Corn Chowder — THM E -

Corn is one of those foods we’ve traditionally treated as vegetables that really aren’t! I know in my house growing up (and in our house when the kids were young), corn, peas, carrots, and green beans were rotated night after night. It’s like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc, hadn’t even been invented yet!

However, corn is a grain that is used to fatten pigs and cows. In humans, it has the same effect! Trim Healthy Mama is all about keeping one’s blood sugar stable to help our bodies find a healthy weight balance. In general, corn isn’t highly recommended.

But there is a place for it, so long as we keep the amounts in check and don’t serve it frequently. You’ll also want to choose organic if you’re serving it at all, since much of today’s commercial corn is genetically modified. Blech. Who wants that in their bodies? Not me, if I can help it!

My hubby loves corn. Give him creamed corn, corn on the cob, cornbread — you name it, he loves it! He’s really missed corn in our diet since I started my THM journey three years ago. He’s also missed potatoes, but the THM gurus have recently backed off on an anti-potato stance, recognizing that the glycemic index of all potatoes is not equal.

When I was poking through an old cookbook of mine recently and came across a corn chowder recipe I used to make frequently, I thought, “that’s doable!” So, I made it, hubby and I both loved it, and now I offer it to you.

Recipe: Corn Chowder

Serves 4

• 1-2 teaspoons butter, coconut oil, or bacon fat
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 6 slices of Canadian bacon, chopped (also known as back bacon)
• 1.5 cups chopped daikon and/or radishes
• 1.5 cups chopped golden potatoes
• 1 cup frozen (or canned/drained) corn kernels
• 1.5-2 cups low-fat chicken broth
• 1.5-2 cups cartoned nut milk
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste

Melt the fat in a heavy-bottomed pot and sauté the onions, celery, and lean bacon for a few minutes until the vegetables are golden, then add the daikon, potatoes, corn, and chicken broth. Add seasoning, bring to a boil, then simmer until the daikon is tender.

Then add the nut milk, heat almost to boiling, and serve.

You could use all golden potatoes and no daikon, which would be more traditional. However, I find that using some of each lowers the calories, carb count, and glycemic load while still allowing the potato flavor and texture to shine through. You certainly don’t eat a bite and think, “oh, that was daikon,” or “finally, that was potato.” They meld together very well and the potatoes shine.

Enjoy! My hubby is certainly very happy to have corn chowder back on the meal plan occasionally!

Love reading fiction? How about Christian romance? Raindrops on Radishes features a plus-size heroine in a battle for her backyard with the extremely fit urban farmer next door! (Psst: her journey to health is based on Trim Healthy Mama…)

Corn Chowder is a soup the heroine, Sadie, would come to enjoy by the end of her Trim Healthy Mama story! Like many of us, she’d struggle with the carb count at first, though.