"camping" corn chowder

it's a rainy april day here in minneapolis... and it's green, green, green everywhere! the past few days have been chalked full of camping season preparations. last night we pitched our new tent in the back yard, drank a few beers, and started a little fire. in two weeks, we will begin the "real thing." first stop, afton state park. a lovely place - sprawling along the st. croix river - to spend a weekend in the great outdoors.
anyway, in anticipation for our summer of camping expeditions across the great state of Minnesota, i have been experimenting with recipes and brainstorming ideas for the best camping comfort foods. first off, my "camping" corn chowder, which will definitely feel good in the belly after a long day of hiking or canoeing. this chowder can easily be made ahead of time, stored in the cooler, and heated up over a campfire. not to mention, it's super damn delicious.

“camping” corn chowder

½ package drained tofu – cut into bite size pieces
4 shredded corn stalks or 4-5 cups of frozen corn
½ red pepper – chopped
2 carrots – chopped
2 celery ribs – chopped
2 medium white potatoes - diced
1 large shallot – minced
3 cloves garlic – minced
2 scallions - chopped
½ cup white wine
4 cups veggie or no-chicken stock/broth
2/3 cup raw almonds
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

to begin, add 2/3 cup of raw almonds to 1 cup of warm water and let soak 4-5 hours. once they have softened, remove the skins. (***if you do not have time for this you can use silk creamer or blended silken tofu for your "cream" sauce.)

now, let's move onto the rest...

in a stock pot bring your olive oil to a medium heat and add your shallot and garlic cloves. bring the shallot to a sweat and add your tofu and wine. cook until the wine reduces and then add your red pepper, carrots, potato, celery and corn. toss around a bit to absorb the white wine and olive oil.

salt and pepper to taste.

add your stock and cook until the vegetables begin to soften.

in the meantime, take your almonds from the water, rinse and drain them and add another 1-cup of hot water and begin immersion blending until all pieces have been blended well. it should foam up a bit and thicken.

once the veggies have softened to the bite, you can add your almond cream.

cook for another 10-15 minutes until all flavors have married.
add salt and pepper as you see fit.

serve with a glass of red wine and a rustic bread.

enjoy!