Summer Vegetable Chowder

If I could share my love of summer with you in one dish, it would look something like this Summer Vegetable Chowder. The soup is loaded with fresh produce from the farmers market and it’s the perfect balance of light and hearty.

My boys start school today. How did that happen? Didn’t school just let out for the summer break like last week? I know I frequently lament about how fast time goes but this summer really flew by. Like I blinked and it’s over. The remodel took up so much of our free time that aside from a few camping trips, we didn’t do much. I feel like we cheated ourselves out of a summer break and now I want the time back! And at the sake of sounding whiney and spoiled, I’m ready for the remodel to over. It’s some seriously exhausting and stressful shiz.

The kids are super excited to go back to school. Which eases the fact I’m not ready to send them back. I think they’re ready to get back into a routine and see their friends on a daily. Once we get moved and settled (another month or so), I too am looking forward to settling back into a regular schedule. I am usually so good about an exercise routine and my summer workouts have been fairish at best. Our days have been so packed and we’re in the process of packing up the house that I haven’t been cooking much either. The blog, unfortunately, has fallen to the bottom of the totem pole and I haven’t been able to give it the attention I’ve wanted to. BUT, I promise that once we get settled that will change. Hang tight with me until then!

Most of our meals have been of the take out kind. Ugh, I hate it but it’s the truth. The few meals that I have been making are recipes that I’ve already shared on the blog (my go-to’s) or super simple throw-together dishes like big-ass salads or a jumbo pot of soup. I’m all about the cook once, eat twice kind of cooking right now. I guess the lack of cooking made me pretty ambitious at the farmers market week before last because I bought a ton of produce. Like a ton. Of course we didn’t get through it all and I HATE wasting food so before it all went south, I threw it in a big pot with some stock, half-and-half and cheddar and made a big ‘ol pot of chowder! This soup is hearty thanks to the little bit of cream and cheese but with all the veggies, it’s light enough to eat on a warm night. I served it with pita chips and a bottle of wine (don’t worry, I shared) and called it good. A small victory in an otherwise crazy summer. You know what? I’ll take it!

I’m going to share a remodel update on The Goods next week and I’ve got a cake to share too because apparently when you’re really stressed and cooking is too much of a hassle, you bake a cake and have it for dinner. Makes perfect sense, am I right? See I’m not a total slacker in the kitchen.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend! See you next week.

Summer Vegetable Chowder

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• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

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Description

A hearty yet light vegetarian chowder using all of summers best vegetables!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup sliced leeks (or yellow onion)
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced potatoes (no need to peel)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup diced roma tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels removed from cob
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, potato and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes or so until vegetables are soft and start to caramelize. Add vegetable stock and bay leaf. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
2. Remove bay leaf. Using a measuring cup, scoop out about 2 cups of vegetable/broth mixture and add it to a large blender along with milk, half-and-half and cheddar. Pulse until fully combined and all vegetables are pulverized and you have a nice, thickish consistency. Add this back to the pot of soup.
3. Bring soup back to a bare simmer. Add peppers and zucchini. Cook for 10 minutes. Then add corn and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and stir in chopped parsley.
4. Serve with warm bread of crackers for a light, filing summer dinner!