Corn chowder

Soup is one of those foods that I could eat pretty much every day and be happy. This is a great soup to make at the end of summer or beginning of fall when there is plenty of good fresh corn around. The corn adds a nice amount of sweetness and crunch, which I balanced out with the creaminess of potato and the spices. It is delicious right out of the pot or, almost better, the next day after the flavors have had a chance to really come together.

Ingredients:

1/2 an onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 cups veggie stock
2 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 generous dash cayenne pepper (adjust to your liking)
4-5 cracks fresh black pepper
1 ounce cream cheese
salt, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pot over a medium-low flame and saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add potato and cover with veggie stock. Bring to a boil and place the lid on the pot but make sure it is cracked a bit so that a little steam can escape. Cook potato until it is very tender, about 10 minutes. It should be very easily broken down by a fork. Add corn kernels, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes. Blend the soup to your desired level of chunkiness, I pureed about half of mine. Then bring back up to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir to make sure it melts completely. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve topped with fresh corn and green onions if desired.