Remember when....

....you could buy Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup 3 cans for $1? Well, I'm older so I remember better! It has been a while since that time but I still cringe when I have to buy a can of soup for a recipe I'm making and have to pay well over a dollar for a can of the Campbell's brand. I don't do that very often unless it's an emergency and I'm in a hurry.

Today I'm going to share 3 different recipes for substitutes for canned Cream Soups. One is a mix, one uses powdered milk and another-a recipe which facinates me- uses bean flour. They work great and are a perfect alternative to expensive canned soups. Try them and see which is your favorite and find out how much you can save in your favorite recipes.

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute #1
1 T. butter
3 T. flour
½ c. chicken broth
½ c. milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in flour and keep stirring till smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly till it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups. *For Cream of Mushroom soup add 2 T. chopped canned mushrooms.

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute #2
5 T. White bean flour (Grind 4 T. of any white bean to make 5 T. bean flour)
1 ¾ c. water
4 t. chicken bouillon or 4 cubes
Combine bean flour, water and bouillon in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat until thick and delicious; whisking frequently. The soup should be ready in about 3 minutes. (longer if your bean flour is coarser). Use this with cooked veggies or meat for a complete meal. You can add this to recipes calling for cream of chicken soup. This replaces a can plus the water or milk in recipes. (This soup is 60 calories compared to 210 calories in canned cream of chicken soup.)

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute #3
1 1/2 cups powdered nonfat milk (2 cups instant dry milk)
¾ cup cornstarch
¼ cup instant chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Store in airtight container until ready to use. Yield: 9 cans soup
˜ To Make CREAM OF CHICKEN Soup:
Combine 1 cup of Cream Soup Mix with 1 ¼ cups of cold water in saucepan. Cook and stir
until thickened. Add to casserole as you would the canned soup. Substitute for 1 can.
˜ To Make CREAM OF MUSHROOM Soup:
Add a 4 oz. can of mushrooms, undrained, as part of liquid in Cream of Chicken Soup above for cream of mushroom.