Vegan Corn Chowder

Corn.  Colorful, sweet, delicious, fun to eat off a cob and wonderfully ubiquitous every Summer.  Nutritionally, it is a good source of fiber and vitamin C.  I love to cut it right off the cob and add it to salads or stews.  Sadly, I think corn gets a bad wrap due it's evil processed form, high fructose corn syrup. Yes, having HFCS in our foods is not healthy, but corn in it's natural form is just fine!

I have been wanting to make a vegan corn chowder for a while, so this Saturday I set out to the farmers market to get corn for this very purpose.  As I approached the corn bins at the Kimball Farms stand, I noticed a sign about there potentially being bugs on the corn due low spray.  As I was reading, one of the friendly farmers started to explain that the sign was there just to inform customers that there is a chance this may be an issue.  They are advised to spray plants at least once every 2 days.  They choose to spray once every 2 weeks..fantastic!  My response to this?  I'll take the bugs over more spray anyway.  What this usually means is having to cut about an inch off the top..better than the alternative of ingesting poison!  I bought 3.  

Point of this story? 1. Small, local farms use less spray, even if they are not certified organic. 2. When you shop at farmers markets you get to talk to the people that are growing your food.  3. Corn is awesome.

As it turned out, 2 of the ear had no issue and 1 needed about 1/2 inch chopped off!

Local corn, tomato and jalapeños

I did a search for vegan corn chowders online and was unimpressed by what I found, so I went with my own cooking instinct.  I like to have protein with my meals, so I added quinoa (a grain that is also a complete protein).  I also like to have vegetables with my meals.  Yes, corn is a vegetable, but your body processes it like a starch, which why I chose not to add the traditional potato to the dish.  I decided swiss chard and tomatoes would work perfectly, adding color and flavor.  For the creamy texture, I used Soy Delicious Coconut Milk. I have never  tried it before, but on a whim bought some a while back.  It is a bit higher in saturated fat than I usually use, but way better than whole cream!  

Vegan Corn Chowder
Servings: 3-4ish.  Depends how big your bowls are!

Ingredients:
3 ears local corn (Kimball Farm)
1 tbsp oil
1 large garlic clove (minced)
2 small white onions (chopped) (Mancini Farm, i.e. dad's back yard)
1 jalapeño (chopped) (Kimball Farm)
1/2 cup quinoa
1.5 cups Coconut Milk
2 cups of water (or vegetable stock)
1.5 cups chopped Swiss Chard (Mancini Farm)
1 pint cherry tomatoes (Parker Farm)
fresh parsley (I didn't measure..use as much or as little as you want)
fresh thyme (same as parsley)
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp curry powder (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill corn for about 10-15 minutes, turning it to ensure each side is cooked.  I assume all grills are different, so basically cook it until it looks like this:

Place a medium pot over low-medium heat and add 1 tbsp of oil, garlic, jalapeño and onions.  Sauté until onions are translucent.

This sauce pot traveled from Italy to me, via my parent's suitcase!

   

Homemade red pepper flakes

Add grilled corn, quinoa, coconut milk and water and bring to a boil.   Reduce heat and allow to simmer until quinoa is almost cooked (~15 minutes).  Add chard, tomatoes, parsley and thyme and let simmer for ~5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Since I used water instead of vegetable stock, I felt it needed some extra flavor, so I included some freshly crushed red pepper (homemade) and curry powder.  Add them or not, depends on your taste buds!  I decided to use my hand mixer to blend the soup and thicken it up.  I did this in the pot, carefully.  You can also remove 1-2 cups of soup, mix and add back in.

Post immersion

I really enjoyed the simplicity and flavor of the dish.  If you can grill the corn, do so as I believe it brought the dish to a higher level.  Of course, using all local ingredients increase the nutritional value and the flavor profile!  Filling and delicious...a pleasant Sunday dinner :)  Play around with the flavor if you so choose...cooking to your taste will only make it a better dish for you!

Stay Happy and Healthy!
~L