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Lighter Corn Chowder Soup Recipe

Happy Monday eve! I started writing this post nearly two weeks ago and finally wanted to finish so I could share this awesome recipe with you all.

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These past two weeks have been a doozy for me – this is my first few weeks after taking off from work and I still feel like I am going nonstop between errands, watching K, and learning how to exist without going into an office every day.

(Recap: I’m taking an indefinite work leave as of December 1st; we’ll be moving out to a more suburban area in February; K is on a decreased preschool schedule.)

I should really be doing a Thanksgiving recap because I made the amazing Vegducken that was making the rounds this year BUT it’s now almost a month past Thanksgiving and I made this light version of a cream of corn soup and I simply cannot deny you the recipe; it’s just that good.

I was at Whole Foods and saw this SOUPS & stews special magazine by BH&G; one of my goals for December is to make more soup so I picked it up.

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They had a version of corn chowder but it called for two cups of half & half and B can’t eat something like that (creamy soups upset his stomach). So I made a few changes. Here’s my take on this – it’s a whole lot lighter than the original, but really really tasty. I found it super creamy and rich even with my changes.

Lightened Up Corn Chowder

Ingredients

  • 4 slices reduced sodium bacon
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 14-oz can of whole kernel corn
  • 14.5 oz chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 2.5 cups plain unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet or soup pan; pat excess oil off the bacon with paper towels. Keep the drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon (it will be sprinkled on top of the soup when serving).
  2. Heat the bacon drippings to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft, stirring frequently. Add the butter; stir until melted. Add the flour, stir, and cook another minute.
  3. Add the corn, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the half and half and almond milk. Bring to a boil once more, then remove from heat. Top with the crumbled bacon. Serves 4.

I hope you get a chance to try this… I will definitely be making it again!

Hopefully will be back later this week with more updates and maybe another recipe or two 🙂

Can’t believe it’s less than two weeks to Christmas. I am so not done with my shopping!

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{CSA} The Best Way to Eat Radishes…

… is definitely raw, dipped in salt.

^^ The Best Way to Eat Radishes ^^

My dad taught me this little trick years ago, when we were picking radishes in my Grammie’s garden. We also picked fresh cucumbers, and dipped them raw, in salt, as well. So many of my best memories are of my times spent outside in the garden, or running around the farm at my Grammie’s or at my great aunt and uncle’s place (all of them lived – still live – on farms).

The reason I am eating radishes is because my CSA share this week had:

  • 1 bunch of radishes
  • 1 celeriac (I am really not a fan… I am making it in soup right now, which hopefully will hide the flavor.)
  • dried pop corn
  • 2 pounds of white potatoes
  • 2 garlic bulbs
  • 1 cabbage
  • 1 collard bunch
  • 1 parsley
  • 1 bunch of mizuna
  • 3 gourds for decoration that I did not take! I don’t need any more clutter, especially not clutter that might go moldy.
I have the cabbage, garlic, parsley, celeriac, plus some of last week’s veggies (beets and leeks – maybe that is all?) simmering in a soup pot right now. Need to use them up, and no better way to down your veggies than in a pureed soup. I’ll pop it all in the Vitamix in a few minutes, and if it’s good, I will write up the recipe.

How do YOU eat radishes?

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{Recipe} Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe

Veggies cooking in the pot

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 2 huge scallions, chopped (or 3-4 smaller ones) – you could probably use a leek instead if you want
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or chopped fresh garlic)
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped
  • 4 cups chopped [purple] cabbage (1/2 a large head)
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 cups whole milk (you could use skim – it wouldn’t be as rich)
  • 1 cup water + 1 serving bouillon (powder or paste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • pinch of allspice
  • 3 Tablespoons parmesan cheese + extra

Method

  1. Heat the butter in a large saute pan or pot. Toss in the scallions and garlic powder; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add the broccoli, cabbage, and basil. Saute for about 8 minutes.
  3. Add the milk, water, boullion, pepper, allspice, and cheese. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for ~20 minutes (covered).
  4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree with your Vitamix or other blender.
  5. Garnish with more parmesan. Add salt+pepper, to taste.

I actually based this on a vegan recipe – but mine is most certainly not vegan! I am hoping to do a soup round-up sometime soon, so if you want me to feature one of your soup recipes just drop a comment below.

