Canned Cream of Whatever.

If you have a recipe that you want to use that calls for canned cream of soup, here's a mix recipe you can use it its place.

BASIC SOUP MIX

2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon*
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes**
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Mix all the ingredients well and store in an airtight container. Makes the equivalent of 9 cans of soup. In order to substitute this recipe for canned soup,
combine 1/3 cups mix with 1 1/4 cups cold water. Cook and stir on the stove top or in the microwave until thickened then add to the recipe.

* chicken bouillon is LOADED with salt. Try to purchase the lower salt alternative, even if it costs more.

** look for dried onion flakes in the Hispanic food section if your grocery store has one. Sometimes they are cheaper there. If you can't find flakes at a reasonable price, leave them out and add 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder if you have it or skip the onion altogether. (You can buy 5th Season brand onion powder for as low as 50 cents.)

Note - this mix can be turned into a cheese sauce by mixing the 1/3 cup of mix, 1 1/4 cups water and 1 cup grated cheese. It can be turned into tomato soup by again mixing the 1/3 cup mix to 1 1/4 cups water and adding 2 cups tomato sauce. Alfredo sauce can be made by mixing the 1/3 cup mix, 1 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.