So yes, if you’ve been paying attention, I am on a bit of a sweet potato/chipotle in adobo sauce roll… but why not? It’s GOOD!
I made this a few weekends back, when our friends Reia and Robert came over for dinner. Robert and Jason have been friends since they were cute little teenage boys running around the mean streets of Belen, NM. I’d go so far as to call them BFFs, but they’re much too manly for such a girly acronym, so we’ll just call them “pals”. Anyway, since I was feeding two men with red chile where the rest of us have blood, I knew I had to come with something good. Something with heat.
But not so hot us girls wouldn’t enjoy it.
Enter this chowder. I found a recipe on Pinterest (of course) and quickly veganized it. While I was chopping and cooking, Reia sat at the counter and interviewed me for a paper she’s writing. About moi. Aren’t I fancy and important? (Yes.)
But before I get to the recipe, let’s talk salt. In particular, I want to chat with you about Yakima Smoked Applewood Sea Salt. We’ve all seen recipes that called for a highly specific salt (or other seasoning) that we didn’t happen to have on hand, and just subbed it. Or skipped it all together. Don’t do that this time. I beg of you, go buy some of this salt. It’s amazing, and I use mine all the time. It comes in especially hand when I’m veganizing a recipe that called for bacon (like this chowder), or really in any dish that you want to taste “smoky”. My mom bought a big vat of it for me last summer, at a farmers market stand. If you can’t find any at your local store, go online. If you ever enjoyed bacon in your pre-gan days, you wont regret buying this salt.
The thing about this chowder is that it’s Hot, Smoky and (a little) Sweet. You really want all 3 flavors to make it work. The chipotles make it hot, and the adobo sauce adds the smoky. The hint of sweetness comes from the potatoes of course, along with the sweet onions and peppers.
Chipotle Sweet Potato Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces
- 3-4 chipotles in adobo sauce diced as small as you can get them (or fewer if you don't like heat)
- 14 ounce bag frozen corn no need to defrost
- 1-2 cups non-dairy milk I used So Delicious coconut milk as needed to get the right consistency
- Smoked Applewood sea salt
- Vegan bacon bits if desired
Instructions
- Water saute peppers and onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth (and/or water), sweet potatoes, and chipotles. I'd recommend starting with 2 peppers, and waiting to taste the chowder once it's warm before adding the 3rd or 4th, unless you're dedicated to the heat! Simmer uncovered until the taters are tender.
- Add the corn and milk and about 1/2 a teaspoon of the sea salt. Stir until warmed through, then give it another taste. I went ahead and added quite a bit more of the smoked sea salt, as well as some more chipotle. Sprinkle the individual servings with bacon bits, if desired.
Notes
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I really need to look for that salt! I love special sea salts, and a smoked one sounds amazing! The soup looks way yummy!
I’ve been googling around, and there are soo many different kinds. I love salt, and I want them all!
Great minds think alike; I just made a soup with sweet potato & Chipotle- I love the combo together!
I am a huge fan of chowders; I am definitely giving this one a try in place of my standard chowder recipe – I too also LOVE smoked salts, they are a huge flavor enhancer!
It’s the NH mental connection 😉
This looks amazing and is actually making my stomach rumble!! I shall make it soon – thank you 🙂
Let me know how it turns out!
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being spiceless, 10 being smokin’ hot, what is the spice factor for this chowder? Im interested in making it for my littles and myself. They are 5 &6 yrs. 🙂
I’d say a 6-7 maybe. If I were making it for kiddos, I’d start with just 1 or 2 of the chipotles, and add more after the chowder is heated up and you can taste-test.
um….I have everything for this! yum!
Wish there was a calorie count on this!!!
Just in time for lunch in SherwoodO
This looks outstanding! I love sweet potatoes but I never thought to make a chowder with them. Can’t wait to try this one–thanks!
For anyone who questions the deliciousness of this recipe, all you need to know are the words that came from Robert’s mouth “It was really, really good.” He doesn’t say that often about vegan food (especially my cooking), but he liked this. And it was just the right amount of heat for Barb and I, though I know Jason and Robert could have handled waaay more…but we didn’t really care 🙂
And I totally agree about the salt; go out of your way to find it if you have to. It is amazing.
Sounds great. I think my husband would like this. Do you think it would freeze well if we didn’t eat it all right away?
I didn’t try freezing it. I haven’t had a ton of luck freezing and reheating creamy-type soups, but it might work. If you try it, let me know how it works out!