Creamy Corn and Vegetable Soup

 Ellie Krieger is an excellent cook who develops creative and interesting ways to make healthy foods taste great.  I have two of her books and have yet to be disappointed with her recipes.  I have made her Creamy Corn and Vegetable Soup several times with great success.  My good friends Sarah and Kristen were coming over for a girls lunch and since Sarah is vegan, I decided to make a vegan version of this soup.

Creamy Corn and Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh corn kernels or 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen, thawed
• 2 cups nonfat milk (I subbed 2 cups of vegetable broth)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium zucchini, (about 1/2 pound) diced
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

Put 2 cups of the corn and the milk (in our case, the first two cups of vegetable broth) into a blender or food processor, blend until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of corn and the broth and bring to a boil. Add the pureed corn and tomatoes and cook until warmed through, but not boiling. Add the salt and season with pepper. Serve garnished with the basil ribbons.



Put 2 cups of the corn and the first two cups of vegetable broth into a blender or food processor, blend until smooth.  Set aside.



Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and zucchini and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.



Add the remaining 2 cups of corn and the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the pureed corn and tomatoes and cook until warmed through, but not boiling.

Add the salt and season with pepper. Serve garnished with the basil ribbons.

My vegan take on Ellie Krieger's Creamy Corn and Vegetable Soup turned out very well.  I personally enjoy the original version a bit more, but my friend Kristen who has had both said she could not tell a difference between the two.  I served this with a big loaf of crusty bread and a large green salad with tons of chunked up fresh vegetables.  The lunch was beautiful and it was so nice to relax and have some good old fashioned girl talk.  Don't get me wrong, I love watching sports with the guys, but there is just something really special about some great food, wine and conversation with your girls.

-Heather