Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Quick Coconut Corn Chowder

Last night Parker had practice for a play the drama club is putting on this weekend so he was home a little late. We wanted to support the band/choir/orchestra for the 7pm concert, but Parker had homework to finish and the kitchen was a mess so I decided on something quick and warm for dinner.
Coconut Corn Chowder from Quick-Fix Vegan
I substituted a sweet potato for white potato, a red onion for the yellow onion in the recipe, and added a tablespoon of jarred jalapenos with wonderful results. The soup tasted awesome before adding the coconut milk so I would probably make it without sometime too. I did puree it a bit, but kept it pretty chunky. The cilantro is perfect so don't forget it. Parker had three bowls for dinner and asked for the leftovers (just one bowl) for lunch today. This reminds me, I need suggestions for lunch contains for soup. We have this container we bought from Common Ground Co-op and I like it for adults, but it is a little hard for Parker to open if we screw it on tight enough to not spill and it always comes back home with the top a mess. I does keep the soup warm though, but I'd like to find something more like an insulated stainless steel bowl. What do you all suggest?
Josie was tired and fussy about half way through the concert. She loved seeing our friends in the band and choir, but we arrived close to starting time so there were no seats. We were all bundled pretty well from biking to the school so we quickly were hot and tired of standing. Note to self, get to school events early. Who knew? I had to bribe her with promises of dessert when we got home. The last thing that sounded good to me after thawing out from the cold dark bike ride home was ice cream, but it actually tasted pretty good. I made a banana split with So Delicious ice cream (the VeganMoFo giveaway that keeps on giving!), a scoop of chocolate peanut butter and a scoop of vanilla, and a bit of a "dessert fail"*. It was mighty good and Josie's mood was much improved. Yes, even I do the classic parenting mistake of bribing my four year old with sweets when she is about to say very loudly that she "NEVER WANTS TO STEP FOOT IN A SCHOOL AGAIN". Luckily, she only said it loud enough for me to hear before I ushered her out into the hallway. Parker's play on Saturday (at the school again) will have desserts served so she should be okay.

*I picked up Clean Start at the library the other day and the first recipe I tried was probably the least healthy. The Peanut Butter Balls looked easy and something small to brighten up Parker's lunches, but my bulk almond butter is really sticky and never rolled into a ball. I gave up and made it into a brownie type thing and it was actually pretty good so here is what I ended up making.
Dessert Fail Almond Butter Bars
1 cup almond butter (we use raw unsalted and it has to be pretty fluid or you should just make the balls)
1/2 cup maple syrup (next time I would use dates or figs to sweeten)
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
1 bar vegan baking chocolate
shredded coconut
shopped walnuts

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (I just use a stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan with water). Combine the almond butter, sweetener, rice cereal, and melted chocolate in a bowl then spread the mixture in a small square casserole dish. Top with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut to taste (press them down to stick to the almond butter mixture). Freeze or refrigerate until hard. Cut in squares and enjoy.

2 comments:

Jacqueline said...

That soup looks sooooo good. I don't have that cook book, but just from what you've written here I think I can come up with something similar. I know what we're having for dinner Saturday . . .

VeganLinda said...

Jacqueline, it is pretty simple
red onion, fresh ginger, peeled sweet potato, diced tomatoes, veg broth, corn, salt/pepper, coconut milk, spicy pepper of your choice, basil or cilantro - yum! The kid used some Pekara bread (from the co-op) for dipping. It is a great soak it up with bread soup. :-)