Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

½ cup butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

½ - 1 cup frozen corn

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup carrots, sliced

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

¾ cup all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked wild rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups nonfat half-and-half (use normal half-and-half if you prefer, but you won't believe how delicious this is with the nonfat variety!)

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring the soup just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer, while stirring, for 5-6 minutes, until it has thickened slightly.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper . Allow all the ingredients to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let the soup gently simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The soup should not boil but should simmer over low heat so that it thickens slowly.