Weekend Comfort

This is one of my favorite meals to make as the weather starts to cool off.  The last of the sweet summer corn is combined with chunks of veggies, potatoes and shredded chicken in a comforting creamy broth, and of course topped with crunchy bits of bacon.  This is by no means a low calorie meal but I choose to believe it is healthy simply because it is a soup and all soups are healthy, right?  This soup packs a punch with heat from both fresh jalapeno and crushed red pepper flakes, as well as a smoky spice from chipotle seasoning (I chopped up a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce since this is what I had and it still added the same smoky flavor).  If you aren't a big fan of spice, you could easily leave these ingredients out but I recommend trying at least a little!   

  

Corn Chowder

from My Baking Addiction <- Yummy website!

Ingredients

5 strips thick cut bacon; sliced into ½ inch pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon chipotle seasoning (or a chipotle chili in abobo sauce finely chopped)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like some heat)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
6-8 ears corn (I used 6)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (rotisserie works great here)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
green onions; sliced for garnish

1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp; remove bacon with a slotted spoon and allow to drain and reserve for garnish.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, jalapeno and thyme to the bacon drippings and cook until the vegetables are soft; about 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour, chipotle seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and stir to coat well.
3. Cook vegetables, flour and seasonings for 2 minutes; stir frequently.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a rapid boil. Allow soup to boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down. This process will help thicken the soup.
4. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add in the cooked chicken. Simmer until the corn is soft and chicken is heated through; about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Stir in the parsley. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon and green onions.

This recipe makes about 8 servings so we ate it for a few meals the week I made it and froze the rest for a quick, delicious meal some night when I don't feel like cooking.  Hope you enjoy!

What are your favorite soup recipes?  Please share in the comments.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!