Creamy Potato Soup

Sunday Lunch

i am the first to admit, i really don't like cooking. it's the ultimate irony that i now have to cook every meal from scratch! so i don't cook 3 meals a day - i try to always make way too much for dinner so we can use leftovers for lunch and snacks the next day. and w/ 5 kids, having leftovers for a ready-made dinner in an emergency is invaluable! so lunches often consist of leftovers and convenient snack items.

CREAMY POTATO SOUP

(this was leftover from dinner a night or two before, here's the recipe)

2, 32 oz boxes 'kitchen basics' natural chicken cooking stock ( or safe vegetable broth for *vegan* meal))

approx 12 giant potatoes

3 cans 'thai kitchen' coconut milk ( at most grocery stores in 'ethnic foods' aisle)

2 boxes 'tempt' original hemp milk (at whole foods and most other health food stores)

4 good sized onions

1 frozen bag green beans (optional)

1 pkg organic bacon (can omit for *vegan* meal)

2 TBlspn minced garlic

4 Tbspn real salt (or to taste, potatoes suck up the salt!)

4 TBlspn pepper

lemon juice as needed to taste (helps cut down on excessive sweetness from coconut milk)

bring broth to a boil and add chopped onions and potatoes - set 5 potatoes aside, reduce heat and cook until tender. add milks, adjusting for creamy texture. chop and put remaining onions in blender, then add to soup to make thicker texture. check that you don't make it too stiff or you will end up w/ potato oatmeal the day after! simmer to desired softness. add green beans, if desired. can add bacon in full strips right into the soup or fry and crumble into a side dish to serve separately as a topping - makes this meal suitable for vegetarians this way, too! can be served w/ shredded goat's cheese (mt. sterling raw organic mild OR sharp cheddar from whole foods makes this soup beyond perfect when lightly sprinkled on top!) and chopped green onions as toppings. this is one of our favorite recipes for leftovers, it's one of those meals that gets better in the days after it was cooked. i adapted this from the heavy (dairy) cream potato soup my mom makes! when she serves it, she serves it in homemade bread bowls.

for those who don't feel like leftover potato soup or leftover oatmeal from breaskfast for lunch, we can choose from some of the following safe snack items, as well as ones previously listed under lunch from saturday:

arrowhead mills organic sesame tahini from whole foods (this is our peanut butter replacer for our multiple allergy guy & myself as his milkmaker. for the rest of the household, sunbutter brand sun butter is the top choice - available at many grocery stores now!) with

st. dalfour 100% fruit spread- we like thick apricot or 4 berries. it is almost impossible to find a jelly replacer w/out corn in it & i was just blending my own before i found this - carried by most health food stores

we put them on

sesmark gluten free rice thins, brown rice flavor. the other flavors they make all contain corn or other allergens.

fresh fruit

foods alive organic flax crackers - we love italian zest flavor the best, but the onion garlic is also safe.