Whew! I’m back from my vacation and busier than ever. Why is it so much work getting back into the swing of things after returning from a trip? I can’t complain, though, Michigan was beautiful and the time spent with family and friends was priceless.
I was born and raised a Michigan girl, but I grew up dreaming of bigger and better things. A year after graduating college, I moved to Arizona in search of greener pastures. No one told me that there isn’t much of anything green in Arizona, but still loved the warm (okay, hot) sun that shined nearly every day.
Some of my best years were spent in Arizona and I loved living there. Being so far away from family is tough, though, and once Meghan came along I knew I wanted to get back to the Midwest eventually. When Tim had a job opportunity a little over two years ago that would bring us back towards my home state and family, I was torn.
Yes, it was closer to family. No more plane rides to have to visit my brothers or parents. We’d get to experience the seasons again. There were many good things to think about. There was one catch.
It was Ohio. I would always be a Michigan girl at heart, and that meant I grew up with Ohio as a rival, not a place you live. I never in a million years thought I’d live in a place where my neighbors proudly wave their Ohio State flags and I am the lone person wearing blue and maize in a sea of red and grey on any given Saturday in the fall.
Of course I knew a college rivalry was no reason not to take a great job opportunity, so I swallowed my pride and moved to the land of hairless nuts (you know, the Buckeyes).
While I still have a hard time spitting out “Ohio” when people ask where I live, I’ve come to appreciate certain things about this state. If there’s one thing Ohio does well, it’s sweet corn. The local farms here deliver some of the sweetest, best corn on the cob I’ve had.
While I love my other vegan corn chowder recipe, this raw vegan corn chowder is a perfect choice for summer because you don’t even have to turn on the stove. I’m not normally a cold soup kind of gal, but this is delicious and the only kind of soup I want to think about eating when the temperature outside is soaring towards triple digits. I was skeptical at first, but it only took one bite to be sold on this cold chowder. It is creamy, smooth, and pops with flavor.
This recipe is courtesy Nicole from Zen Tree Wellness. She’s working on an e-book filled with recipes designed for your ultimate wellness, and this recipe is a sneak peek at what’s inside.
Nicole is a friend of my husband’s from high school and I first tried this recipe when visiting her last summer. She was kind enough to pass the recipe on to me and allow me to share it with my wonderful readers.
Raw Vegan Corn Chowder
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x
Description
A cold soup perfect for the warm months
Ingredients
- 8–10 ears of corn (cut off kernels)*
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in 4 cups of water for a few hours
- 4 cups water (fresh or the cashew water)
- 1–2 cloves garlic (depending on size and taste preference–raw garlic has a strong flavor)
- 1 tablespoon umeboshi or ume plum vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
- lime juice
Instructions
- Put the corn, cashews, water, garlic, and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. While blending, drizzle in a small amount or up to 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper, and fresh lime juice. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 8 servings
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 34.2mg
- Fat: 15.3g
- Carbohydrates: 40.8g
- Protein: 9.5g
Tim was not willing to try his cold, so I did have to turn on the stove for his. After blending up the soup (so easy!), I put his serving in a small saucepan on the stove and heated it for him. He enjoyed the soup this way, but I still think he needs to give it a try cold.
If you’re a cold soup skeptic, you can certainly heat this up, but it will ruin all the raw goodness. Either way, you will not be disappointed. This is good soup.
On an unrelated note, I want to apologize for not having a pregnancy update post last week. We had limited Internet access on our trip, and instead of posting an update late last night when we got home, I decided to combine weeks 20 and 21 on Friday, my regular posting day for pregnancy updates.
haha, I love your little tidbit about Ohio vs. Michigan 😉 I never thought about it, but I guess there are state “rivals,” aren’t there!?
This chowder looks wonderful. I used to love chowders, but haven’t had it in a while as I wasn’t sure how to veganize (or at least dairy-free it) and still make it delicious. This looks like a winner, though!
Thanks for the quick reply! We live in South Korea right now and I have no clue how to go about getting some raw cashews. And thanks so much for all your recipes! My daughter just turned 1 and we had Apple Pear Cake for breakfast and your carrot cake cupcakes for the party. So yummy!
Do you think this will work with normal roasted cashews?
Yes, it will definitely work with roasted cashews. It just won’t be totally raw anymore. 🙂
Cool recipe. It’s really creative, and more importantly, I bet it’s good! My parents just moved a bit further away for my Dad’s job, so I totally know what you mean about wanting to be closer. I hope they move back before I have kids of my own!
I’ve never had ume plum vinegar. I’ll have to look for it. We’re a vinegar loving family!
ah yes, this does sound perfect refreshing! and i love the cashews.
Mmmmmm–me, too!
I feel the same way when I tell people that I live in Georgia. Not that it was a rival state, but it’s just so random, Georgia?
ahhh corn chowder sound FABULOUS right now! especially vegan!
Interesting recipe. I’ve never had anything like this before…. Hey, there is a first time for everything.
I hear you on being a “______ girl at heart” It is so different to belong to a different place when you feel that it is different than your HOME.
That looks so interesting!! I’ve never had anything quite like this, it looks really good. I love how simple it looks, plus, I could really go for a cold soup right now 😀 I know what you mean about getting back into the routine of things, especially with a little one! I’m glad you had a great trip 😀
Hey!! I live in Michigan….where abouts did you visit??? I am in the Metro Detroit area….we travel to Ohio for the zoo!!! 🙂
I am from the Upper Peninsula so our vacation was waaaay up north (Newberry and Sault Ste. Marie). 🙂 We did stop in the Detroit area to visit some friends on our way up. I actually lived in Berkley my first year out of college before moving to Arizona.
Ahhh!! YES! Perfect recipe for me!!!! I’m so stoked to try this.
I actually thought of you as I was making it! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
This looks wonderful!! I love it! I bet the cashews make it extra creamy.
And I am glad you had a great vacation!