Potato Leek Soup

My favorite potato soup used to be potato Cheddar soup. It was almost like a cheeseburger in soup form, on account of the beef broth, bacon, sauteed onions, and cupfuls of Cheddar cheese. However, since the girls and I now are trying to avoid dairy products, I have had to search for a new favorite potato soup, one that would still be thick and creamy, even without using any cream, milk, butter, or cheese. This fall I found a potato leek soup recipe that exceeded my expectations: the resulting soup is flavorful and creamy, and Michael likes it even better than our old favorite!

Potato Leek Soup:

I was able to follow the ingredient list and instructions on the recipe, except for the following modifications:

• Bacon instead of Butter: Instead of sauteing the leeks in butter, saute them in bacon drippings. Chop two slices of bacon into small pieces, fry the bacon over medium heat until it is browned and crispy, then remove the bacon from the pot, leaving the drippings. Add the leeks to the pot and followed the instructions to saute the leeks over low heat until softened. When you add the potatoes and broth to the soup, put the bacon bits back in as well. If you would like to make this recipe for us using bacon, look for one without any sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, or lactic acid starter culture, all of which can come from corn. I recommend Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon, which can be found at Trader Joe's. If you cannot find a Michael-friendly bacon, saute the leeks in olive oil or canola oil.

• Chicken Broth: Before having kids, I used to make home-made chicken broth, and perhaps one of these days I'll get around to doing that again. In the mean time, I use boxed chicken broth. If you also prefer the convenience of store-bought chicken broth, look on the label to make sure it does not contain any corn, wheat, soy, dextrose, MSG, xanthan gum, mono and diglycerides, natural flavoring, organic flavors, or vegetable flavor. The brand that I think tastes the best is Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth. If you cannot find that one, Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth and Trader Joe's Free Range Chicken Broth (but not the low-sodium version) are also safe to use.
  

• Potatoes: After trying several different kinds of potatoes, I recommend Russet potatoes for the creamiest consistency.

• Spices: Instead of Tabasco sauce or red chili sauce, use a dash of Cayenne red pepper and a bit of paprika. If you like a spicier soup, you can add more of these as well as more black pepper.