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Today I’m sharing the recipe for Smoky Corn Chowder from the new cookbook by Jackie Sobon called Vegan Bowl Attack. This hearty soup can be made with fresh or frozen corn.
Bowls are the hugs of pottery. There’s something that’s just so cozy about food served in a big, enveloping bowl.
It’s soup when you’re sick.
It’s popcorn while you’re watching reruns of 30 Rock.
It’s mashed potatoes and gravy when only carbs will do.
In recent years, there’s been a bowl trend in the food world. In places like Portland, whole restaurants are based on it.
To make a basic bowl, you put in a layer of grains, a protein of some sort (like chickpeas or tofu), a vegetable, and a sauce. Voila, you have a meal.
Jackie Sobon has put everything you’ve ever needed to know about bowls into one stellar cookbook.
Jackie is a very cool, funny human being and the blogger behind the popular Vegan Yack Attack. Her cookbook is aptly named Vegan Bowl Attack.
It’s a hardcover beauty that includes over 100 recipes. Because of her handiwork, you can feast on bowls from the morning (breakfast burrito bowls and even mini-cinni rolls!) – all the way through dessert.
(Where have you been all my life, doughnut sundae?)
I had a chance to make a few recipes from Vegan Bowl Attack.
Vegan Bowl Attack
Herbed tofu tomato salad
The tomatoes have reached the point in the year, where I have to eat at least one a day. There’s no way around it. They are too, too good – brimming with flavor and popping with juicy sweetness.
So Jackie’s herbed tofu tomato salad called to me right away.
The tomatoes are laid on a bed of arugula along with marinated tofu. I am not a big arugula fan. So I swapped it out for spinach instead.
The tofu is a breeze to prepare, as you just have to make the marinade and then let it soak for several hours.
Finally, after all of the ingredients come together, the salad is finished with a squeeze of lemon.
It’s a beautifully bright summer salad that was vaguely reminiscent of a caprese with herbed tofu instead of mozzarella. I served it with a slice of grilled garlic bread.
Strawberry Cucumber Gazpacho
On a muggy August day, I made this cold soup for dinner along with a spread of nibbles.
There are times when it’s simply too hot to turn on the oven. A cool refreshing soup that only requires a blender is just the ticket.
This savory sweet gazpacho is made with cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion, along with a splash of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.
Although it was lovely as a starter, I actually liked it even better the next day when I polished off the leftovers as a savory smoothie. Fruit smoothies are often a little too mouth puckering for me, and this one had a nice bite that’s often missing.
(In this case, I drank it out of a glass and not a bowl. Don’t tell Jackie!)
Smoky Corn Chowder
Corn on the cob is overflowing at the farmers market. So why not squeeze as much of it as I can into a steamy bowl of smoky corn chowder?
No dairy-based cream here, of course. This soup gets its creaminess from the corn itself, along with a smidge of nutritional yeast flakes and non-dairy milk.
I was a big fan of this filling, smoky corn chowder. Plus, it gave David and I a chance to work on our Boston accents.
“We’re going to have chowder.”
“Chowda?”
“Corn chowda!”
Spoiler alert: Our Boston accents are still awful. Matt Damon doesn’t have to worry that I am going to start stealing parts out from under him. I’m sure he’ll sleep easy tonight.
Changes I made to the soup: The liquid smoke I use is on the strong side. So I reduced the amount by half (1/2 teaspoon instead of a full teaspoon).
In the recipe, the chowder is supposed to be served in a bread bowl. However, I bought a baguette instead, and served it on the side.
Jackie and Vegan Bowl Attack’s publisher, Fair Winds Press, have kindly allowed me share the corn chowder recipe with you today.
(So now you can work on your Boston accent too. Maybe you’ll have better luck than we did. That would be wicked pissa!)
Smoky Corn Chowder Bread Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil
- 2 shallots diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup nondairy milk unsweetened & nut-free
- 2 cups baby spinach packed
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade-cut fresh basil plus more for garnish
- 4 sourdough bread bowls 8 ounces, or 225 g, each
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the sunflower oil. Add the shallots and garlic to the pot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn kernels, nutritional yeast, liquid aminos, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and onion powder to the pot and stir until combined.
- Add the vegetable broth and nondairy milk to the corn mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and carefully use an immersion blender to purée about half of the corn kernels (so it remains slightly chunky).
- Cover the pot, bring the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold the spinach and basil into the soup and cook for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C, or gas mark 2). Cut the tops out of the bread bowl loaves and cut the bread out of the center, leaving a roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm)-thick wall on all sides. Toast the loaves until lightly golden.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and divide it among the bread bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika and chiffonade-cut basil and serve immediately.
Heather says
August 24, 2016 at 11:42 amI am so excited to try this corn chowder. It might be my new favorite vegan bowl.
Molly says
August 24, 2016 at 11:48 amThis looks yummy! My favorite vegan bowl is a roasted veggie & grain Buddha bowl.
Jordyn says
August 24, 2016 at 12:46 pmI’m a fan of sweet potato bowls. Roasted potatoes, veggies, usually soy curls, and some yummy dressing on top.
Susan says
August 24, 2016 at 1:09 pmI enjoy quinoa bowls with roasted chickpeas, peas, and avocado!
Stephanie says
August 24, 2016 at 1:23 pmI love a good bowl of vegan curried lentil mushroom soup…or a nice bowl of raw zoodles, tofu or mock duck, thin strips of carrot and spicy peppers, with a zingy peanut sauce…yum!!
