Seafood Corn Chowder

On to another one of husband's favorite dishes, and one that he asks for whenever he's craving a nice creamy, seafood dish, the Clean Eating Magazine's Seafood Corn Chowder.  If you're looking for great, fresh recipes, with less fat, and more Powerfoods, this is a magazine that is a must in your household!  I'm a recipe hoarder, where I cut out the recipes in the magazine, and put them into my Food Book Organizer that my friend Rachel got me for Christmas one year.  Seek one out, and start cutting out your favorite recipes and food ideas.  You'll be happy you have something easy to access when you want to try something different and new.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil

1 White onion, chopped

2 Large carrots, chopped

2 Celery stalks, chopped

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 tsp. Smoked paprika

3/4 tsp. Dried thyme

1 lb. Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 c. Frozen corn kernels

1 c. Non-fat milk

3/4 lb. Sea scallops

1/2 lb. Medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 Scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large stockpot on medium.  Add onion, carrots and celery; season with salt and black pepper and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add jalapeno, paprika and thyme and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Add 3 cups water, increase heat and bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and reduce to a simmer until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.  Add corn and milk; season with salt and black pepper, and simmer for 3 more minutes.  Remove from heat.

Pour 3 cups corn mixture into a blender, covering opining loosely with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters, and puree.  Transfer puree back to pot, stir to combine and return to medium heat; bring to a simmer.

Add scallops to pot and simmer for 3 minutes (time should begin when liquid returns to simmer).  Add shrimp and simmer for 2 minutes or until shellfish are opaque in center.  Remove from heat and taste for seasoning.  Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with scallions, dividing evenly, and serve.

A couple of warnings and notes about this recipe.  First off, when adding the jalapeno, you can choose to remove the membranes and seeds, which will decrease the heat of the chowder.  Should you choose to leave them in, be warned that this is spicy, and you may be wishing you could actually taste the seafood. If it's your first time trying this recipe, choose to do it without, and then decide if you would like more heat in your bowl.   Secondly, you'll notice that I did not garnish my seafood chowder with scallions, and this is because my husband has an allergy to raw onion, and anything that contains an onion like juice flavor, but don't be fooled, the chowder is still quite delicious, with or without the garnish.