Yam, Corn & Chard Chowder

Growing up, both my parents were proficient in the kitchen. My dad is an amazing cook and my mom is a superb baker. They both shared the responsibility of putting dinner on the table, equally (or so I remember). I also recall, when us kids were young, there was one night a week that we had to pick out a recipe for dinner and Dad and Mom would help us make it. Essentially, they were teaching us how to cook, know our way around a kitchen, also how to be familiar with vegetables and the secrets of the mysterious pantry items. In addition, whoever cooked dinner that night didn't have to clean the kitchen. That laid in the hands of the family members who ate the dinner, but were not responsible for actually cooking it. We all helped and it made light work. Whoever cooked got to kick back their feet and relax!

Because cooking was such an integral part of growing up, it is absolutely bewildering to me that there are people about us who don't know how to cook. Don't like to cook? I can understand if it's not your bag. After cooking my feet hurt, and I just want to sit down but then there's a pile of dishes staring at me. I get it. It can be time consuming and laborious. But don't know how to cook? That's a different enchilada altogether. 

Todd and I decided to devote each Sunday dinner to a little cooking class. He's the executive chef and I'm the sous chef/cooking instructor during these lessons. I'm super excited at this prospect! And I hope he is too. Todd is an exceptional waffle maker (better than me!), but his capacity in the kitchen kind of ends there. Sorry, honey.

However, that's all changing. Yesterday was the first cooking instruction and he was lead behind this tasty Yam, Corn & Chard Chowder. This chowder is slightly sweetened by yams, laden with silky strands of chard, and popping with sweet corn and split peas. 

He did such an awesome job, I think I might just have to be the sous chef every night from now on! Does your spouse cook? How do you involve your children in the cooking process?

Yam, Corn & Chard Chowder

Serves 8

Notes: Sweet potatoes can replace the yams if you like. Spinach or kale can be substituted for the chard. Be sure to clean the leeks well, as dirt likes to hide out in the leaves. 

• Peas:
• 1/2 cup split peas, dry
• 1 1/2 cup water
• pinch of salt
• Aromatics:
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• Sustenance:
• 2 medium yams or sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 small strip of kombu (optional)
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 medium leek, cleaned and sliced (leaves removed)
• Conclusion: 
• 1 bunch of chard, de-stemmed and chopped
• 11 oz. frozen corn
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the pea ingredients to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce to low and simmer for about 35 minutes or until the water is gone and the peas are tender. Set aside until ready to use.

In a large soup pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-low. Add the remaining aromatic ingredients and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Then, add the sweet potato and saute another few minutes. 

Add the vegetable broth and water. Turn to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the leeks and cook another couple minutes. 

At this point you can remove the piece of kombu, or blend it into the soup like I did.Transfer the soup carefully to a blender and blend roughly. It shouldn't be completely smooth.

Transfer back to the soup pot and add the conclusion ingredients as well as the cooked peas. Heat over medium until the chard is wilted and the corn is heated, about 5 minutes. 

Serve hot. 

Bob told me to tell you, "Happy Monday!"

He also told me that you deserve tulips. Especially if you sign the Good Deed of The Day.

Listening to: Mree – Monsters

German Word of The Day: Yam (or sweet potato) --> Süßkartoffel (pronounced: zeus-cartoffel ) Literally translates to sweet (Süß) potato (Kartoffel).

Good Deed of The Day: Sign this petition to help rescue Masha from a "Bear Baiting" camp in Russia. This just made my heart so sad.

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Hazelnut Maple and Poppy Seed Spiced Corn Cakes

The weekend calls for regale and fanciery. Yes, I know the latter is not a real word. But it's real to me, and it means that on either Saturday or Sunday morning, Todd and I will have an extravagant and downright snobby breakfast. It will be fit for someone who does not reside in a tiny thimble of a house in the wilds of Alaska, and who does not live with a giant, shedding, beast of dog that steals your spot in bed in the dark of the night. This imaginary person also probably isn't vegan. This imaginary person is obviously not us...  These Hazelnut Maple and Poppy Seed Spiced Corn Cakes definitely qualified as one of these breakfasts. These are super hearty and delightfully filling. Todd and I could eat only eat half of our portions...but that may be because we split the entire batch of nine pancakes. What? Gluttony goes hand in hand with regale...you know it does. 

Sweetened with maple syrup and Hazelnut Kahlua, these dense corn cakes lend a good, crunchy, and wholesome bite from the polenta, hazelnuts, and poppy seeds. Spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg for seasonal flare!

Hazelnut Maple and Poppy Seed Spiced Corn Cakes

Inspired by The Sweet Life

Makes 9 medium pancakes

• --Wet--
• 1 cup soy milk (I used unsweetened, plain)
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp. Hazelnut Kahlua 
• --Dry--
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup  polenta (or cornmeal for a finer consistency)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg
• --Add-Ins--
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk and the vinegar and allow to rest for about 5 minutes or until it's curdled slightly. 

