Creamy Corn Chowder {Totes Vegan!}
14 comments »
Guys. The wind is whipping around outside. We’ve had wily weather. I get bone cold every night and need to take a bath. Yes, I recognize that saving the earth as a new vegan is nearly cancelled out by the fact that I nightly fill a giant tub with water and soak in it until my palms shrivel all while catching up on episodes of SMASH.
It’s winter, yo. Hot baths are all I’ve got.
Can we talk about saving the earth later?
Actually, I totally lied up there. Hot baths are not the only weapon we’ve got to fight the winter blues. There is also thick, hearty chowder. Corn chowder. With potatoes. And vegan power.
Yep. That creamy concoction waving at you up there is actually vegan. Rich, flirty vegan. All sexy hot and topped with homemade croutons, like it’s wearing a fur stole.
Only fur stoles don’t do much in the way of saving the earth either, do they?
For the love. What kind of vegan family website would recommend nightly baths and metaphorically describe soup as covered in a fur stole? What are you doing here? You can’t trust a thing I say.
Cold showers and wound up with woolen hemp? That could work.
Only not real wool, ya know? Fake wool. It’s totally not a thing.
Oh lord, forget it.
Eat vegan chowder. Warm your bones. Save the world. Amen.
Vegan Rich & Hearty Corn Chowder
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
I'm trying to think of words that mean yummy. Because this chowder is equal to all of them. Rich, flavorful, slightly sweet. Topped with homemade sourdough croutons, you may never want winter to end.
Ingredients:
For the Homemade Croutons:
1 loaf super crusty sourdough bread, cubed
nonstick olive oil cooking spray
GOYA Adobo seasoning (or salt & pepper)For the Chowda:
1 tablespoon Earth Balance or olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
8 small red potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
5 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base
8 cups vegetable broth
1 cup cashews (soaked overnight in water, if possible)
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups fresh or frozen white & yellow corn
salt & pepper to tasteDirections:
Prepare the croutons ahead of time by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Spray the cubed bread generously with olive oil spray, then sprinkle with GOYA seasoning (Or salt and pepper). Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a spatula to flip halfway through the baking time for evenly golden browned croutons.
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Toss the diced onion into the pot and cook until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, potatoes, and carrots cook for 2-3 minutes, then toss in the Better Than Bouillon and 6 cups of the vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are softened, about 8-12 minutes then turn the heat to low.
Meanwhile, toss the cashews and 1 cup of broth into your Vitamix or blender and puree completely until creamy. Pour into your pot and stir to combine. Whisk the remaining cup of broth with cornstarch. Stir quickly into your soup, add the corn, then bring the heat back up just until the soup is thickened. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with piping hot croutons while taking a hot bath in a fur stole.
NUT FREE ALTERNATIVE: Swap half the vegetable broth with soymilk and omit the cashew cream from this recipe.
Vegan, vegetarian, awesome.
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Skye on February 23, 2012 at 9:46 am
I think I love you more with each new recipe you post! This looks divine- and thank you for the nut-free option! Better Than Bouillon No Chicken is my absolute favorite veggie broth. I was sad after becoming vegetarian because I couldn’t find a good broth to make simple noodle and vegetable soup- when I found this one I was ecstatic! :)
Question though- did you use both BTB base AND separate broth? Or just make the BTB into broth using 8 cups of water? Thanks! :)
Michele Brown on February 23, 2012 at 10:15 am
This looks extra yummy – can’t wait to try it! I totally get the hot bath thing in the winter. Sometimes that is the only way to get warm – and I will make this soup and eat a bowl while I’m soaking in the tub tonight!
Bev Weidner on February 23, 2012 at 10:16 am
Oh wait a minute! I thought you were just EXPERIMENTING with veganism. Is veganism right? I get a squiggly line.
So you’re full fledged!? WOW. I applaud you. I still love you too. ;)
And.that.looks.tew.dah.fer.
anna on February 25, 2012 at 11:43 pm
lol your post was so fun! it IS hard to save the world in the winter…and the recipe looks fantastic!
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tai on March 2, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I’ve only tried Knorr veggie broth cubes, is BTB an improvement?
Brooke replied: — March 3rd, 2012 @ 11:11 pm
Yes! Better than Boullion is yummmmy!
Annie on March 5, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Do you use raw cashews in recipes such as these, or will the roasted variety work as well?
Brooke replied: — March 6th, 2012 @ 12:33 am
Raw cashews are the only version that work in this recipe. The fats can’t be roasted, lest they lose their ability to whip into a creamy concoction!
Sam on March 6, 2012 at 9:00 am
Made this for dinner last night – it was A LOT of work, definitely not 15 minutes prep time with all the chopping and dicing but absolutely worth it. One of my new favorite dishes, thank you!
Dina on March 25, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I just finished making this and mine did not turn out creamy…at all:-( I didn’t use raw cashews as the ingredients did not specify raw vs. roasted…is that where this went wrong? I also used the better than bouillon as well as veggie bouillon cubes to make the broth. Would that have contributed to the non-creamyness? Please help! Don’t get me wrong it still tastes delicious but I want mine to look creamy too.
Brooke replied: — March 25th, 2012 @ 9:56 pm
Hi Dina!
The raw cashews make ALL the difference. I’ll make sure to note this is the ingredient list. Hang in there! It’s a great recipe!
Dina on March 28, 2012 at 10:58 am
Thanks! It has been a big hit and is almost gone so I will try this again this weekend with raw cashews instead…fingers crossed!
Randi on April 7, 2012 at 2:31 pm
This is really good! I’m making it for the second time. I add chopped chard into mine because I keep winding up with a bunch of chard and I only like it in soups!