Dice celery and onion (and carrot if using).Heat a large saucepan or small soup pot over medium heat just until warm. (Note: This recipe is oil-free and uses the this dry-sauté method to sauté the vegetables. If you prefer to sauté with oil, add 1 tablespoon of oil to saucepan.)Add onions, celery, and carrot and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary so that the onions are translucent, but not browned, at the end of the cooking time.
Meanwhile, peel potatoes. Dice into small dices. You should have about 5 cups.
Turn heat to high and add potatoes, water, and seasonings. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes).
When potatoes are tender, remove approximately 1 cup of soup from pan and add it to milk in blender.
Add salt to blender mixture and blend until creamy. Transfer this mixture to soup pot.
Drain corn kernels. (Corn does not have to be drained thoroughly, just remove most of the excess liquid.) Stir corn into soup. Cook until hot.
Discard bay leaf. Season to taste.Serve hot.
Notes
Yukon Gold potatoes taste best in this chowder, but you can also use white potatoes or Russet potatoes.
Soy non-dairy milk or cashew (if not nut-free) non-dairy milk taste best in this recipe. Be sure to use plain (not vanilla-flavored) milk without added sweetener.
The amount of salt needed depends on the amount in your non-dairy milk. Adjust salt to taste before serving.
Variation: Add 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper to soup pan after removing 1 cup of soup from panTesting Notes:We tested this recipe many times using various methods and ingredients to make sure it would turn out great for you!We tried blending more of the soup mixture, but didn't like the texture that the extra potatoes gave it; so we recommend sticking with blending the 1 cup called for in the recipe.