One year, my father got my daughter a subscription to Your Big Backyard, published by the National Wildlife Federation. Unfortunately, this was at the height of her girly princess stage, and she barely gave the magazine any notice. The other day she found an old copy in the car, and she was very interested in it. Perhaps this newfound interest is from her ability to read or perhaps it is simply maturity, but she was excited to find a recipe in Your Big Backyard. She read me the entire recipe in the car, and Eco Dad made it on the weekend. It was very good corn chowder and easy to make. As always, we used organically grown ingredients.

Organic, Vegetarian Corn Chowder

Melt in a medium saucepan:

• 2 Tablespoons butter (use oil for a vegan version)

Add and cook until softened (about five minutes)

• 1 chopped large onion
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

Add and cook for another five minutes:

• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste

Add and cook 10 more minutes:

• 1 cup vegetarian soup stock

Puree half of the vegetables and stock in a blender. Return to saucepan and add:

• 1 cup milk (plain soymilk for vegans!)

This recipe is easy to adapt for vegans, and even though I am not a vegan, I always use soymilk in my recipes. We ate the entire pot of this corn chowder the first time we made it, and I look forward to making it again with corn from the garden in August.

More kid-friendly recipes:

• Mmm…Vegan Chocolate Cake

• Kid Friendly Recipes: Vegetarian Potato Leek Soup

• Beans and Rice, I Could Eat a Plate Twice