28. Southwest Avocado Corn Chowder

Since we were in our last week of our Wellness Cleanse, I was looking for a vegan recipe that would fit into our restrictions. I found this recipe at http://101thingstodowithtofu.com It sounded good and was easily adapted to the Cleanse.

Southwest Avocado Corn Chowder

4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 cup cilantro leaves, reserving a few leaves as garnish
4 ripe avocados, peeled
8 ounces silken tofu
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen thawed corn
3 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (omit for vegan variation)

Place garlic, jalapeno, onions, lime juice and cilantro in food processor and process until finely minced. Add in avocado, tofu, chili powder and salt and process until smooth.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat. Add corn and cook until most of kernels are lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.

Bring broth to a rapid boil in a medium saucepan. Turn on food processor and slowly pour in boiling broth. When all broth is added, pour into a large serving bowl and stir in corn.

Serve warm with queso fresco (if desired) and a few cilantro leaves as garnish.

Changes and Shortcuts: As usual, I’m not a fan of frozen corn and I didn’t have time to deal with corn on the cob, so I used canned corn. I find that canned corn tastes more like fresh corn than frozen does. Of course, I left the queso fresco out.


Results:All of the hot liquid didn’t fit in the food processor at once, so I had to do this in two batches and it really made a mess! The corn also stuck to the pan a little, so maybe just a quick spray in the pan first would be good. The soup was tasty and was somewhat like a guacamole. It was must “a bit much” for a meal—like drinking guacamole--but would probably make a good first course. You also need to eat it when it is fresh because, just like guacamole, it doesn’t save well.

Keeper? I think so.