Six Food Intolerance Living

So, I've told you about her cake, yeast-tolerant people rave about her bread, and now, Carries done it again! Ginger Lemon Girl's Clam Chowder is a total winner! It's quick (only takes me about 30 total - prep and cook!), it's filling and it's yummy and I can even make it dairy free! :D

When Carrie posted her newest creation over at the Gluten Free Recipe Swap Yahoo Group, I SO wanted to try it. First let me say that my Hubby LOVES clam chowder, so I have attempted to make two different versions in the past ... both with horrible results - bad flavor, too thin, etc. I was scared to try making it again and dairy free, but I reminded myself that I've been making so many other things that I wasn't sure about that came out just fine.

When I told Hubby what I was going to be making it for dinner that night, he kinda smirked (I'm sure remembered those other yucky batches) and asked, "What's the back up dish?" When I told him that I had faith in *this* recipe because it was was from Carrie, the girl who developed "The" chocolate cake, he said, "Oh, it'll probably be good, then." I only changed 2 things: the recipe called for 6-10 oz of clams, but the cans I found were 6.5 oz and Hubby and I like a lot of clams in there, so I used 2 cans - so 13 oz. Then, for the 1 cup of cream, I used coconut cream (not milk). I thought it was great. Hubby thought it had a bit too much of a coconut flavor (remember that he doesn't like coconuts at all), but that didn't stop him from eating an entire bowl of it! Seriously! I was shocked. He said the first few bites were very coconuty, but after that, it was fine.

The following week, I made it again, this time with hemp milk instead of the coconut cream to see what the difference would be. I think it was definitely less rich with the hemp milk, which I expected, but also less creamy , which sort of surprised me because I think hemp milk is pretty darn creamy. And, the chowder needed a bit more cornstarch to thicken it up, but then, I like my chowder pretty thick. Anyway, Hubby liked that the second batch didn't have a coconuty flavor and said he prefered the hemp milk version over the coconut cream one, and of course, I prefered the coconut cream one! Maybe next time I'll try a hybrid of the coconut cream and the hemp milk. It's all in the tinkering, I guess.

You should absolutely give this recipe a try, and when you do, be sure to leave Carrie a comment - tell her Clara sent you! :D