Corn chowder is my favorite soup.Why it's taken me so damn long to come up with my own recipe is beyond me. I can't think of a more satisfying thing to eat on a cold day. If you live someplace that doesn't get cold, turn your air conditioner all the way down and make this soup immediately. While this version isn't gluten-free, it can easily be made so with one alteration noted below.

Serves 6 to 8

2 Tbsp margarine

1/4 cup flour*

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups soy milk (or other plant based milk)

3 cups corn kernels

1 lb red potatoes, diced in to 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup carrot, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced (optional)

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 - 2 tsp salt (more to taste)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

pepper to taste

Melt the margarine in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for a couple minutes making a roux that is just golden brown. Add in the vegetable broth and whisk constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Add the soy milk and simmer for a few minutes stirring occasionally. (see note below about skipping this step to make it gluten-free)

Add in the smoked paprika, thyme, garlic powder, turmeric, nutritional yeast and cayenne pepper (if using). Stir to combine and simmer for a minute.

Add in the corn, potatoes, onion and carrot. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. (I'm not the biggest fan of celery so I leave it out but by all means throw some in if you like it.)

Remove 2 cups of the soup (make sure you get broth and veggies) and put them in a blender to puree. Pour the puree back into the soup pot. This will add more creaminess to the soup as well as allow the natural starches to help thicken the soup.

Add in the red bell pepper and taste for salt. Depending on the saltiness of your broth you may need to add an additional 1 to 2 tsp or more to your taste. Finally add some fresh ground black pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer a few more minutes to just let the red peppers heat through and cook slightly. (I like a nice bit of crunch personally but if you want them softer, knock yourself out.)

*To make this gluten free you can easily skip the roux step and instead just puree up an additional cup of the chunky soup to help thicken things up. You can also add a bit of arrowroot or corn starch to thicken it more if you'd like.)

Nutritional information: Per serving calories: 180, protein: 5.8 g, fat: 2.4 g