Peanut Soup

If you miss split pea or bean soup, try this. Try it even if you don’t miss other soups you may find you have a new favorite.

YIELD: 5 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 or 3 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal
• 1 1/4 cups natural peanut butter (I use smooth.)
• 1 teaspoon guar gum (optional)
• 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
• Salted peanuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Melt the butter in a skillet, and saute the celery and onion in the butter. Add the broth, salt, and peanut butter, and stir. Cover and simmer on the lowest temperature for at least 1 hour, stirring now and then.
2. If you’re using guar gum (it makes the soup thicker without adding carbs; most peanut soup is thickened with flour), scoop 1 cup of the soup out of the kettle about 15 minutes before you want to serve it.
3. Add the guar gum to this cup, run the mixture through the blender for a few seconds, and whisk it back into the soup.
4. Stir in the half-and-half, and simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with the peanuts.

PER SERVING:

• 19 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 16 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.