Creamy Roasted Corn Soup

Summer is my favorite season, and one of the best things about it are the delicious fruits and vegetables. It seems that summer is coming to an end way too quickly, and I didn't want to miss the chance to take advantage of the fresh corn at the farmer's market. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was the perfect recipe to showcase the natural sweetness of the corn. I also loved how healthy it was. Generally thick, creamy soups like this are made with cream and butter, but this one is thickened with rice and pureed corn and squash. The corn we bought was so good that I had to restrain myself from eating all of it raw! And the soup was so delicious that I wanted to eat the whole pot myself. Unfortunately, I had to share it with Nick... I topped it with some leftover roasted okra, but really it was lost in the soup so no worries if you don't have any!

Creamy Roasted Corn Soup (adapted from Naturally Ella)
Serves 2
Ingredients:

• 3 ears of sweet corn
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1 Anaheim pepper, diced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
•  2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1/2 cup skim milk 
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the husk and silk from the corn and cut off the kernels. I found it helpful to put it in a bowl and cut so the kernels don't fly everywhere.  
3. Dice the squash, garlic and peppers and toss with olive oil.
4. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30-35 minutes.
5. Meanwhile combine broth, water, and rice in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until rice is cooked.
6. When the vegetables are done roasting, add them to the broth and rice. 
7. With an immersion blender, blend mixture until it has very few chunks left in it. 
8. Add milk and blend until thoroughly incorporated. Reheat soup if needed.