Artichoke Soup

YIELD: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 to 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon guar or xanthan
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt or Vege-Sal
• Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion, celery, and garlic over low to medium heat. Stir from time to time.
2.  Drain the artichoke hearts, and trim off any tough bits of leaf that got left on. Put the artichoke hearts in a food processor with the S blade in position. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and the guar gum, and process until the artichokes are a fine puree.
3.  Scrape the artichoke mixture into a saucepan, add the remaining chicken stock, and set over medium-high heat to simmer.
4.  When the onion and celery are soft, stir them into the artichoke mixture. When it comes to a simmer, whisk in the half-and-half. Bring it back to a simmer, squeeze in the lemon juice, and stir again. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. You can serve this immediately, hot, or in summer you can serve it chilled.

PER SERVING:

•  10 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein. (Note: Much of the carbohydrates in artichokes is inulin, which remains largely undigested, so this carb count is actually misleadingly high.)