Broccoli and Corn Chowder

In case you haven't noticed, I love soup. All kinds. Especially cream-based soups. Maybe that's because I grew up eating New England Clam Chowder. But I digress. 

On a whim, I decided to try another recipe from my go-to soup recipe book. Seriously, that's what it's called: Soup. The recipe in the book is called Vegetable & Corn Chowder, but I didn't have all the ingredients to make it an actual "Vegetable" & Corn Chowder. Alas, my recipe for Broccoli and Corn Chowder was born - I did have lots of broccoli on hand. Which is generally the case in this household.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 small onion (or half of a medium-sized onion), diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large potato, diced
• 2 Tbs flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups milk (I used 2 cups whole milk and 1/2 cup skim milk for no reason in particular)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 3 cups frozen corn
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• salt and pepper

How to:

• Heat some olive oil in a heavy bottom pot. Add in onion, garlic, and potatoes and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic, for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the flour and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in milk and vegetable stock. 
• Add in broccoli and corn. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 
• Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese until it melts. 
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve and garnish with remaining cheese, if desired.

I didn't have any cheddar cheese on hand, so I used a Mexican cheese blend instead, and my soup turned out great. I was really surprised at how creamy and rich the soup tasted, considering I didn't use heavy whipping cream and/or large quantities of butter and flour. SO, if you're in the mood for a corn chowder but don't feel like spending a ton of time making a cream-based soup, this recipe is a winner. 

Enjoy!

Cheesy Corn Cakes

Jake and I had our friends over to watch the Ravens game today, and I knew I had to try out this recipe for Cheesy Corn Cakes when our friends said they were bringing chili over. It's just one of those perfect fall days - there's a chill in the air, and chili is the perfect dish to warm you up. Why not pair it with some cornbread?

Here's the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups stone ground yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 cups freshly grated pepperjack cheese (I grated the cheese so 1 cup was finely shredded, and the other cup was regularly shredded)
• butter (for greasing griddle)

How to:

• Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and honey.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined - do not overmix!
• Fold in the grated cheese.
• Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat and grease with butter.
• Scoop (I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup) some of your mixture onto the hot griddle. Using a spatula, press down the mixture so it lays flat like a pancake.
• Note: spray the back of your spatula with cooking spray so it doesn't stick to the corn cake.
• Once brown, flip cake, and brown on other side. 
• Repeat process with remaining batter.

*If you don't have buttermilk, you can add 1 Tbsp white vinegar to 1 1/4 cup milk, and let it stand for 10 minutes.

I popped one of these Corn Cakes right on top of my chili. The chili wasn't super spicy, so the pepperjack cheese of the Corn Cake really added a nice kick to the dish. Everyone seemed to like this addition to the chili! I'm anxious to try these with a nice bowl of beef stew as well. 

The website I found this recipe initially says these cakes keep well. Her instructions for reheating say to nuke a cold Corn Cake in the microwave for ~30 seconds. If frozen, heat on 50% power for 1 minute, and then in 20-30 second intervals until hot. 

Enjoy!