Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder with The Lusty Vegan

You all know that I love to cook! I am always looking for new ideas and styles of food. When I was on the set of Home and Family I was lucky to meet so many great people. Chef Ayinde Howell cooked a vegan pot pie for us that day to showcase a recipe from his new cookbook The Lusty Vegan. I'm not kidding when I say that it tasted so good!! Chef Ayinde was nice enough to share his new book with me and I was so excited to test out a few recipes. The first on my list was the Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder. When you think of chowder you think of a rich and fattening soup. This chowder is so healthy BUT you don't miss the cream and butter because it is made to be hearty from the potatoes. By roasting the corn it adds a nice pop of sweetness to the chowder. The veggies keep the soup tasting fresh and bright. The creaminess comes from cooking the potatoes and then using a blender (or hand blender) to puree them which makes the soup thick. The best part is that it tastes amazing and satisfies that craving for chowder. This is also a very forgiving recipe because I didn't have all the specific ingredients it asked for so I added some other veggies and it worked out great. It's been chilly here in LA so this has been my new favorite recipe to make.

The cookbook is packed with creative recipes that you never thought vegans could eat. Chef Ayinde is so innovative with his techniques to make the foods you crave taste the same without animal products. Chef Ayinde was such a nice person!! Even if you aren't vegan you should check out his cookbook The Lusty Vegan and follow @ieatgrass on twitter.