Terri says
August 24, 2016 at 1:39 pmI make this Buddha bowl over and over: farro, greens (raw or sauteed), roasted sweet potato, glazed tempeh and tahini sauce. Yum!
Valerie says
August 24, 2016 at 2:12 pmYum, I might be making this tonight (CSA day full of corn)!
Jessana DeAngelis says
August 24, 2016 at 4:21 pmMy favorite kind of vegan bowl is.one.I haven’t tried yet…I love coming up with new ideas and recipes!
nicole says
August 24, 2016 at 5:13 pmThe Big Vegan Bowl from Oh she Glows! Thanks for the chance to win I can’t wait to try this chowder!!
Natalie says
August 24, 2016 at 5:25 pmI love Buddha bowls!
krystal says
August 24, 2016 at 7:49 pmI’m a huge fan of smoothie bowls right now because it’s HOT and we’ve no A/C. As a Floridan I don’t understand this. What are you doing PNW!? Anyway, that but also mac n cheese!
Jacky says
August 24, 2016 at 9:31 pmI love any bowl that has seitan and tahini sauce! Roasted veg like brussels and beets are a nice touch too!
Liz says
August 25, 2016 at 7:52 amThis is my sad face….I looked for fresh corn on the cob at the farmer’s market this past weekend, and found none…I’ll try again this weekend, but I may have to use frozen.
Cadry says
August 25, 2016 at 7:56 amOh, wow! How strange for this time of year. Our grocery stores actually ran out of corn and had to truck it in from Ohio, which is weird since Iowa is known for corn. (I guess it’s okay since most people seem to think Iowa and Ohio are the same place anyway.) 😉 Apparently, there was more demand than supply. I hope you have better luck this weekend!
Pixie @ Cheerfully Vegan says
August 25, 2016 at 5:55 pmI love anything Asian these days! I’m also really longing for cooler weather for more soup, stews, and chili.
Jill says
August 25, 2016 at 6:05 pmMy favorite bowl is now Smoky Corn Chowder Bread Bowl! Thank you for sharing so many wonderful and inspiring recipes with great photos!
Cadry says
August 26, 2016 at 8:16 amWhat a lovely comment. Thank you, Jill!
Kris says
August 26, 2016 at 11:20 amI had the best pad thai noodle bowl in Vancouver but honestly my next bowl will be filled with corn chowder or another favorite peach sweet corn soup!
Moon says
August 26, 2016 at 12:39 pmFreddy: Hey! What the hell is this?
Waiter: [French accent] It’s a bowl of shaudere [“chowder”], sir.
Freddy: Wait a minute, come here. What did you call it? Say it loud enough so everyone can hear. Come on, say it…
Waiter: Ahem. Shaudere [“chowder”].
Freddy: [raucous laughter] Shau-dere? Shau-dere? It’s “chowdah.” Say it right!
Waiter: [pause] Shaudear [“chowder”].
Freddy: [laughter] Come back here! I’m not through demeaning you.
Great Simpsons lines – thanks for the memory!
PS this all looks delicious
Laurie Amento says
August 26, 2016 at 2:42 pmI like anything with grains, protein, veggies & lots of sauce, but I also love soup & salad bowls. Not to mention another dish, like a banh mi, turned into a bowl. Also, ice cream. Lots of ice cream.
Corrine says
August 26, 2016 at 7:12 pmI’d say burrito bowls! I had a Thai peanut tofu burrito bowl for dinner today from an amazing local burrito chain.
Amber says
August 27, 2016 at 3:19 pmOooh, this looks really fun!
My favorite are burrito bowls like you would get at Chipotle or Moe’s. They are so super easy to make at home, cheaper, too! We definitely eat them often. 🙂
mrs pine nut says
August 27, 2016 at 4:31 pmi love soup bowls! can’t wait to try this chowder. it looks soooo yummy!
charj says
August 28, 2016 at 6:01 amMy favorite bowls are brown rice, greens and soy curls, seitan or tofu.
janet @ the taste space says
August 29, 2016 at 7:29 amGreat photos of the soup, Cadry. I loved it too. 🙂
Casey says
August 30, 2016 at 7:24 amI love make vegan sushi bowls and thai bowls for lunch!
Vegyogini says
August 30, 2016 at 12:58 pmI love bean/green/grain bowls with a spicy sauce! Thanks for the giveaway!
Preston says
August 30, 2016 at 3:38 pmMy favorite bowls have a grain and a veggie with seitan and mushroom gravy!
Jeanette C. says
August 31, 2016 at 11:39 amVegan sushi bowls!
Sim_8_3 says
August 31, 2016 at 5:21 pmThe Corn Chowder, I’m a big Chowder Head, lol, no seriously before I went Vegan 2+ decades now, I used to love to eat both New England and Manhattan, chowders, not eat the Region and City that would make me sound like Godzilla or something lol, I am going to have to try the corn chowder recipe.
Thanks
Kari says
April 12, 2019 at 12:33 pmWhy do I love corn so much. I need to find a recipe for bread bowls because that’s what this needs to go into. What do liquid aminos do for the soup?
Cadry says
April 12, 2019 at 1:50 pmThe liquid aminos add salt & umami. It’s basically gluten-free soy sauce. So whenever a recipe calls for liquid aminos, I use tamari. I hope you enjoy the soup, and good luck with the bread bowl!