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By Root 846 0

corn and zucchini are plentiful and the kitchen has cooled down enough to turn on the stove. But you know, if the mood strikes in winter, don’t let the title dissuade you. You’d think that this chowder was just swimming in oil and fat, but it’s actually really nice and light. A little coconut milk and arrowroot help out with the thickening, and pureeing the corn helps out with the creaminess. I like it hot, so I use a ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. If you prefer a mild curry, just leave it out or use ¼ teaspoon instead. And if you’d like to serve it with something, I think a cup of simple brown basmati rice would be just loverly.

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 cup shallots, chopped finely

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 zucchini, sliced into small pieces (about ½ pound)

1¾ cups corn, from 3 ears corn (reserve cobs)

½ teaspoon salt

3 cups vegetable broth

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

½ cup peeled, finely chopped carrots (I cheat and use baby

carrots, ’cause the work is half done for you)

1 heaping tablespoon mild curry powder

¾ cup light coconut milk

Juice of ½ lime, or to taste

Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots and red bell pepper in the oil until translucent, about 4 minutes. Use a little non-stick cooking spray or broth if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and saute for another minute. Add the zucchini and corn and sprinkle in the salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring once.

Measure 1 cup of the broth into a measuring cup. Mix in the arrowroot with a fork until dissolved. You do this because it’s just easier to get the arrowroot dissolved into smaller quantities of liquid. Add the arrowroot mixture to the pot, along with the rest of the broth. Mix in the carrots and curry powder. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, break the corn cobs in halfand add them to the pot. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the corn cobs. Add the coconut milk and lime juice.

TIP

This recipe uses a method that really makes corn chowder shine: Let the corn cobs stew in the pot. They hold lots of maize-y flavor, so don’t let ’em go to waste. At the end, you remove the cobs and only your delicious soup knows they were ever there. I suppose you can use frozen corn instead, but only if you’re really crunched for time.

Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender (get one!), then transfer about half of the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, then add back to the pot. If the soup is still steaming hot, make sure to either keep the opening on top of your food processor open, or lift the lid often for steam to escape. If steam builds up in a closed container it can explode the lid off. Ouch.

Taste for seasoning. Serve garnished with cilantro, if you like.

Red Lentil & Root Veggie Dal

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(⅙ RECIPE):

Calories: 240

Calories from fat: 20

Total fat: 2.5 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Total carb: 44 g

Fiber: 16 g

Sugars: 12 g

Protein: 12 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 980 mg

Vitamin A: 100%

Vitamin C: 50%

Calcium: 10%

Iron: 20%

Root vegetables perk up this characteristically humble dish. Dal is a velvety, spicy stew served throughout India and some parts of the Middle East, made from any quick cooking “split” legume. Here, we use red lentils and simplify spices a bit to make for an easy and pantry-friendly soup. The root veggies add a creamy texture and an earthy peppery taste that is just slightly sweet. I use parsnip and rutabaga for this soup, but you can use which ever root veggies you like. Serve over brown basmati rice.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium-size onion, diced finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes