Corn chowder (or “chowdah”, if you hail from the Northeast!) was my mom’s signature dish. Well, that and cheesecake… but growing up the chowder was my absolute favorite, and when she’d make it, I’d eat at least 2 huge bowls for dinner. Her version had corn and potatoes, just like mine does, but it also had ham and velveeta. My sweet mama has since gone vegetarian so if she were to make it today she’d nix the ham, but it would probably still have that gawdawful, orange, scientific-experiment-gone-horribly-awry velveeta in it.

Of course, if you knew my mom you’d also know that she really doesn’t cook anymore- an ironic twist because she now has the most amazing kitchen I’ve ever seen. I suspect she just doesn’t want to get it dirty. But, being the wonderful mom that she is, she’s always willing to let ME get it dirty when I visit

So this is my homage, if you will, to the corn chowdah of my youth.  A healthier, more compassionate version that still makes me want bowl after bowl… and none of the ingredients were created in a lab! In another healthy twist, I did away with the roux,  saving us all some calories, and I got the idea to add more vegetables to it from a “Healthy Vegan Cooking” class I attended at Whole Foods.  It’s not as thick as I remember the non-version being, but the blending step does make it nice and creamy. I make this 4-5 times during the winter, and I get away with that heavy rotation because Jason really likes it too. Serve it with some crusty bread or on it’s own- it’s satisfying either way. It also reheats nicely for workday lunches.

Okay! Get out your immersion blender and let’s make some chowder!

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Corn Chowder (~4 serving)

Ingredients:

• 4 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 6 oz of frozen corn, thawed
• 4 medium-large potatoes, diced
• 2 cups So Delicious coconut milk
• 1 cup veggie broth (or water and bouillon cube)
• 1.5 t Sea salt (plus more for taste)
• White pepper

Directions:

1. Spread the potatoes on a plate and microwave for about 3 minutes. Remove and stir, then microwave for another 2-3 minutes until tender (but not mushy).
2. In a large soup pot, sautee the onions and celery in water until tender. Add the corn, potatoes and veggie broth, then cover and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and using your immersion blender, blend about half of the chowder.
4. Put back on the heat, and add the coconut milk,carrots and sea salt, stirring until everything is warm again. You could set aside some of the carrots for sprinkling on top- they add a nice sweet crunch!
5. Taste and add more sea salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy!