Recipe: Southwestern Corn Chowder

I have no grand plans of turning into a vegetarian, but I do like the idea of incorporating more and more meatless meals into my family's dinners. Here is a recipe that we have had twice now. DH and I love it.

Southwestern Corn Chowder (from Martha Stewart Everyday Food)
1 T butter
1 scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t oregano
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels
1 can (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken (or veggie) broth
1 cup milk

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add white part of scallion, carrot, chili powder and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until scallion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add potato, corn, broth and milk.

2. Bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potato is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the green part of the scallion, and season with salt and pepper. Serves two.

I added cumin and cayenne, and adjusted the ingredients to feed my whole family (this only serves two). I also added some cream in at the end the last time I made it (only because I happened to have an open carton -- something I don't usually keep on hand but was left over from another recipe). I served the soup with cornbread and a green salad.