Cheesy Corn & Carrot Chowder

This is an adaptation of the recipe for "Cheese and Corn Chowder" from The More with Less Cookbook produced by Doris Janzen Longacre for the Mennonite Central Committee. This cookbook, as I've written in the past, espouses values of healthier, more economic cooking through the use of basic ingredients. I also love the companion cookbook, Simply in Season.

This adaptation is *spicy*, but you can always eliminate/reduce the peppers if you want. Also, if you intend to freeze the soup, omit the cream and add it back in when you thaw and reheat.

Sauté in a Dutch oven:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, chopped (mine were actually dried from last summer)
--About 5 minutes on med-low, or until onions are translucent.

Add:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
--Cook another minute on med-low.

Add:
 1 cup water
2 cups chopped carrots
3 cups potatoes cut into 1 cm cubes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Turn the hotplate onto high, cover the saucepan and bring contents to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.

Add:
4 cups cream‑style corn (or just use a 2 large cans, which isn’t quite 4 cups)
Simmer 5 minutes.

****If you are freezing the soup, this is where you stop.*****

Add:
2 cups milk
2/3 cup grated cheese (I used Tillamook Cheddar)
Stir until the cheese melts and the chowder is heated through. Do not boil.

At this point, you can choose to leave it chunky. I used an immersion blender to mix it somewhat, but not so much that it was perfectly smooth.