Hi everyone! Today is an extra special day… I’m headed to Thailand as we speak! I’m still waiting for someone to pinch me to wake up, to have this once in a lifetime opportunity is beyond me and I promise to soak it all in and also share bits and pieces with you here on the blog! I’ll still have recipes popping up for the next several weeks as I worked really hard to prepare ahead of time so I wouldn’t leave you all hanging for new things to try. This Summer Lemon Corn Soup is a recipe I started making last summer when I accidentally added lemon in my blender and forgot I did that, then in went my traditional recipe for corn chowder- hence, a citrusy and bright lemon corn soup was created! It was a happy kitchen mistake.
Chowder, lightened up
Honestly, the word chowder kind of grosses me out. It conjures up images of gel-like canned chowders or ones that are so thick with flour, heavy cream, and butter that it’s quite hard to eat more than a 1/2 cup without feeling stuffed. This soup has qualities like traditional corn chowder, but far from the traditional ingredients. Instead of using flour and heavy cream, I use coconut milk. Corn is actually really beautiful at has natural starches that release when cooked- add that to rich and creamy coconut milk high in healthy saturated fats and you have a great combination that keeps this soup creamy without being so thick it weighs you down. It’s summer after all, we’re not looking for something incredibly dense and filling, something light and refreshing is on my radar. In total, this soup is so simple to make and has less than 10 ingredients you have in your fridge and pantry including all the spices!
My favorite way to serve this soup is to add fresh chopped chives, red pepper flakes, heavy on the freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, and a couple tablespoons of raw corn kernels. It’s a delicious combination, but a couple other things to try depending on your mood and the time of year; fresh sliced avocado, a heaping dollop of Classic Cashew Cheese (or even the Lemon Cream Cheese for even more citrus), halved cherry tomatoes, roasted red pepper compote, fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped watermelon (trust me, it’s SO good!), ground cumin, and even good ole’ hot sauce. This is also best as a side dish unless you add some hemp seeds, avocado, chickpeas, tempeh, etc. to the soup itself to boost the protein and/or healthy fats to make it more filling and balanced. Otherwise, it’s a great side dish to any meal!
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
- Pinch of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound organic fresh sweet corn kernels (or you can use organic frozen)
- Juice of 4 lemons
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups canned light coconut milk
- Garnish options: fresh chopped chives, fresh parsley, fresh black pepper, red pepper flakes, dollop of [url href=”https://nutritionstripped.com/classic-cashew-cheese/”]Classic Cashew Cheese [/url]
- Heat a skillet to medium heat, add coconut oil, diced onions and peppers. Add sea salt and black pepper. Cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add sweet fresh or frozen corn and corn until corn browns on the edges, about 10 minutes. Add this mixture to the blender, add coconut milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve hot, warm, or chilled and garnish with desired toppings.
If you’re curious on my thoughts about corn and GMO’s, read my blog post here. In a nutshell, opt for organic and non-GMO varieties of corn whenever possible, even better if you can get a local farmer who grows their own corn utilizing those growing practices. If you don’t have access to fresh corn, which is ideal for this recipe, you can still make this with organic frozen sweet corn and it’s actually very affordable.
If you like corn recipes this time of year, I highly recommend trying these favorites of the Nutrition Stripped squad:
I hope you enjoy this recipe this summer. try it at your next supper gathering, picnic, or BBQ! Share what toppings you’d use for this.
xx McKel
