Gluten Free Wild Rice Soup
I have talked about the struggles with potlucks before. Celiacs go to a gathering and there are usually no choices for them. Wednesday night I had the opportunity to bring something to my church for a Lenten supper before the service. As I was figuring out what to bring, I thought to myself do I bring something that is gluten-free because I have that ability, or do I bring something else and save the gluten-free foods for us?
We were asked to bring soup for the meal and of course desserts and everything else that goes with a potluck dinner. I had my Wild Rice Soup, which I highlighted on this blog earlier this year, in my freezer. I thought that would be perfect since it was already made. Then I grabbed some Jello and I made a regular cake.
But as I was about to head out the door, my husband and I discussed whether I should tell people it is gluten-free. Maybe it’s just me, but I worry that people think because it’s gluten-free it’s either gross or should be saved for someone else, so no one eats it! The good news is I know my soup isn’t gross. And I wanted to make sure people had the option to try it.
My husband said it wasn’t necessary to label it gluten-free, posing the question to me “Do they label other things peanut-free? Or dairy-free? Probably not.” And he’s right, but in my gut I was thinking how would gluten-free people know they have an option if I don’t label it? A lot of celiacs go to events like this and don’t eat anything because they usually can’t; but in this case I thought maybe I could do some good.
I went to the potluck and my music director (who was leading our group at the potluck) labeled his chili “vegetarian chili”. So I told him about my discussion with my husband about the Wild Rice Soup and whether I should label it gluten-free. He said, “Put it on! Let people know!” So I did. And I was very happy I did.
I wish I could tell you that this post ends in a dramatic conclusion with someone thanking me for offering a gluten-free option at the potluck, but no one did. But I was proud of the fact that I brought awareness to it for just this brief time — and that people ate it anyway. It was gone in the first 20 minutes or so and we had to replace it with something else. Nice!
Tags: gluten-free, potluck, soup
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