Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder

   I bought a bunch of kale at the store over the weekend and every time I opened the refrigerator it reminded me that I needed to do something with it.  I turned to one of my newer cookbooks, Clean Food, and found this recipe for a chowder, something I haven't tried yet.

Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups canned or frozen corn
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups almond milk (you can also use regular milk or rice milk)
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup water
1 bunch kale, cut into small pieces

Method
1. Heat oil in a large pot and add the onion.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, vegetable stock, and thyme.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat.  Add in cashew butter that has been dissolved in 1/4 cup of hot water.  Use an immersion blended to partially blend the mixture.
5. Add kale and return to heat.  Cook until kale is tender.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

The Taste Test
Yum!  I didn't have cashew butter, so I used 1/4 cup of raw cashews and threw them in the food processor with 1/4 cup of hot water.  I got a little nervous throwing all that kale in the pot, but it really wilted down nicely.  This soup is really filling and very tasty.