Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Yesterday, there was a church activity that I was helping with.  At that activity there was dinner...and there was going to be at least 5 people there that were gluten intolerant, and 2 of us who were also dairy intolerant.  So, I wanted to make an awesome soup, and I did. :)  To go along with it I brought Rosemary Almond Crackers, which were probably the biggest hit, and my walnut bread, which I made in mini muffin pans.  The gluten-free gals last night did not miss out on anything, instead we indulged. :)

I totally forgot to take pictures of the soup, but it was beautiful. :)

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

serves 12+

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups carrots, finely diced (~18 baby carrots)
1 1/2 cups celery, finely diced (~4 stalks)
1 1/2 cups onion, finely diced (~1 medium)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 quarts chicken broth (I used Imagine organic, just to make sure it's soy-free as well)
2 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 3/4" cubes (~4 breast halves, you really could add more chicken, I just didn't have that much chicken in the house)
1 cup wild rice (you now the long black rice, not a blend of different rices)
1 cup rice blend (now here's where your rice blend comes in...)
2 bay leaves
2-3 tablespoons dried parsley
1/4 cup soy-free margarine
1/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add carrots, celery, and onion.  Cook 5-6 minutes, or until softened.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add chicken broth, chicken, rice, and bay leaves.  Bring to a simmer and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.

Remove bay leaves, add parsley.  Melt margarine in a separate saucepan, mix in flour to make a roux.  Add the roux to the soup and mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: the longer it cooks the thicker it gets, because the rice will continue to asborb the broth.