Believe it or not, you can enjoy creamy, rich clam chowder without all of the heavy butter and milk. My version is dairy-free, full of vegetables and uses only clean, healthy ingredients. Enjoy this savory soup on its own, alongside a main entree or as part of my deconstructed New England lobster bake.

Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil

• 2 lbs russet potatoes (peeled and diced)

• 1 medium onion (diced)

• 3 stalks of celery (thinly sliced)

• ½ c shredded carrots

• 2 c vegetable stock

• 2 c clam stock or juice (I use Bar Harbor All-Natural Clam Stock)

• 1 t salt

• ¼ t ground pepper

• 1 t worcestershire sauce

• 6 T cooking sherry

• 2 6.5 ounce cans of chopped clams (drained)

• ¼ c fresh parsley (chopped)

• 4 strips of turkey bacon (cooked and chopped)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a pot and add potatoes, onions, celery and carrots. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Place ½ the vegetable mixture in a blender. Add vegetable stock and clam stock (or juice), salt and pepper. Blend on high until the mixture is completely pureed. This is your soup base, it should be thick and creamy texture. If it is too thick, add a little bit more vegetable stock. Place soup base back in the pot with the remaining vegetables. Add worcestershire sauce, cooking sherry and clams. Mix well and heat the soup to a low simmer for a few minutes, giving all of the flavors a chance to settle in together. Serve in individual soup bowls and garnish with parsley and bacon. Serves 6.

TIP: If you so choose, you can use the liquid from your canned clams that you drain out. Just add enough additional clam stock or juice to equal two cups. Also, you can use whole, cooked clams. They must be diced in small pieces. The bacon is optional. If you prefer regular bacon, that works great. Or, if you prefer to keep it pescretarian, leave the bacon out.