Two Great (& Gluten-free) Soups

Our friend Sonya writes, "Here are two soup recipes that our family has made numerous times--for company and for our own family meals. They have three great benefits. First, they are soups you can put in the crock pot in the morning and let them simmer all day while you do schoolwork and life. Second, they are gluten-free. Third, they are also casein-free (no dairy). And I guess, you could add that they are quite delicious!

"They are from a wonderful blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, where you can access the recipes for free or purchase them printed in a convenient book. I have the book and use it a lot, because all of the recipes in it are gluten-free. Enjoy!"

Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetables (your choice; I've used carrots, broccoli, and onion)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup raw brown rice
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
salt
pepper

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. The longer this soup simmers, the thicker it gets.


Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
4 cups beef broth (Make sure it's gluten-free)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce
salt
pepper
1/2 cup dried rice pasta

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place all ingredients except pasta in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. One hour before serving, stir in pasta and cook on low until it is tender. The rice pasta will swell quite a bit.

Submitted by Sonya