I’m back with new blog posts! You may have noticed that I took a few weeks off from new posts in January. The holidays are a very busy time for food bloggers and this season was my busiest yet. I always take a few weeks off in January once I get into the new year! The break was much needed and now I’m back with new recipes that I hope you love as much as we do! First up is this recipe for poblano corn chowder. I love a good soup, especially once that is meatless (but you can easily add meat to) and is the perfect vehicle for toppings. This is a corn chowder, but the poblano addition as well as the chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin in the broth also give you some chili vibes.
I keep this poblano corn chowder recipe vegan, but if you wanted to add shredded chicken or browned ground turkey those would also be great additions. For toppings, I love fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice with a big piece of golden cornbread on the side. Sour cream and shredded cheese are great toppings if you’re not vegan, additional diced poblano or sliced jalapeno for heat, corn chips for crunch, or ripe avocado are also all excellent toppings! This recipe is ready in about 30 minutes, and if you make your cornbread at the same time this is cooking, you could be pulling it out of the oven while the soup finishes simmering.
To make this vegan corn chowder creamy without adding any cream, I take about half the soup and puree it in the blender before returning it to the pot. That adds a bit of thickness to the soup. I also use one of my favorite dairy-free substitutions for cream in soup by blending raw cashews in water. If you don’t have raw cashews, you can definitely skip this ingredient. The soup won’t be quite as creamy but it will be just as delicious! This easy vegan soup is a go-to in our house, and I hope it is for you too! I serve it to my kids with cheese quesadillas on the side for dipping.
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 cans corn, drained
- 2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ tsp. salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado
- Corn chips
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Cornbread crumbles
- Place raw cashews and boiling water in a small bowl, set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, poblano, and sauté until tender. Add cornstarch and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add corn, white beans, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Taste and add more salt and spices as needed.
- Place the cashew + water mixture in a high-speed blender and mix until very smooth. Add about ⅓ of the soup to the blender and mix again. Return this mixture to the pot and again bring the soup to a simmer.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings and cornbread on the side.
- Enjoy!
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[…] Poblano Corn Chowder […]