Crockpot Asparagus Corn Chowder

This is one of those long autumn nights, I know I'm going to have no time to cook so I'll do ahead AND clean out the fridge.


throw all this in a pot
2 ears corn removed from cob or 1 can corn...whichever is cheaper

1 poblano pepper
1/2 onion sauteed in 2 tb butter
1 tomato
we had 3 tiny sweet peppers also so those went in
1/2 tb cumin
 1 tsp sage
1 tsp smoked salt
5 cups water or broth
1 tb cider vinegar
cook on low 8 hours in crockpot or simmer 20 min on stove in a pot
after fully cooked add a 1/2 cup cream or coconut cream (to the pot )before serving

Optional:
this is really flexible so use up your leftovers
you could run this through a stick blender
or add leftover pumpkin pack or bits of pumpkin from the freezer 1/2 cup puree
or 1/2 cup leeks(then skip the onions)
2 handfuls cooked frozen black eye peas or northerns for protein
those 3 tb of leftover salsa in a jar
other  veggies like cauliflower
or sweet potatoes
peas,
green beans
for a porridgey texture add 1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta
basil (if it's still growing)
carrot coins? you get the picture.

leek and potato soup (vegan)

1.In larger soup pot dissolve 2 cubes or 3 TB vegan chicken flavor boullion or soak three dried shitakes cut into bits with 1 tsp salt  in three boiling cups water
2.Take 2 lg cleaned leeks sliced into rounds or cut fine please use all but the toughest of the green parts and all of the white.add 4 toes of garlic chopped.
3. Saute leeks and garlic in olive oil til green parts turn emerald
4. Add leeks to the pot add 2-4 clean and chopped potatoes or parsnips. I like red potatoes and parsnips for this application (if you don't peel them it's not as fancy looking but generally has more fiber) add optional 1 tb of nutritional yeast
5.Allow to boil until the potatoes fall apart. add  optional 1 cup blonde beer, hard cider or white wine and allow alcohol
to blend with other flavors and simmer down.
 6. Add one TB brown mustard (skip it if you don't have it)
 7. 2-3 cups almond milk (or you could use soy but rice will taste gross)
can be served cold and pureed
can be served hot and pureed
If you want it thicker simmer longer or use more potatoes
if you want to make it heartier/healthier you could add carrots, peas, frozen and thawed bits of tofu (chewy texture), chard,mushrooms,asparagus,kale or cabbage (though bok choy turns out pretty gross here) broccoli isn't a great idea here as it gets bitter when stewing.

Schi -meaty or vegan , or dairy (gluten free) usually about 45 minutes total time (good crockpotter)

When we were kids Other Mother Brother would occasionally make this sauerkraut soup( or a very similar one) with bones during winter. For all the reasons you would expect it was cozy and still makes me think of him.  Because our sorrel grew up and bolted when I wasn't looking (silly me) I can't have my favorite (and much more traditional for summer) Schi  (http://www.ruscuisine.com/recipes/soups/schi-and-borsch/n--620/)  and we had mushrooms and sauerkraut lying around , hence:

Schi  ----warning! your house will smell like sauerkraut for a day or two after making this. Fortunately it freezes well and is very very cheap.

take:
1 lb  sauerkraut (traditional ferment if you can find it)reserve the liquid for the broth
1 lg chopped onion or 2 cleaned leeks chopped
4 cloves diced garlic
1 sliced or shredded carrot
3 ribs celery (optional)
8 oz mushrooms (I usually use a mix of rehydrated shitake and fresh crimini) chopped into hunks
2 tsp caraway
4 juniper berries(not necessary but nice)
4 peppercorns or a few grinds of pepper
1 bay leaf
 and saute in 2 tb fat (olive oil, beef or pork drippings, butter) in a heavy bottomed pot  deep enough to make 4 qts
(like my 5 qt enamel dutch oven or a stock/crock pot)

once onions are translucent add:
1/2-1 lb parsnip, potato and/ or turnip)
and
(optional) meat : 1 browned pork  chop with bone, or  beef soup bone/oxtail of choice or 6 oz of chicken prepared as you would for soup. Similar quantities of rabbit would likely also work but as a pescatarian I have no clue how.
and /or
(optional) more dried mushrooms
and /or
(optional) add 9 oz tasty but not at all traditional kale
and/or 6 oz of barley (which is not gluten free and is optional)

3 qts broth (beef, chicken, or mushroom) or water plus the reserved sauerkraut (please note that this is not low sodium and is not intended to be)

Bring to a simmer and cover until :

in the case of no meat
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your root veggies begin to  fall apart

in the case of meat on  a bone
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your root veggies begin to  fall apart and the meat begins to fall off the bone
(fork shred the remainder and pull out the bone- if you can add the marrow to the soup and cook a bit longer)

in the case of meat not on a bone
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
your root veggies begin to  fall apart and the meat is cooked (you would know better than I would)
 turn off the fire and  now, for the final countdown you can finish in several ways 
 1. use a stick blender or potato masher on about half and then stir for a creamier texture
 2. garnish with parsley or paprika (about 1 tsp))
 3.  add 1/2 c sourcream or hung yogurt and stir until consolidated
 4. serve it as is
5. 1&2, 1&3, 2&3, 1-3, or take half and do 1 and then 3 with the other half ...oh you get what I mean
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I like to eat this with dill pickle and whole rye bread spread with sour cream/ hung yogurt if we have it (well not if there's any in the soup) garnished with sardines or herring(when Rabbit doesn't have to watch), or thin cut raw sliced beets (when she is there to see it) or maybe some home made apple sauce.