Olive Garden-like Gnocchi Soup. (with vegan chicken and silk) shhhh the hubby doesn't know :)

4TBS butter (or earth balance vegan)

4TBS flour

1 qt half & half  (or unsweetened silk in the light green bottle) ;)

1 14 oz can chicken broth (or vegan no-chicken broth)

2 chicken breasts boiled and torn to pieces or chopped if you just like using knives more than your hands (or the recipe online said rotisserie chicken from the deli was awesome in it)  (or morning star no chicken-chicken strips)

2 cloves of garlic (go through the extra effort to use real garlic!!! I have been using some jarred in liquid stuff that I bought a hugemongous sized one from Sam's club and last night I used real garlic for this....TRUST ME-----use real garlic, even the smell of it while it's cooking is so much different)

? shredded carrots I question this, because the recipe online said 1 cup I had about a half a cup-a cup and it was WAY WAY WAYYYYY too many!  (for me anyway) next time I will put like 2 baby carrots in it and that's it!

(I got to use my new $19.99 mandoline last night also to julienne the too many carrots---if you cook alot while you are investing in real garlic---by a mandoline too!  It was AWESOME!) (and i can't wait to make homemade potato chips with it tonight)  : )
*I bought premade gnocchi at Lowe's foods (it was on the pasta isle with specialty pastas) cook it according to package directions and sit to the side until end of recipe.

1/2 cup diced onions (tiny or your kids will say, "Is that onion? I don't like onion") ; )

1 cup spinach leaves (like salad spinach) coarsely chopped

1 TBSP evoo (olive oil)

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp parsley

grated Parmesan

Saute onion & garlic & carrots in olive oil about 5-10 mins til tender

Add butter and then flour make roux cook a couple of minutes

add 1/2 and 1/2

add chicken & let thicken

add broth and let thicken

add gnocchi and spinach and seasonings til spinach wilts.

serve with grated Parmesan.

Yum mo!!! Next time, I will have homemade crackers to go with it too! (yep that recipe is coming)

Aside from too many carrots for my liking---it was just like olive gardens but better because I didn't have to pick around the chicken or have real milk!