Late Summer Abundance Recipes
This recipe is another one suitable for balancing the earth element energy. Corn is a sweet nutritive grain (not really a vegetable). The sweetness of the corn regulates the digestive system, nourishes the heart, and tones the kidneys. Learn how to make this recipe with the best ingredients available during harvest season and learn the benefits of eating corn during this time of year acceding to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
What It Means To Follow The Earth & 5 Elements
The late summer season is the time the Earth is offering an abundant harvest. Bringing us lots of fresh locally grown vegetables from our garden and local farms. We love getting the bulk of our vegetables at the local farm stand in Fort Collins helping us supplement the food grown in our garden. There is one farm in town that roast chilis on Fridays in the late summer. So we headed over there to scoop some up. We also stocked up on all the goods they had. Fresh corn, potatoes, watermelon, Fresno chilis, garlic, onion, zucchini, etc. All the fixings you need for a classic corn chowder plus more for the week. A comforting and hearty summer soup full of freshly grown vegetables is my favorite way to celebrate the season.
Follow the flow and rhythms of the season by letting the plants guide you through what you eat and how you interact with the Earth teaches you a great deal about living a healthy and happy life. Freeing our being from suffering by guiding us back to nature and the Earth. By continuing the study of nature through out our lives and helping others do the same. This is what studying Traditional Chinese Medicine has taught me. It is a incredible lineage of Earth based lifestyle principles that have been used for thousands of years. Proving its effectiveness though all that practice and study the lineage.
To learn more about foods and practices that help you stay balanced this time of year check out the Earth element eating guide. If you are also looking for herbs to support the season try this digestive herbal tea like this one made specific for staying healthy this time of year. Made with nutritive and sweet herbs like calendula, ginger, marshmallow, fennel, fenugreek, hops, and Yerba Santa.
Easy Veggie Scrap Broth
Every soup start with the broth. I like to make my own veggie scrap broth when I make any kind of soup. I use veggie scraps that I save in the freezer like onion skin, garlic skin, soft carrots and celery, herb stems, fennel stocks, dry mushrooms etc. When you cut the corn kernels off the cob ahead of time you can even make a yummy corn broth with the leftover cob. This makes any soup recipe a thousand times more delicious. And it helps you avoid funky additives as well excessive amounts of salt.
Excessive salt according to TCM can deplete the kidneys and the water ways of the body. Just enough salt and high quality salt like Celtic sea salt can gives us essential minerals that keep us balanced and whole. That is why I think it is important to make homemade things like veggie broth instead of buying the ones in the toxic plastic cartons that contain way too much sodium.
Corn (Yu Mi)
Corn has been cultivated as food and medicine for over 10,000 years. The growth of indigenous varieties of corn have traveled from Southern Mexico all across the world. With hundreds of different varieties. Yellow and white corn are one of the easiest varieties to find. If you can find fresh organic grown corn even better, but it can be extremely had to find. It is one of the main crops in the US that is heavily sprayed.
Organic yellow corn still holds a lot of nutritional benefits. But flint corn and multi colored corn is always the more nutritious choice if it is available. However all corn is a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals. The corn silk is highly medicinal too. Make corn silk tea to helps stop bleeding, lower blood pressure and detoxify the body. In TCM corn is considered beneficial for the large intestine and stomach. Helping harmonize the spleen and stomach especially in cases of water retention and damp accumulation. Making this the perfect food the Earth element time of year.
Summer Roasted Green Chilis Season
You can really taste the Coloradan influence in this corn chowder because I loaded it with roasted green chilis. My dad always made homemade green chili growing up. Food has always been the most memorable tradition in my family. Putting the entire bag of roasted chilis into the pot was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Adding a roasted, smokey, and mild spice to the chowder. Pairing incredibly with the sweetness of the corn. This corn chowder recipe became the best I have ever made. Especially with the vegan feta, micro greens, and garden grown tomatoes on top.
Have you ever made green chili and smothered a burrito with it? That is the Colorado way and if you haven’t tried this your life is incomplete. Trust me. I will have to share the recipe another day. Now this recipe is the perfect mashup of classic coloradan green chili and summer corn chowder.
How To Make Vegan Green Chili Corn Chowder
- First fry the onion and garlic in the bottom of the pot until slightly golden. This essential step always adds depth of flavor to any meal.
- Chop the potatoes and add to pot so they have a little longe to cook.
- Gather organically grown corn. This can be hard to find fresh even in a farm town like Fort Collins. But the organic part is very important because 99% of corn that is grown in US is heavily sprayed with pesticides. If you can’t find organic fresh try to opt for organic frozen corn.
- We all struggle to figure out the best way to cut the corn kernels off of the cob. The easiest way I have found is just setting it on a cutting board and cutting one side at a time. Create a corn pile and dump it into the soup pot.
- Clean the roasted chilis by running them underwater to wash off the skin and pull the tops to wash away the seeds. Then roughly chop and add to pot.
- Add in veggie broth and coconut milk and seasoning. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until done.
Green Chili Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn
- 6 roasted green chilis
- 6 medium size Yukon potatoes
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 yellow onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 4 qts of vegetable broth
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of onion powder
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 2 tsps of salt
- Garnish with micro greens and vegan feta
Instructions
- Chop the corn and set the kernels aside.
- Use the Cobbs and leftover veggie scraps to make homemade broth in a crockpot
- Chop up onion and garlic and fry it in the bottom of a soup pot with olive oil
- Chop potatoes and zucchini in small cubes add to pot after onion is golden.
- Add everything in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
- Serve with fresh local sourdough soup
Work Cited
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition. North Atlantic Books, 2009.
“Corn.” White Rabbit Institute of Healing, 8 Mar. 2022, www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/corn/.
