It’s rainy and chilly here in San Diego, which has me longing for a warm bowl of this chowder, except I just had it last night…and a bunch of other nights since I discovered the recipe on Vegetarian Times’ website. It is so simple to make, healthy, filling, and really yummy (so yummy that my husband who is not a huge fan of corn loves it too).
I’ve adapted the original recipe to serve two portions as a full meal (with maybe some crusty bread thrown in on the side), but it can easily be doubled to make more or served as a side dish and split into four portions.
This is what a butternut squash looks like in case you didn’t know (no air plants were harmed in the making of this chowder):
2 cups frozen sweet white corn kernels
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp. vegetarian Better Than Bouillon no chicken base (can substitute with chicken-flavored bullion cubes if not available but it really is better than bouillon)
olive oil
1/2 lb. firm tofu, diced
wheat flour
1/4 cup pine nuts
scallions, chopped, for garnish
1. Microwave corn on high for approximately 60 seconds in order to thaw
2. Place corn in blender or food processor, and purée until coarse.
3. Transfer corn to saucepan. Add squash, garlic, salt, pepper, water and Better Than Bouillon no chicken base. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until squash is tender.
4. While chowder is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Toss diced tofu in flour, add to skillet, and sauté until browned on all sides.
6. Add pine nuts to tofu, and sauté 1 minute more.
7. When squash is tender, add tofu and pine nuts, stir and continue cooking 5 minutes.
8. Remove from heat, garnish with scallions, and serve.
Yum!
*The next time I make this, I am going to skip coating the tofu in flour & sautéing it, and simply add it to the chowder earlier. If successful, this is a little healthier of an option, makes the recipe even easier, and I doubt there will be much (if any) difference in taste. In fact, it might be even better.
