A Must Have Cookbook and Real Food Companion....Take A Look!

Hello friends,  I've got something great to share with you today!  Anyone who has been reading this blog or follows the Who's got the thyme? Facebook page, knows I'm a fan of the food blog known as 100 Days of Real Food.  Remember that super easy cook the whole chicken in the slow-cooker (genius)?  That was the blog creator, Lisa Leake's recipe.  So yesterday was a big day for Lisa as her very first (and likely not her last) cookbook was released.  I'm telling you, if you have any interest in making the shift (which I hope you all do if you haven't already) to REAL FOOD you need this book.  Processed foods are a detriment to the health of Americans.  They are largely to blame for the obesity epidemic and often the cause of so many chronic conditions.  Lisa's book is a fantastic reference for the person who is new to the real food scene (as crazy as that sounds).  She offers a wealth of information and real guidance to help you get away from processed foods.  I'm excited to have this in my arsenal as I try to eliminate processed foods from our home too.  Generally we do pretty well but some things (breads, condiments, crackers) are taking some time to navigate but we are getting there.  Of course this is not just a real food reference book, it's full of great recipes for beginners and seasoned cooks alike.

Today I'm going to show you her recipe for Veggie Corn Chowder (just in time for fall) which was simple, fast and really tasty.

The recipe calls for 3 cups of fresh or frozen corn.  Being that it's still corn season, I bought 3 ears and cur the kernels off (you can use frozen as well!).

The chowder is thickened with 2 Tbs flour, whole wheat if you're keeping it real.  We happen to have a 50 lb bag of it (you know how Nelsy likes to bake!).

Like I always say, get your prep done first so you're not scrambling around hoping something doesn't burn. It's a quick prep for this recipe, chop an onion, 3 carrots and 3 celery stalks.

Melt 3 Tbs butter in a large soup pot.

Add the flour to make a roux.  Cook until browned but not burned.  About 4 minutes.

Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until they soften.  About 5 to 6 minutes.

While they were cooking, I thawed out some stock from my freezer.  The broth was another take away from 100 Days of Real Food.  After you cook that chicken in the slow-cooker you can turn the carcass into homemade chicken stock.  Last year I cooked two turkeys for Thanksgiving and made a ton of stock for the freezer.  It's cheap (since you bought the bird anyway) and easy and is way more flavorful than the canned broth (which usually contains at least a few questionables).

OK, where was I...Once the veggies have softened add the corn, 1 tsp of salt and some cayenne pepper (just a dash goes a long way). Let it cook for about 3 minutes.

Now you add 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of milk (I used whole milk).

Hopefully you've taken my advice and purchased one of these immersion blenders.  They are pretty inexpensive and make the job a snap (clean up too!).  So, I may have been a little caught up in getting my action shot and over blended a bit but the chowder was super tasty none the less!

You will want to leave a few more chunks (again, I got carried away with the camera) but if you don't it's just as good!  For the full recipe and many more, get your copy of 100 Days of Real Food, How we did it, what we learned and 100 easy, wholesome recipes your family will love!