Wild rice & mushroom soup

Ok, let's start by saying that my daughter doesn't eat soup.  Now and then she wants a taste of the "breath" (broth) but that's about it.  So when I make soup for us, I usually find some leftovers or something for the little girl to eat.  Until we started having this 80 degree weather in January, I was making soup about once a week and this one was terrific.

The recipe is from the Cooking Light "Soup" book that Steph bought me for my birthday last year.  I've enjoyed cooking through many of these recipes.  Wild rice is a good grain to use in soup because it doesn't get too soft when you cook it (or reheat it) and the nutty flavor adds a lot to a simple vegetable soup like this.  Make sure you're using wild rice and not a rice blend.  I also liked using fresh rosemary from my yard and I thought the mushrooms weren't too strong (or slimy for those of you who don't like mushrooms).  You could probably easily substitute some wild mushrooms if you have some.

This could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth or gluten free by using a cornstarch (dissolve 2 T in the milk and leave out the flour).  The nutrition info in the book says it's 185 calories per 1 cup serving and 3 g fat (if you use fat-free broth and 2% milk).

Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup (makes 8 cups)
from Cooking Light "Soup"

2 tsp butter
1/2 c. chopped carrot
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 8oz package of sliced mushrooms (I used cremini from TJs)
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz) cans fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 c. uncooked wild rice
1/3 c. flour
2 3/4 c. milk
2 T dry sherry (or white wine)
3/4 tsp. salt

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add carrot, onion, celery, mushrooms, rosemary, pepper & garlic and saute for about 8 minutes or until tender.  Add the broth, scraping the pan to loosed any browned bits.  Stir in rice and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Combine flour (or cornstarch) and milk in a small bowl with a whisk.  Add to soup mixture.  Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently.  Stir in sherry and salt.