It was fairly warm over the weekend, but that didn’t stop me from making a big pot of soup – namely, vegan corn and kale chowder. I mainly wanted to use up a bunch of items in the fridge, including:
- Green onions, green kale and fingerling potatoes from a recent Cal-Organic Farms delivery
- Carrots from a Sigona’s mixed fruit and veggie box
- An open carton of vegetable broth
And, despite the heat, the finished product was a treat! Vegan corn and kale chowder is hearty yet light (thanks to the addition of coconut milk versus heavy cream) and pleasantly sweet. Top it with salt and pepper croutons for extra flavor and crunch – or enjoy it as is.
P.S. I’m sad to report that I only counted five instead of six baby ducks on my morning walk yesterday. Hopefully no more go missing. 🙁
Recipe adapted from Good Life Eats and Midwest Foodie.
Vegan Corn and Kale Chowder
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn, husks and silk removed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced and separated into light and dark parts
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¼"-thick rounds
- 2 stalks celery, cut into ¼" pieces
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ pound fingerling potatoes, sliced into ¼" discs
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 14 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ pound kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper croutons (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place corn on a baking sheet and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake, turning occasionally, until kernels start to brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to shave off kernels from corn cobs and set aside.
- Place corn cobs in a large pot. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and discard corn cobs.
- In a large pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, light parts of green onions, carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add garlic, oregano, sage and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add potatoes, vegetable broth, prepared corn broth and coconut milk and season with salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer about 2 cups of vegetables and liquid from pot to a medium bowl, add ½ cup corn kernels and purée until smooth; return to pot. Add remaining corn kernels, kale and white wine vinegar and simmer until kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with dark parts of green onions and croutons, if using.
Notes
To make croutons, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups bread cubes and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, stirring halfway through. Let croutons cool completely before using.
