Healthy (ish) Corn Chowder

It's officially soup season! Soup is a VERY underestimated meal, it might seem simple but soup really takes a lot of time and patience, not to mention many little tastings to get the seasonings just right (hence the absence of soup recipes in my index). If I could pick a favorite among the soups it would have to be chowders! In the culinary world, chowders often contain seafood but they always contain potatoes and milk or cream. I trimmed up this recipe by cutting the amount of cream and butter in half (because you just can't have chowder without a little indulgence) and trust me, you won't be able to tell the difference. This soup is creamy, sweet, and bursting with flavor!

(Semi Healthy) Corn Chowder

serves 6-8

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only OR you could use about 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups canned vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup skim milk or soy milk
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
6 ears corn OR two 15oz. cans of canned corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1.Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the onion is soft and translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes). Dust the onion mix with flour and stir to coat everything well.

2.Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream, milk, and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

3.Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup (or if you're using canned corn, drain, and add. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve sprinkled with parsley, this soup is also excellent for dipping bread into!