Food 4 Friday :: Creamy Vegetable Chowder

We had a fun but cold day playing in the rain today for our Nature Awareness Class. We had a dear friend missing from that community today. We miss him dearly. Hopefully this chowder will help warm our bones and our spirits.

This recipe is adapted from a chowder in my favorite cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.

Creamy Vegetable Chowder:

saute one onion in

1 Tsp evoo

add 4 celery stalks, chopped

4 large carrots

5 red potatoes

4 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp marjoram

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until tender

use immersion blender to puree half until creamy

add one red bell pepper

one bag TJ's organic foursome frozen veggies(peas, corn, carrots, green beans)

or chopped zucchini and peas if in season

cook for a couple of minutes

lower heat and add

1 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

4 oz cream cheese

heat gently and serve with a zippy salad like arugula tossed in a lemon vinaigrette