Yellow Split Pea Corn Chowder with Sweet Corn Recipe

If I had to choose 2 favorite foods, they would be, without question, peaches and corn. While we’ve made our peace with peaches for this season, there’s still some wonderful corn at our farmers markets, which inspired me to make this corn chowder! It’s such a wonderful recipe to transition from summer to fall.

I’m a big fan of making healthy soups that are thick and creamy without using actual cream, like this creamy broccoli soup or this creamy tomato soup. While I usually use coconut milk to thicken my corn chowder, I love that this version uses yellow split peas – they thicken the soup nicely while adding some great plant-based protein.

This recipe comes from my friend Gena Hamshaw’s book Power Plates, which is full of 100 well-balanced vegan meals. You may know Gena from the book Vegan, which is another one of my favorite cookbooks. Power Plates is full of hearty salads, great grain bowls, soups, stews, and healthy pastas. It’s the perfect book to have as we head into the fall and winter because she has so many delicious, nourishing comfort food recipes. I have my eye on the Curried Tomato Stew with Chickpea Dumplings, and a beautiful recipe for Korean Tempeh Bowls with Broccoli and Brown Rice.

But let’s get back to this chowder! I love how it’s thick and creamy but in a light, feel-good way. I crisped up some coconut bacon for my topping, then added some chives and fresh parsley.

Serve it in a big mug with some crusty bread and enjoy fall!

Yellow Split Pea Corn Chowder with Sweet Corn

 

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped
• Kernels from 4 ears corn (about 2 1⁄2 cups)
• 3⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
• 3⁄4 cup Cashew Cream (recipe below)
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 3⁄4 cup raw cashews (soaked 2 hours, if not using a Vitamix)
• 2⁄3 cup water
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• chives
• extra fresh corn kernels
• chopped parsley
• red pepper flakes
• coconut bacon (recipe below)
• olive oil, for drizzling

1. Make the cashew cream. Combine the cashews, water, and salt in a blender and process until very smooth. Set ¾ cup aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the broth, split peas, potato, corn, paprika, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until the split peas are completely tender.
4. Use an immersion blender to partially puree the soup, or puree about half of it in a regular blender and return it to the pot. Stir in the Cashew Cream and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. (I added up to 1 teaspoon more sea salt here). Serve piping hot, with any desired toppings.

Coconut “Bacon”
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 tablespoon tamari
scant ½ tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the coconut flakes along with the tamari, maple syrup and smoked paprika on the pan and toss gently to coat. Spread in a thin layer on the pan and bake until dark golden brown and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes.

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