CHEEZY CORNY CHOWDER

While a lot of my Connecticut friends were suffering in the cold and dark, I was without my phone and Internet in Florida.  I'm not complaining, mind you, just dealing with the lack of all that the 21st Century has to offer.  Now that I am back online the good news is so are our northern friends.  I am so sad that they had to live through a week of no power.  Here is a soup that  may not turn your power on in your house, but may provide super-power for your energy level.

If you don't have fresh corn like we do in southern Florida, frozen corn will work just fine.  Please see my notes on nutritional yeast.  It is a life saver in the kitchen when you need a little something that will add a protein punch and it tastes good too.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 sweet onions chopped fine
4 ears corn cut from cob (approx. 2 cups)
1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 - 13.5 ounce can coconut milk (light or regular)
2 cups water
4-6 small potatoes cut into bite size
1/2 cup nutritional yeast *
1 teaspoon  vindaloo spice *
1 teaspoon toasted cumin *
1 teaspoon  balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions with the olive oil  until translucent - add corn and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.  Add water, coconut milk, and tomatoes with their juice.  Add potatoes, nutritional yeast and spices. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.  Use an immersion blender to cream half of the soup.

Season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar to taste.

*nutritional yeast is not a baking yeast.  It is a yeast product that sprinkles like Parmesan cheese and has a slight nutty cheesy flavor.  It is full of protein, fiber and minerals and it is what give this soup a thick cheesy flavor.

 * Vindaloo spice is a mixture or ground coriander, garlic cumin, ginger, cinnamon, brown mustard, red pepper, jalapeño, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper and clove.  My jar is from Penzey's Spices.  Substitute with your favorite mixture if you would like.

* Please see a previous post on toasted cumin.  It is one of my favorite to make fresh from cumin seeds.  Purchased  ground cumin is fine.  I like the complexity in taste that the toasted cumin provides.

Sweet Potato and Green Bean "Risotto"

Sweet Potato and Green Bean with Barley

Okay, I just picked up my weekly supply of vegetables from our local CSA and I got green beans, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, small leeks or large green onions, tomatoes galore and a large bag of loose lettuce leaves.  The green beans caught my eye and since I had a large sweet potato also, a recipe started forming.

I made this dish vegan for Madison since she is giving up dairy for Lent, however, the picture of the final dish has parmesan added for me.  It definitely made it more “risotto like” with that addition.  For Madison’s dish I added a little olive oil at the end to make it a little richer.

My recipe uses barley as my grain substitute for Arborio rice.  I actually like the toothiness of the barley better than the risotto, especially after the dish has been reheated, etc.  Barley wins out when you compare the health benefits of both too.  One cup of dried barley has 31.8 grams of fiber and 23 grams of protein, while a cup of dried Arborio rice has 4 grams fiber and 12 grams protein. 

2 medium size white onions, halved and sliced

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 lb fresh green beans stems removed and  cut into 2 inch pieces

2 medium size tomatoes cut into bite size pieces

3 cups water

1 cup barley
3 cloves garlic minced

Olive oil

¼ to ½ tsp chipotle pepper powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and one tablespoon olive oil in a medium size skillet for 10-15 minutes.  Once brown, set aside.

In a medium to large stockpot add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic and tomatoes.  Saute until fragrant.  About 2-3 minutes.  Add the cooked onions, sweet potato, green beans, water, barley and chipotle pepper.  Simmer covered for about 40-50 minutes stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes break down and the bulgur is al dente.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shave parmesan cheese over the top before serving.