Creamy Corn Soup (vegan)

Something nice, hot, and not too complicated for a rainy week. This used up the last of the summer season fresh corn. It seems to be missing something. Maybe I need to mix in some tapioca starch and make it thicker. I also used seven ears of fresh corn in this batch and three instead of two cups of vegetable broth.

TheFoodeningBlog - corn soup?

Note: you can make celery salt by grinding equal portions of celery seed and kosher salt together in a coffee or nut grinder. You'd have celery seed on hand if you like making pickles.

Yield: 2 quarts

Ingredients

2 c vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk (Trader Joe's brand)
2 celery ribs, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4-7 fresh ears of corn, husked
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions

1. Husk the corn. Or is that shuck? At any rate. Remove the corn's leaves and corn silk from the corn cob. Take a sharp knife (serrated works best) and cut the fresh kernels from the cob. 

2. Put everything into the pot and cook on a low-medium heat for an hour, or until the vegetables are soft.

3. If you want some texture, remove a cup of whatever is in the pot and set it aside. Turn off the heat when using an immersion blender to puree the soup.

4. Serve hot.

Dairy Free Tapioca Pudding

I might be imagining things but I think full fat coconut milk has an after taste. It's not the watered down taste that you might get from buying a can of Trader Joe's version of coconut milk. But there's definitely an after taste, like how game meat has a twinge of extra flavor with every bite. On buying coconut milk or coconut cream, there really should only be one ingredient on the label besides water. In today's modern age of food preservation via canning, preservatives and color additives aren't necessary. Also look for BPA-free cans or cartons. Savoy and Aroy-D are both Thailand products; and Trader Joe's comes from Sri Lanka. For this recipe, I used Savoy coconut cream. These all cost about the same, roughly $2/can, in the Pacific Northwest.

The Foodening Blog: Dairy Free Tapioca Pudding

In my pantry, I have three varieties of coconut milk/cream:

• Trader Joe's organic coconut milk, 110 calories per 1/4 c serving (660 total calories for 13.5 fl oz with 48% coconut extract)
• Savoy coconut cream, 200 calories per 1/2 c serving (900 total calories for 14 fl oz with 70% coconut extract)
• Aroy-D coconut milk, 170 calories per 1/2 c serving (765 total calories for 14 fl oz with 60% extract)

Onto the recipe...

Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

1 c non-dairy milk (e.g., unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/3 c dry tapioca pearls
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp liquid sweetener (honey, golden syrup), or sweeter to taste
14 oz full fat coconut milk

Directions

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup or bowl, soak tapioca pearls in non-dairy milk for an hour.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent the starch from burning. It will thicken considerably as the tapioca cooks.

3. Remove from heat and pour into small bowls. Let cool before eating.

Coconut Chia Drink

Finally there is a use for my unused half-pint jars. This tastes pretty good at any time, morning or night. I usually make three 8 oz servings at a time. I started using Trader Joe's light coconut milk (the stuff from the can not carton) since it only contains coconut milk and water. You can get coconut milk with 60% or more coconut milk in the can at an Asian grocery store. Be sure to read the labels for the ones that just have coconut milk and water as its ingredients.

Ingredients per 8 oz (half pint) jar:

1 tbsp organic chia seeds
1/3 c light coconut milk
2/3 c filtered water
1 tsp honey or some stevia sweetener, if desired

Directions

Fill each clean jar with chia seeds. Pour in coconut milk, water and sweetener. Stir well so that the chia seeds don't all clump together. Put clean lid onto the jars and secure with a jar band.

Put in refrigerator for a few hours. The chia seeds will have ballooned in size from absorbing the water. Give the jar a quick shake before opening and drinking.

You can also blend the contents of one jar with 2 medium ripe bananas for a quick smoothie.

This doesn't have a pudding consistency and is really meant for drinking. It's also not for anyone counting calories either. Most of the calories in this recipe are in the chia seeds. A third cup of light coconut milk is about 50 calories.