make this :: corn + bacon chowder

(image from Amazon.com)

This cookbook has been my savior over the last several months. It, combined with a handy weekly meal planning chart has kept me sane, organized, eating healthy and saving money - and for that, I'm uber thankful (and so is my husband). Yes, we still slip in the occasional "I don't feel like cooking, let's get pizza" night and I'm cool with that. Pizza is, after all, close to the heavens.

This cookbook centers on 3 simple words: fresh food fast. *Ding Ding* Yes, please! These recipes include all fresh food and pantry staples, without processed garbage, and they all take about 15-30 minutes. They have time saving ingredients like pre-chopped peppers and onions, but I'm a sucker for chopping my own fresh veggies, so I'll take the extra few minutes and pennies in my pocket. Plus, I feel chef-y when I chop onions all fancy-efficient-like. I've made dozens and dozens of recipes from this cookbook and every single one has been delicious and on my make-again list.


Without further ado, here was tonight's dinner. Worthy and befitting of the fall-like days we've been having lately: corn + bacon chowder (or chowdah depending on where you're from). It was so delish, I want to share it with the world! Ok, with my handful of blog readers, but you are the world to ME, so here goes. Make it and revel in it's simplicity and yumminess! Plus, it cooks so quickly, you'll have more time for crafting (or watching re-runs of Glee), whatever floats your boat.

+++++++++++++++++++
Corn and Bacon Chowder (from Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast; also found online here)

To capture the freshness of yellow jewel-like corn without the fuss of shucking ears or cutting kernels off the cob, use packages of frozen baby gold and white corn. This chowder is so wonderfully sweet with the frozen corn that our taste testers gave it our highest rating.

Prep: 2 minutes; Cook: 14 minutes

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2 bacon slices (shhhhh... I used 6!)
  
• 1/2 cup refrigerated prechopped celery, onion, and bell pepper mix (chopped my own, used more than 1/2 cup)
  
• 2 (16-ounce) packages frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided (I used skim and it was still thick and creamy)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (eyeballed)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (eyeballed again... who measures?!)
  
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (such as Cracker Barrel)
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional) (Um, yes! Not optional in our house)
  

Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp (I used medium sized stock pot, worked perfectly). Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. (Eat a nibble of bacon JUST TO MAKE SURE it's cooked properly!) Add celery mixture and 1 package corn to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Place remaining 1 package corn and 1 cup milk in a blender, and process until smooth. Add pureed mixture to vegetables in pan; stir in remaining 1 cup milk, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat (do not boil), stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Ladle chowder into bowls. Top each serving evenly with reserved crumbled bacon. Sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 215 (24% from fat)

Fat: 6g (sat 3.1g,mono 1g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 10.8g

Carbohydrate: 33.6g

Fiber: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 15mg

Iron: 0.8mg

Sodium: 402mg

Calcium: 208mg

+++++++++++++++++++

I call this the "money shot". Gratuitous, really.