Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

adapted from this recipe on Melskitchencafe.com

We had this for dinner last night- it was so good!  The original recipe says to serve it in bread bowls, and that would be awesome, but it was great with homemade whole wheat rolls, too!

1/4 c. butter (the original called for 1/2 c.  You could probably even cook the vegetables in a little olive oil or  maybe even with cooking spray and it would work.  I'll have to try it next time.)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 c. carrots, sliced
1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
3/4 c. flour
6 c. chicken broth
1 box brown rice/wild rice mix (I used Lofthouse brand), prepared with the seasoning mix,
(or 2 c. wild rice, cooked)
1/2 t. salt
1 t. dried parsley
1 c. sliced almonds
2 c. nonfat half-and-half

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir in onion, celery, corn, carrots and chicken, and saute until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.  Add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes more.  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, parsley, pepper and almonds.  Allow 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.