Sweet Potato & Corn Chowder with Crunchy Croutons

Yield: 6 servings

Croutons:

• 3 cups crusty bread ripped into chunks
• ¼ cup  Goodness Me! extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper to season

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl rip the bread into large bite sized pieces. Drizzle generously with ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and a little extra thyme.
3. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and bake until dried and golden brown, approximately 5 more minutes.  
4. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chowder:

• ¼ cup Goodness Me! extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups organic yellow onions, diced
• 2 cups organic celery, diced
• 4 cloves organic garlic, minced
• 4 cups organic sweet potato,
• peeled and diced (approx. 2 medium)
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp organic thyme
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 cups organic vegetable stock
• 2 packages frozen corn (approx. 5 cups)
• 1 organic red pepper, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1. In a deep pot, add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, onions, celery, garlic and sauté on medium heat until the onions are very soft. Add the sweet potato and spices. Continue to sauté until the spices are fragrant and sweet potatoes are coated with oil, approximately 3 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sweet potatoes begin to soften approximately 8 minutes. Add the corn and red pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes then turn off the heat.
3. Remove ½ of the soup and blend in batches until smooth and creamy. Then return the blended soup to the pot. I use an immersion blender. Adjust the seasoning with a little salt.
4. Toast the pumpkin seeds briefly in the oven at 375°F (approximately 8 Goominutes) until they begin to darken and have a pleasant nutty aroma. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Then sprinkle on top of the chowder just before serving.