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

Now, whisk the maple syrup and Kahlua into the soymilk mixture.

Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat and spray with a non-stick cooking spray.

Slowly and gently add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Do not overmix! A few lumps of flour are okay. Gently stir in the hazelnuts and poppy seeds.

Once the pan is hot, drop a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and allow to cook until bubbles begin to form throughout the pancake. Spray the top of the pancake with cooking spray and flip. Cook about 1 minute then remove and repeat with remaining batter. 

Top with a pat of vegan butter and additional maple syrup! 

Now go make these, and lavish in your opulent breakfast!

Chair-dancing to, The Oh Hello's – Eat You Alive

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Blueberry Breakfast Polenta with Toasted Coconut

Blueberries, sweet corn and toasted coconut. Some may think it's an odd combination, but I am here to assure you that it is an absolute divine marriage of flavors and texture. I'd never had polenta for breakfast and I thought it was about time. It's kind of like oatmeal for breakfast but the polenta is a finer texture of course and maybe a bit sweeter. It's fun to try new things! So, if you're bored of oatmeal try this breakfast instead and think outside the oatmeal box. When I first ditched cow's milk a couple years ago, I tried Silk's coconut milk. It was watery and bland to say the least and it made me very sad. I forgot about coconut milk and moved onto almond milk. Later down the road, of course, I began to make my own almond milk! If you want to learn how and all the lessons I found out the hard way, check out my post here.

Well, I recently decided to give Silk's coconut milk a go again. It had "Great New Taste!" slapped across the front of the carton so obvs I had to see what was up. I can't be passing that up! Boy am I glad I didn't...it was delicious! Their new coconut milk is creamy and thick, silky and very coconutty.

I don't want to know what kind of coconut-flavor additives they put in there to get it that way, because I am sure that their original coconut milk was probably more akin to the coconut milk that'd one would actually get from a real, legit, hairy coconut. Out of curiosity I looked at the ingredients and they are, " Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Coconut Cream), Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Carrageenan, Yam Flour." Apparently coconut milk is one word? I don't know...is that right?? Anyways, nothing seemed to crazy. Carrageenan isn't that great, but it's pretty unavoidable if you're buying carton non-dairy milk of any type.

Regardless of how they do it...what I know is that I love the new wonderfully coconutty flavor! So, of course, it was the perfect milk to go along with this breakfast polenta. The toasted coconut chips give a wonderful and toasty crunch. The sweet corn kernels are delightful bursts of texture and the show-stealer of this dish is of course the wild blueberries!

Wild blueberries and store-bought blueberries are two entirely different creatures. If you can get your hands on some wild ones, I think you'll find that they're delightfully tart and bursting with flavor, as opposed to their lackluster cousins at the store. They're smaller as well much less watery. Here, I used my wild, frozen berries and just popped them into the bowl! No need to thaw them out or anything like that. They're perfect as is. Oh wonders of the universe, take my back to Saturday please!

Blueberry Breakfast Polenta with Toasted Coconut

Inspired by the wonderful The Whinery

Serves 4

• 1 cup coconut chips, toasted
• 4 cups of coconut milk (and a little extra for serving), I use Silk's Original Coconut Milk
• 1 cup dry polenta
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 cup blueberries, I used wild frozen

To toast the coconut chips, if already not toasted, bake at 300 F on a clean cookie baking sheet for about 15 minutes. The coconut should be in "chip" style as opposed to "flakes". Below are coconut "chips".

In a medium saucepan bring 3 1/2 cups of coconut milk to a  boil. Add the dry polenta and whisk continually for about 5 minutes, until it's very thick.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk as well as the sweet corn kernels. Whisk well to combine and then remove from heat.

Add the remaining ingredients excluding the coconut chips and the blueberries and stir well to combine.

Garnish each bowl with a quarter of the coconut chips and the blueberries.

Pour however much milk you'd like over the polenta and serve warm.

Bobby enjoyed his warm breakfast of peanut butter and puppy chow!

A wonderful and warm breakfast for a rainy, late summer Saturday.

Blueberry Breakfast Polenta with Toasted Coconut

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Author: Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves: 4

Toasted coconut chips give a wonderful and toasty crunch, the sweet corn kernels are delightful bursts of texture and the show-stealer of this dish is of course the wild blueberries!

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut chips, toasted
• 4 cups of coconut milk (and a little extra for serving), I use Silk's Original Coconut Milk
• 1 cup dry polenta
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 cup blueberries, I used wild frozen

Instructions

1. To toast the coconut chips, if already not toasted, bake at 300 F on a clean cookie baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan bring 3 1/2 cups of coconut milk to a boil. Add the dry polenta and whisk continually for about 5 minutes, until it's very thick.
3. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk as well as the sweet corn kernels. Whisk well to combine and then remove from heat.
4. Add the remaining ingredients excluding the coconut chips and the blueberries and stir well to combine.
5. Garnish each bowl with a quarter of the coconut chips and the blueberries.
6. Pour however much milk you'd like over the polenta and serve warm.

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