Milk-less Potato Soup

Ingredients needed:

• Potatoes (I used 20, although a small family would need less.  For this recipe, calculate about 4 potatoes per person and you will still have some left-overs)
• a small amount of oil
• Celery  3-5 stalks or less
• carrots (one is enough, but if you love carrots, you can add more)
• onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
• corn starch

*I added a small amount of sour cream and a small chunk of Velveeta cheese to mine that I had leftover, but it is not necessary.

For us, I normally use about 10-12 potatoes when I use milk, but for this recipe I use 20 (the creamed pototoes give it a creamy consistency). 

My grandmother gave me a great tip for speeding up the process for cooking potatoes.  After you add water, add a little oil, then slit the potatoes.  Place a lid on the pot.

While the potatoes are cooking, skin and cut up carrots (however many you want in your soup.  I would use one to two for this recipe).  I cut mine into little strips.

Chop celery.

In a frying pan, add your carrots and celery and enough water to cover them. I added about half a stick of real butter (you may want to add less if you are making a smaller portion). Boil the water (add a lid so that the water won't evaporate and the veggies will cook faster).  Add a couple of tablespoons of onion powder and about a tablespoon of garlic powder.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

When the carrots and celery are tender and the water is still boiling, get a separate cup of  cold water and add about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Mix well (make sure there are no lumps), and pour this into your celery/carrot water.  Stir the water until you have a nice gravy and then turn on low.

After the potatoes are soft, pour out the hot water and cover the potatoes in cold water.  Peel the skin off the potatoes.  Take half of your potatoes and cream them well.  Take the other half and chop them into bite-sized pieces.

Pour your celery/carrot gravy into a large soup pot, add your creamed potatoes, and add your dices potato bites.  Mix this together into your soup pot and turn on low.

Test your soup and add  whatever salt, pepper or spices you may need to have the perfect flavor.

My husband loves to eat Cuban bread with this.  Click here for the recipe.

Very tasty!