Spicy Jalapeno Corn Soup

Let's ignore for a moment that it's been almost 5 months. After I explain, of course, that in the last five months I've graduated with my Masters, traveled to Peru (sans internet), found out Mr. K and I are expecting a little bundle of giggles in February, moved into a new apartment outside the big city and gotten a promotion at work.

Now on to the post I'd planned to write...

Last week we were in CO for the SIL's wedding-- a big fest of family togetherness and fun. As we left on a Thursday, our farm veggies (which come on Thursday) were not picked up. Not to worry, they don't go to waste-- they were donated. But, this does mean that we don't have the plethora of farm fresh vegetables to work with this week. I'm also not keen on heading to the store because a) I'm too tired (see intro to post above, point 3), b) I'm being stingy and want to save on groceries, and c)  sometimes not being able to go to the store and buy a few ingredients leads to creative new dishes...like Spicy Jalapeno Corn Soup. YUM!

To begin with, I had leftover corncobs from last week (when I got fresh corn in the food share, and then supplemented with a few ears of corn on sale at the grocery store for my enchilada casserole dinner party), and I kept them because a friend had sent me something similar to this article and this one. I figured, hey..."I could make stock with this." Which is kind of funny, since I have no clue how to make stock. But then my coworker searched "corn cob stock" on the fabulous google, and found this. Of course, I was missing half of the ingredients, but this didn't stop me. I loosely followed it, threw in some stuff I had in the freezer and pantry and voila! Dinner on a weeknight.


Step 1: Corn Stock
note- you could probably just use veggie stalk or stock powder/cubes instead of making your own. that's probably what I would do if I didn't have 7 corncobs chillin' in my fridge.

7-8 corncobs (kernels removed)
dusting of dried thyme (I probably used 1/2 T)
dusting of cracked peppercorns
salt to taste
enough water to cover the cobs
tops of about 6 celery stalks with leaves (I had these in the fridge, leftover)

Throw corncobs in the pot, cover with water. Add thyme, peppercorns and celery (no chopping!) and bring to a gentle boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to about medium to keep it simmering and add some salt (go heavier than you would think). Let simmer no more than 40 minutes.
Remove the vegetable pieces.

Step 2: Jalapeno Corn Soup
Veggie stock (as above, or your own favorite)
5 Jalapenos, chopped
2 bags of frozen corn
1/2 block of tofu (I use extra firm, but silken or firm would work here too)
1 can of enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso)
Salt to taste
note: I added some chili powder which made it TOO spicy. I would omit this if I made it again. Mr K and I worked up a sweat getting through dinner, and had to finish it off with a cold class of milk.

Add jalapenos and corn to pot. Bring back to a simmer. Add tofu and bring to a simmer again. Season with salt. Add chili powder for more spice if you want it. Add in enchilada sauce. Let simmer 5-10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend! (You can use a blender if you have one [I don't], but be extra careful! the soup is HOT...and not just in the spicy way). Turn the heat down and let the soup cool a bit. It will be a little pulpy and will have a strong corn flavor. Yum!

I served mine with some homemade tortilla chips (cut corn tortillas in strips, coat lightly in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil in the oven until toasty--just make sure your fire alarm doesn't go off), but I was wishing for a little greek yogurt to cut the spice and add some creaminess, (sour cream would be a nice addition too, but isn't as healthy). I can also see this "soup" being a great sauce for vegetables...maybe over rice? Or with beans?

Enjoy!