Corn Potato Chowder

Here's a dinner I thought wouldn't stand a chance without a couple key meat ingredients I usually make it with...milk and bacon. But guess what, it turned out so good that no one missed the meat products and it passed my toughest critics with flying colors! Straight from the hubby's mouth "This is better without bacon." Sweet music to my ears! This is also a great last minute recipe since it is made out of staple ingredients I usually have in my house. Perfect for the cool fall weather we've been enjoying too!

Vegan Corn Potato Chowder

1-2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Large Yellow onion (or 1 whole small one), finely diced
1 Large Carrot, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2-3 Cups Vegetable Stock
6-7 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 can creamed corn
1 Cup frozen corn kernals
1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
1-2 tsp onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot sauté onions in the EVOO until they start to turn translucent and caramelize (about 5-6 min). Then add carrot, celery and garlic and sauté a few minutes longer. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling reduce to medium low and simmer for 30 min. You want this soup to be thick so don't add too much vegetable stock. If you add to much though you can always simmer it for longer so the liquid reduces more. Likewise if it is too thick you can always add more stock or keep a lid on the pot to trap in the moisture. Also note that I think the nutritional yeast is a key ingredient that made the soup extra yummy because it replaces the savory bacon flavor. Serves 4-6.