Creamy Vegetable Chowder

On a cool day, there’s nothing like a great soup to warm up your hands and heart. And chowder is the king of soups. You can make it for pescetarians (clam or seafood), vegetarians (corn or vegetable) or meat lovers (chicken). This chowder is one of my favorites. It’s creamy, but the jalapeño adds a kick that can’t be beat.

Don’t be alarmed by the long list of ingredients. Most of the work goes into prepping the vegetables, which takes about 30 minutes. After that, it’s a breeze. You can save yourself time by buying ingredients that have already been prepped. For extra kick, throw in another jalapeño, or season with cayenne pepper.

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

Yield: 4-6 servings

Time: 45 – 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 2 jalapeños, de-seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 carrot, diced
• 1 small potato, diced
• 2 cups corn
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1.5 cup milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste