I know it's summer, and who could possibly want hot soup when it's 100 degrees outside... but, sometimes you just have to roll ahead with seasonal produce while you can. It's all about corn right now in central Texas, so I wanted to make something a little different that would stand out and make that corn shine.

This corn chowder actually reminds me quite a lot of a loaded baked potato soup, just with a lot less potato and a lot more sweet corn flavor. I got some red potatoes, jalapeño, and chives in my local produce box this week, plus I had some bacon stashed away in my fridge. All of those things instantly made me think to make my twist on on this corn soup.

I made this recipe lighter by using cauliflower in place of some of the potato, one of my favorite things to do with any potato heavy recipe. Why? It saves some calories and sneaks some veggies in there in the process that my family normally wouldn't touch.

Of course, I wasn't really wanting to turn my stove on either. It's all about keeping as much heat out of my house as possible right now. So, I decided to make this soup in my crock pot. However, you could just as easily do this stove top if it's what you wanted.

As a side note, when it comes to potatoes, I always like to keep the skins on whenever possible. Why? The skins are where so much of the nutrients are in potatoes. Just be sure that you scrub them really really well.

Yummy. Look at all that corn chowder goodness.

You really can't go wrong with anything that's topped with cheese and bacon.

If you really want to kick this soup up another notch, try adding in another jalapeño or a sprinkle of smoked paprika!

Skinny Summer Jalapeño Corn Chowder (Crock Pot)
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 6 • Size: About 1 1/2 Cups • Calories: 314.1 • Fat: 7.3 g • Carb: 55.9 g • Fiber: 6.8 g • Protein: 13.1 g • Sugar: 9.6 g • Sodium: 159.1 mg

Ingredients:
6 Slices Center Cut Low Sodium Bacon, Chopped
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
1 Jalapeño, Minced
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
8 C. Corn Kernels (Fresh or Frozen)
5 C. Water
1/2 Lb. Red Potatoes, Cubed
2 C. Cauliflower Florets (Fresh or Frozen)
1/2 Tsp. Seasoning (I used a blend of jew mallow, oregano, spearmint, etc.)
1 Bayleaf
1 C. Fat Free Milk
1/4 C. White Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Chives, Diced
1/3 C. Shredded Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Cook up the chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until done and crisp.

Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain while reserving about 1 tbsp. of the drippings in the skillet.

Add the onions, jalapeño and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the veggies are nice and tender.

Place half of the bacon into the crock pot along with the onion mixture, corn, water, potatoes, cauliflower, seasoning and bayleaf.

Reserve the remaining bacon for later.

Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

When the veggies are done and tender in the crock pot, whisk together the flour and the milk in a medium sauce pan over a medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Careful not to burn it!

Pour the milk mixture into the crock pot and remove the bayleaf.

Blend in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender to get the soup to a texture for your liking.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide evenly among bowls with a sprinkle of the leftover bacon, about 1 tbsp. cheese per bowl and chives.