Somebody in my life who’s been dipping their toe in the waters of vegetarian eating has been wanting New England-style clam chowder. This is a recipe mash-up that I came up with that works pretty well. Still missing that sea-food-y taste, but I think if I add powdered kelp, we may get even closer. IMO, it also needs some acid, like lemon. No matter, this tastes great! (Warning: a bit high in sodium…) Due to the mushroom base, this chowder comes out more brown than classic white, but it’s still better than that nasty NY/Jersey red business they call “chowder” 0.o
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance butter sub
- 4 medium (1 lb. total) red potatoes, diced
- 2 cups vegetarian broth
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms, torn into chunks
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels (I used fire-roasted from Trader Joe’s)
- 1-2 cups celery-chopped (with leaves)
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sage
- 2 boxes IMAGINE-brand potato-leek soup -OR- 4 cans creamy potato soup of choice, -OR- make your own potato soup.
- 1tbsp Wondra gravy thickener.
DIRECTIONS:
- Steam fry the onion in the butter sub 3min. Add garlic and steam from 4-5 min more.
- Add in mushrooms and veggie oyster sauce and steam fry 3-4 more min, or until the mushrooms start to release their juice.
- Add potatoes, celery and corn. Stir and combine with other ingredients. Add broth and bring to a simmer.
- Lower heat and add in potato soup and seasonings. Bring to boil, stirring regularly. Reduce to low and simmer for 20min, or until potatoes are tender.
- Whisk the Wondra or like thickener into 1/4 cup warm water, then add to soup pot and stir. Turn off heat and let stand.