings are so comforting! I enjoyed Czech and German foods while growing up in eastern Nebraska and really missed dumplings when gluten left my life. Dark chicken meat yields a more deeply flavored soup than white meat, but use what you have.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS (1½ CUPS SOUP EACH, PLUS DUMPLINGS)

Soup

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 2½ cups gluten-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1 small carrot, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) celery salt, or to taste
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) freshly ground white pepper
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) grated nutmeg (optional)
• ⅓ cup frozen green peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Dumplings

• ½ cup Carol’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) xanthan gum
• 1/16 teaspoon (pinch) salt
• 1 teaspoon canola oil or vegetable oil
• ¼ cup gluten-free low-sodium chicken broth

1. Make the soup: In a 3-quart soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, chicken, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Season with celery salt and pepper and add the nutmeg, if using. Depending on the saltiness of the broth, you may need more or less celery salt. Tasting is important at this stage.

2. Meanwhile, make the dumplings: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt until well blended. With a fork or pastry cutter, mash the oil into the mixture until it resembles pea-size crumbles. Add the broth and stir with a spatula until a stiff dough forms.

3. With the broth at a simmer, drop 8 heaping teaspoons of the dough into the broth. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add the peas, parsley, and lemon juice to the soup and simmer, covered, 3 to 5 more minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through.

4. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve, garnished with additional parsley.

Chicken Noodle Soup: You can adjust this recipe easily to make a comforting Chicken Noodle Soup. Simply omit the dumplings and cook ½ cup gluten-free spiral or penne pasta (according to package directions) in the soup.

Per serving: 540 calories; 39g protein; 22g total fat; 4g fiber; 41g carbohydrates; 85mg cholesterol; 1050mg sodium