Sweet Potato, Corn And Kale Chowder

Is there anything better than an easy one pot meal that is not only rich in nutrients, but one that is hearty enough to stand as lunch or dinner?  That is one of the beautiful aspects of this colorful, chunky chowder.  The other beautiful aspect is that this is vegan chowder, so we can enjoy a superb entree while giving our bodies a break from animal products. What I find most unique about this soup is the additional richness and sweetness that comes from cashew butter...to me  it tastes better than cream {typically used in chowder}.  And cashew butter is better for us.

Sweet Potato, Corn And Kale Chowder

1 T grapeseed oil

1 small sweet yellow onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

3 carrots, diced

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

3 c corn, fresh or frozen

2 t dried thyme

2 c vegetable stock, plus more on reserve

2 c rice milk, plus more on reserve {I used plain unsweetened almond milk}

2 T cashew butter (*), dissolved in 1/4 c hot water 

1 small bunch of kale, center ribs removed, leaves chopped into small pieces

salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, saute onion until soft, about 3 minutes. Add celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, thyme and stock and simmer 5 minutes. Add enough rice milk to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Partially puree the soup with an immersion blender{or you can ladle out some soup and let it cool slightly before running it through a food processor.  Add kale, return to heat and add more stock if you like {I added an additional 1 c}. Cook until kale is tender.  Season slowly and carefully with plenty of salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 6.

(*) I put about 4 T of raw, unsalted cashews in a grinder and ground to a fine powder. Then I added a little bit of water {about 1 scant T} and processed again to create a creamy consistency.  Then I added this mixture to the 1/4 c of hot water.

Source:  Clean Food , Terry Walters