Corn Chowder (No Dairy or Wheat)

I love how kale adds some pretty green to an otherwise monochromatic dish :-)

According to Wikipedia, Chowder is a generic name for a wide variety of seafood or vegetable stews and thickened soups, often with milk or cream. According to Terry Walters, Chowder is delicious AND healthy. Looking for something different to do with my sweet potatoes and kale, I turned to Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You once again and found  another amazing recipe full of nutrition and flavor.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, and corn make this chowder sweet!

Instead of starting with a roux, I simply sauteed an onion, 2 carrots, and 3 stalks of celery. Then I deglazed the pan with some mirin and added 4 small-medium peeled and diced sweet potatoes, a bag of frozen corn, a quart of veggie broth, and 2 tsp of thyme. I brought it to a boil then lowered the heat and simmered it for about 20 minutes. Then I added a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, approx 2 cups of rice milk and about a half a cup of thick cashew cream. I used the immersion blender a little to make the soup even thicker, added a bunch of well-rinsed and finely chopped kale, and returned the soup to a simmer for another 20 minutes. I adjusted the seasoning a little bit with some more pepper and thyme and a pinch of kosher salt. The result was so delicious that even James, who doesn't like corn, ate a whole bowl! 

It looks and tastes so rich and sinful!

This was one of the most filling meals in a bowl that I've ever eaten. One bowl was more than enough to fill me up and this recipe yielded lots of yummy leftovers that make a perfect lunch in a pint-sized ball jar.