As much as I love creating new-to-me recipes, sometimes I outsource the work. I have a subscription to Real Simple magazine, and even though I'm always way behind reading the issues (ahem, I just now was able to read July's), I love how they use seasonal items in their cooking.
We didn't grow any corn this year, as last year's raccoon corn-capade pretty well sucked the wind out of our sails. Fortunately nearly all the grocery stores around us carry locally grown corn. I mean, I live in Minnesota- how could I *not* eat homegrown corn?
Corn has somewhat of a bad nutrition reputation I've noticed. It is considered a "starchy" vegetable and it is higher in calories compared to most veggies. Within those calories (about 177 for one cup), you do get a good amount of fiber (nearly 5 grams) and vitamins C, B1 and B9.
In my book, it's the processed foods that use corn that are to be avoided. Corn syrup is a massively common way to sweeten foods. Corn starch is used as a stabilizer. No surprise that both these corn-based ingredients lack the nutritional value of actual corn.
One of the biggest draws of corn? The taste! When I read this corn soup recipe in my Real Simple, I knew I wanted to try it. The dietitian in me likes that it's a creamy soup without actually using heavy cream or thickeners. The mom in me likes that it's a fairly straightforward soup that we can all enjoy.
I did modify the recipe slightly by omitting the miso paste. My Wal Mart doesn't carry it and I suspect my kids wouldn't like it anyway. I also cut the salt slightly down to 1 teaspoon. As far as process steps, I used my handheld immersion blender rather than a food processor (I always make a huge mess any time I attempt to use that dang thing). Other than that, I followed it to a T and it turned out delicious.
I always keep a paper bag propped up when I'm shucking corn- makes it easy to toss the scraps.
A THOUSAND percent easier and cleaner than using a food processor!
I feel like Real Simple could use this for their magazine photo. But it really was just as delicious as it looks. Perfect for a fall supper!
Makes four generous servings. Per serving: 410 calories, 64 grams carbohydrates, 17 grams fat, 11 grams protein, 604 mg sodium.