Vegan Corn Chowder, Updated

Soup is always on the top of my list on a cold blustery day like today. It seems like Mr. Snow Miser is still battling it out with Mr. Heat Miser, and here in Northern California, it's turned into Mr. Miserably Cold Rain Miser!

If you're too young to remember Mr. Snow & Mr. Heat Miser, here they are, in all their 1974 claymation glory.

Which strangely enough, leads nicely into the "corny-ness" of this soup (insert gratuitous laugh track here).

Anyway- this updated version has a touch of parsnips in it, which adds that disctinctive spicy sweet flavor that compliments the corn. I added a bit of tempeh bacon bits to add some salty smokey contrast- not to mention protein, and a garnish of fragrant lemon thyme, which is now growing like a chia pet on my windowsill. The scent of it makes me want to bathe in it (the lemon thyme, not the chowder).

Makes one big pot of soup- if you only have a few people, you might want to halve this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

pinch of salt

1 1/2 C. potato (I used red potatoes, skinned and chopped)

1 C. parnsips, peeled and chopped

6 C. water

1 16oz. bag of frozen yellow corn

1/3 C. nutritional yeast flakes

salt & pepper to taste

Spinz:

Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil with a pinch of salt in a large soup pot. Add potatoes, parsnips, and water. Cover, and let simmer until everything is tender. Stir in the corn, nutritional yeast

and salt/pepper to taste. Let it come to a simmer again, then turn off heat. Transfer to a blender, and puree until silky smooth. Remember to leave a small opening at the top of the blender to allow steam to escape, unless you want an explosion! You may need to divide into two batches. Serve nice and hot.