How to Make Vegan Potato, Leek, Corn Chowder

Winter is great soup and chowder weather, hearty, warming, stick to your ribs food. This easy potato, corn and leek chowder is made from simple ingredients that won't stretch your purse or your cooking skills. It will also fit into your vegan diet and give you something that will keep you warm all night. Pair it with a good vegan cornbread for a delicious meal. Your non-vegan friends won't even think about it being a vegan meal.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 tbsp. vegan margarine
• 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen sweet corn
• 3 cups unflavored soy milk

Prepare Your Ingredients

1. Peel your potatoes, if you want to. Dice potatoes into one inch cubes.
   Crush garlic, if using. Chop green onions, if using.

2. 
   Leeks

   Rinse leeks well in sink, then slice off root end. Slice off tops just where the white ends. Discard green part. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Now, slice them thinly and place them in your colander. Fill your sink or large bowl with water. Now, sink the colander of leeks into the water and start swishing them around. Keep swishing until you have thoroughly washed all the slices. There will be a lot of sand in the bottom of your bowl or sink. Leave sand, remove leeks and pat them dry.

3. Add flour to 1 cup of soy milk and combine thoroughly, using whisk or blender.

Assemble Your Soup

4. Heat soup pot over low to medium heat for three minutes. Add vegan margarine. As soon as it melts, add garlic if using. Stir garlic around until it becomes fragrant, then remove. Add leeks and toss thoroughly with margarine. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until leeks are softened and becoming transparent.

5. Add potatoes to pot, along with just enough water to come almost to the top of the potatoes. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook slowly until potatoes are soft. Add corn and simmer for another five minutes. Drain water, if desired. Add 3 cups of soy milk to pot. Bring soup back to simmer. Add soy milk and flour combination to pot and stir thoroughly.

6. 
   Stick Blender

   Simmer until soup has thickened a bit and raw flour taste is gone, about five to ten minutes. Mash thoroughly with potato masher until soup has a fairly smooth consistency. You can also use a stick blender while the soup is in the pot. If you use a regular blender, only fill the container halfway at a time and remove center part of top. Use a folded kitchen towel to keep the hole in the lid covered. Once soup is completely blended, return to pot and reheat to simmer. Add dill, if using, after soup is blended and before reheating.

7. Serve with crackers or other bread. Top soup with chopped green onions or more chopped dill. Swirl a bit of margarine into the center top of the bowl. Stand back and wait for the applause and cheering.

Tips & Warnings

• A stick blender is an essential kitchen tool for jobs like this one.
• Substitute other vegetables for the corn. Try mushrooms, chopped broccoli or kale. Add those with the leeks to cook first.
• Only fill the blender halfway and remove the center part of the lid to avoid soup explosions. Use a folded kitchen towel to cover the hole in the lid.

Resources

• Cuisinart SmartStick Hand Blender
• Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons

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