By Alissa Segersten, Contributing Author

Recipes reprinted with permission from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Photo by Alissa Segersten.
This quinoa corn chowder is a great way to use up leftover roasted chicken and cooked quinoa! Use homemade chicken or vegetable stock for best results. The raw cashew butter gives the chowder a creaminess without dairy.
Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-WAH, comes from the Andes Mountains in South America where it was once a staple food for the Incas. Quinoa contains all eight essential amino acids and has a delicious, light nutty flavor. Quinoa makes wonderful grain salads or is great served with a vegetable and bean stew.
Quinoa Corn Chowder
dairy free • vegan optional
makes about 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 to 4 carrots, diced
- 1 large poblano pepper, diced
- 4 to 5 ears corn cut from the cob or 1-16 ounce bag frozen corn
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 to 3 tablespoons raw cashew butter
- 3 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken (optional)
- 2 to 3 cups chopped kale
- 2 teaspoons Herbamare (available in the Co-op spice section)
- freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Heat an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil, then add the onions and leeks; sauté
about 5 minutes. - Then add the garlic, celery, carrots, pepper, and corn;
sauté a few minutes more. - Add the stock and cashew butter; cover and simmer for
20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. - Add the cooked quinoa, chicken (optional), kale, Herbamare, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper; cover and
simmer 5 to 10 minutes more. - Taste and adjust salt and seasonings if necessary. If you like
your chowder spicy, garnish your bowl with chopped fresh serrano chilies! - Garnish with chopped cilantro, parsley, and/or serrano chilies.
Variation: Replace the cooked quinoa with cooked wild rice.
Tip: To cut sweet corn from the cob, stand it up over a plate or a wide, shallow bowl and cut downwards using a serrated knife. Keep rotating the corncob to cut it all.
Basic Quinoa
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1½ to 1¾ cups water
- pinch sea salt
METHOD
- Rinse quinoa well with warm water and drain through a fine strainer. Quinoa has a natural saponin coating that repels insects and birds. It has a bitter taste and can cause some digestive upset when consumed. Rinsing with warm water removes the saponin.
- Place rinsed quinoa, water, and sea salt into a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed.
- Fluff with a fork before serving.
About the Author

Alissa Segersten holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Bastyr University. She is the founder of Whole Life Nutrition and Nourishing Meals, the mother of five children, a whole-foods cooking instructor, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is passionate about helping others find a diet that will truly nourish them, and offers elimination diet recipes, healthy gluten-free recipes, and paleo and vegan recipes, as well as tips for feeding your family a nourishing, whole-foods diet.
Alissa is the author of two very popular gluten-free, whole-foods cookbooks and guidebooks: The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. She is also the co-author of The Elimination Diet book.
Learn more at nourishingmeals.com.