Vegan Creamy Corn Soup

Here is a great recipe for a delicious soup that I tried today--the original recipe comes from Rick Bayless' book Mexican Everyday, but I added my own twist to make the recipe completely vegan (so that I could fit it into my food plan). Making the soup is a little time-consuming (especially if you have a fussy infant, like I do) but the results make the effort well worth it. Buen provecho!!

1 large poblano chile
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion (I used a red onion), cut into chunks
2 small garlic cloves, peeled
3 cups corn kernels (I used canned corn that had been drained, but fresh corn cut from the cob can be used, too)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 quart soy milk (if you don't need the recipe to be vegan, feel free to use cow's milk)
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (again, if you don't need the recipe to be vegan, Rick Bayless suggests using chicken or ham, cut into cubes)
Salt
Cilantro for garnish

-Roast the poblano chile over an open flame or under a broiler, turning frequently, until the skin on the chile is black and blistered all over. Set aside to cool.

-Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Sautee until golden brown. Remove onion and garlic from saucepan and place them in a food processor or blender. Set the saucepan aside--you'll need it again. Add the corn, cornstarch, and 1 1/2 cups of soy milk to the onion and garlic. Process until the mixture is smooth and all the ingredients are well incorporated.

-Place a medium-mesh strainer over the saucepan and press the puree through the strainer and into the pan. Discard the leftover skins from the corn kernels that remain in the strainer. Simmer the soup on medium heat, whisking it frequently as it heats.

-Rub the blackened skin off the poblano (I run it under water first to speed up the process). Pull the stem off the chile and open the chile to remove the seeds and other bits of skin (again, running the chile under water while doing this helps immensely). Cut the chile into small pieces.

-Add the chile pieces and the zucchini to the soup, along with the remaining 2 1/2 cups of soy milk. Simmer the soup for an additional 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve with a cilantro garnish.

Yield: Three to four servings.