Nothing like a hearty bowl of winter chowder

There is no better day than today to sit down to a hot, chunky bowl of chowder.  YUM!

Back when I was making the pot pies, the thought came to mind how good the pie itself would be just as a chowder.  After all, the pie crust is what makes the pot pie, but it's also the thing that's not good for you (among other things in life, of course).  So as I was debating how to cook the fish I had stored in the freezer I thought about making the soup and the decision was finalized when Rob mentioned he had all this cooked chicken that he didn't know what to do with.  Hmmmm... I think I see a chicken chowder in your future, dear husband.

And this is exactly what I've done; made a seafood chowder and a chicken-potato chowder.  While they still took a good amount of time to prepare, I ended up tossing them both into slow cookers to simmer for a few hours.  If nothing else, I figured the potatoes needed cooking time to soften up a bit.  But after inhaling a bowl of soup I know I made the right call.  The chowder is out of this world and as I said, what better day to have it than today when it's snowy and blustery out.  I feel all warm and cozy on the inside now :)

Getting back to the pot pies, these are different in a few ways.  I didn't use peas or celery and I added sweet potatoes, red potatoes and corn.  I'm not a fan of celery and I just plain ol' forgot the peas.  But I really like the texture of the potatoes with the carrots and therefore that works really well for me.  I also added a bit more broth and cream to the mix.

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

3 celery ribs, chopped (optional)

3 carrots, chopped or sliced

1 10oz package frozen corn

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup fat free half-and-half cream

1 cup coconut milk

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 4.5oz cans crabmeat 

3 handfuls uncooked jumbo shrimp (cut into pieces)

2 4oz fillets uncooked tilapia (or other white fish)

1 medium red potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 medium sweet potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1tsp Old Bay seasoning

DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, and cook the onion, (celery if you're using it), and carrots until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn, potatoes, parsley, thyme, flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour coats the vegetables and begins to fry, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vegetable broth, half-and-half, and coconut milk and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbling. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and mix in the seafood.

Transfer the chowder into a slow cooker and set for about 3 or 4 hours. 

CHICKEN POTATO CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped (optional)

3 carrots, chopped

1 10oz package frozen corn

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup fat free half-and-half cream

1 cup coconut milk

Salt and ground black pepper to taste 

3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

 

DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, and cook the onion, (celery if you're using it), and carrots until tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn, potatoes, parsley, thyme, flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour coats the vegetables and begins to fry, about 5 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth, half-and-half, and coconut milk and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbling. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, and mix in the chicken.

Transfer the chowder into a slow cooker and set for about 3 or 4 hours.

PERSONAL NOTES:

You may find you'll want either thicker or thinner chowder.  If that's the case, then either cut back or increase the amount of broth/cream/milk to the soup.  I like thicker soup so I tend to use less and add in if I need to "loosen" it up a bit.  I love a chunky soup so this just works well for me.