Healthy Clam Chowder to Warm Your Heart and Hearth

We are so excited to share this wonderfully delicious hearty clam chowder soup with you! After searching through the many recipe books we settled on adapting Ina Garten’s East Hampton’s Clam Chowder. Her version takes well over an hour, but we were hungry, and needed to adapt for dairy-free and gluten-free. Ours made plenty for 6-8 bowls full and was ready in 30 minutes! Enjoy with a crusty baguette to warm up ever-cooling nights.

CRAZY GOOD COCONUT CLAM CHOWDA!

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons butter, ghee, or butter alternative (soy-free)

2 Cups diced yellow onion (about 1 ½ onions)

2 Cups diced celery (about 4 stalks)

2 Cups diced carrots (6 carrots)

3 medium red rose potatoes (or Yukon) diced

1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme minced or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 tsp of Smoked Applewood Sea Salt or Sea Salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 Cup gluten-free flour

1 Can full fat coconut milk

3 Cups canned clams

4 Cups clam juice

Method:

Melt 2-3 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften. Add the clam juice; bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

In a small pot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in a cup of the hot clam broth from the soup, keeping vegetables out, and then pour this mixture back into the soup pot. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.

Add the coconut milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to heat/cook the clams. Taste for additional sea salt and pepper. Serves 6-8 Enjoy with a crusty baguette and salad.