Dairy-Free Corn Chowder

Creamy soups are my favourite kind, and this one is easy and delicious. It's also a great way to use up left over baked or boiled potatoes.

This soup doesn't use dairy or flour to thicken it up, instead, we're using coconut cream and pureed vegetables to do the job. The soup doesn't taste like coconut, don't worry.

My corn and cauliflower were both frozen, so I put them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes just to warm them up. Hidden cauliflower is a bonus! Nobody will ever know it's in there.

You can make this recipe without chicken for a vegan version.

Dairy-Free Corn Chowder

Makes 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, diced small (leave out for vegan)
• avocado oil (or coconut, or olive)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled & diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons mild chili powder 
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, warmed & divided
• 1 cup frozen cauliflower pieces, warmed
• 1 medium potato, boiled & peeled
• 1 can (400ml) coconut cream (or milk)
• 4 cups broth (I used veg)
• 1 veg bouillon cube (yeast free)
• 1 cup cooked and diced potato
• salt 
• pepper
• scallions or fresh chopped herbs for garnish

Directions

1. Sauté the chicken on medium heat in 1 tablespoon of oil until nicely browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Skip this step if using left over chicken. Just cut it into cubes or shred it.
2. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pot, and cook the onions until lightly golden. 
3. Add the celery, carrots, red pepper and chili powder. Stir. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper. Not too much. 1/2 teaspoon each for now. 
4. In the meantime, place the cauliflower, 1 cup of the corn and the potato into a blender. Add the coconut cream, broth and bouillon. Wiz it up until smooth, and then add it to the pot with the veggies.
5. Give it a good stir to remove any brown bits of chicken or veg from the bottom of the pot.
6. Stir in the rest of the corn and the diced potato. 
7. Taste it at this point to see if you need to add more salt or pepper.
8. Serve hot with a garnish of fresh herbs.
9. This also heats up really well in a mini slow cooker for lunch. You can purchase one anywhere for less than $15. You don't have to use the microwave at work anymore!