What is your favorite kind of soup?

I have two: clam chowder and corn and chicken chowder.

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Pumpkin Porcini Parsnip Soup @ Bis.Co.Latte (Hell’s Kitchen) [Review]

When I used to imagine life in New York, I had visions of Carrie Bradshaw’s brownstone, brunches with friends, and lazy afternoons in Central Park. Over the last two years in this city I’ve learned that while those things do exist, New York is also home to thousands of chain restaurants and dirty alleyways, and it can be hard to find those quaint coffeeshops that everyone seems to think of when they think of the Big Apple. I have a few days off this week due to transitioning jobs (!) and I have been trying to find as many of those small places as possible.

My mom came up to visit me yesterday and left a few short hours ago. This morning we took a walk over to the Hudson River (that’s the one on the West Side) and passed by a charming find – Bis.Co.Latte – it’s a biscotti and coffee shop in my new neighborhood.

Upon entering the shop I was greeted with a smiling face and a display of biscotti – there must be over a thousand of these cookies, in a so many flavors. To be honest I wasn’t there for the biscotti though. I’m simply a coffee girl through and through, and I have been avoiding grains lately anyway (paleo* thing).

So instead of a biscotti I picked up a homemade soup.

Pumpkin Porcini Parsnip Soup (vegan)

This was one of about 6 fresh soups they had available. They also had a pumpkin chili that I would like to try and a risotto menu. I asked about the porcini – they are mushrooms with a meaty flavor. My soup was a puree and it came with some multigrain bread that I decided to save for Bobby. They also packed in some pumpkin seeds for me to top it with (I got it to go and ate it at home). I believe you can get all of their soups vegan.

The soup was absolutely perfect – I didn’t need to salt or pepper it, and I finished the whole thing. It’s fairly pricey ($7.75 for just a soup – a fairly large portion) but it’s worth it… at least once in a while. I usually spend around that much for lunch anyway so this was a nice change. The pumpkin soup was surprisingly filling. It’s thick and creamy (they use soy milk) and a very homey fall meal. If you are in the area I definitely recommend checking out Bis.Co.Latte. Let me know if you try any of their baked goodies.

Do you like soup? Pumpkin soup? What’s your favorite fall meal?

I usually don’t eat soup because I don’t think it fills me up, but recently I have been trying to add it into my diet more. I love the way it makes my stomach feel (no bloating) and for some reason a hot soup can be super comforting on a chilly fall afternoon. Other recent soup adventures of mine have included carrot soup and veggie soup (both from Le Pain Quotidien) and a Shrimp Bisque (like a chowder) from Hale & Hearty.

*A note on paleo – I have been avoiding grains off and on (mostly avoiding) for the last year but have kept kind of quiet about that because I didn’t want to say something and then suddenly change my mind later. I think I would like to slowly go more paleo (like avoiding sugar better) but I’m totally ok with this being a verrrrry slow process. Paleo can be very meat-heavy and sometimes I have issues (morally) with eating such large amounts of animal flesh. So there you have it.

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Vegan Tomato Peanut Stew [Recipe]

I tooootally forgot I meant to post this last week. Enjoy! I sure did.

Vegan Tomato Peanut Stew Recipe

Inspired by this peanut stew.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 large red onion
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (or more peanut butter – I ran out)
  • 3 medium, verging on too-ripe tomatoes
  • 2 small satoimo (taro) potatoes
  • large handful of cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans (drained)
  • salt

Method

  1. Put onions in a pan and cook on high-ish heat.
  2. Chop the tomatoes and add them, along with the nut butters. Reduce heat to low-medium.
  3. Add the potatoes (satoimo).
  4. Add the cilantro.
  5. Add the garbanzos.
  6. Cook for about 30 minutes, covered. Add salt, to taste.
  7. Serve with homemade bread (me) or rice (Bobby).

This is what satoimo look like:

Feel free to sub in a regular potato – I just didn’t have any on hand.

Before serving, I un-veganized it by adding parmesan (duh). I had this with my own homemade bread from the new breadmaker.

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Do you eat stew? What is your favorite kind?

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P.S. Please check out Natalie’s Hormone Survey! I might do a hormone post in the near future as well because I finally went to the doctor (I *finally* found a good one) and figured out what my dealio is.