Jalapeño & Corn Chowder (Low-Carb)

I love the combination of jalapeños and corn, and this soup certainly lived up to my expectations. As one might expect, this soup is spicy. If you do not have a high spice tolerance, you may wish to replace some of the jalapeño with green bell pepper to create a milder soup, or use the higher-carb option given after the recipe. Whether using the original version or the higher-carb option, this soup is quite high in carbs and relatively low in protein and calories, much more a side dish than a main meal on its own. I'd suggest pairing it with some very low-carb, high-protein bread, crackers, or biscuits. My Oaty Drop Biscuits pair nicely with this soup.
Yield: 3 servings of about 1¼ cup (300g) each, totaling roughly 3¾ cups (900g) ​✎
​Macros (per serving): 165 calories | 3.5g protein | 11g fat | 11g net carbs ​
Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 25 minutes
Storage: refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) light olive oil or neutral-flavored oil of choice
  • ¼ medium (28g) onion, diced (a scant ¼ cup)
  • 2 cloves (6g) garlic, crushed (equal to 1 teaspoon)​
  • 1½ cups (180g) diced jalapeño peppers (about 9-10 medium peppers) ✎
  • 2 cups (480ml) vegetable broth or 1 boullion cube and 2 cups (480ml) of water ✎
  • 1 cup (164g) drained sugar-free canned corn (about ½ of a 15.25-ounce [432g] can) ✎
  • ½ cup (120ml) water
  • 1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin​
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) lime juice​ (optional) (about half a lime)
Directions:
  1. Prepare the onion, garlic, and jalapeño peppers as per the ingredient list.
  2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil on medium-low heat. When hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are soft but not brown. Stir often and adjust heat as necessary. If using a fat-based bouillon cube, you can add them now to melt them.
  3. Add the jalapeño and sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
  4. Add all remaining ingredients, apart from the lime juice, to the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low heat, cover with a well-fitted lid, and cook for 15 minutes.
  5. Transfer the soup to a heat-safe blender, add the lime juice, and pulse until a semi-blended consistency, or consistency of preference.
  6. Divide equally between 3 soup bowls (1¼ cups [300ml] per bowl) and enjoy hot. Optionally, top with additional dried oregano, cumin seeds, and/or low-carb vegan sour cream or cheese. It could also be served with lime wedges.
Milder, Higher-Carb Chowder (More Corn): if you have a high carb limit, or lean more towards a low-carb than keto eating style, this chowder can be made with more corn. This variation is also milder and thicker. Reduce the jalapeño to 1 cup (120g [about 6-7 peppers]), increase the corn to 2 cups (328g [about a 15.25-ounce [432g] can]), and omit the half cup of water.
Macros (per serving): ​195 calories | 4.5g protein | 12g fat | 17g net carbs ​
✎ Notes:
  • Soup yield can vary quite a bit depending on how much water is lost while cooking. Using a well-fitted lid will help reduce water loss. If you want to be sure to have 3¾ cups (900g), I'd suggest you weigh the final amount and add additional water or broth to bring it up to 3¾ cups (900g) if necessary.
  • This soup is quite spicy. If you don't enjoy spicy food, you can replace some of the jalapeño peppers with green bell pepper. A medium bell peppers is about 120g or 1 cup diced. This swap will have minimal impact on macros.
  • Vegetable broths and boullion cubes, pastes, or powders are often high in net carbs due to added sugars and starches, so check your labels. I use Edward & Sons bouillon cubes, which have almost no carbs, and water.​
  • Be sure to check the ingredients in corn. It's very common for sugar to be added to canned and frozen corn.
  • Macros for this recipes are calculated with American national nutritional data (i.e. NCCDB & USDA entries in Cronometer) for all ingredients apart from the bouillon cubes (Edward & Sons) and nutritional yeast flakes (blend of Bob's Redmill and Foods Alive unfortified).
  • Macro numbers are rounded. Numbers equal to or greater than 10g are rounded to the nearest whole number (e.g. 10g, 11g, 12g, etc.) and numbers below 10g are rounded to the nearest 0.5g (0.5g, 1g, 1.5g ... 9g, 9.5g). Any numbers below 0.5g are given as is (e.g. 0.1g, 0.2g, etc.). Calories are rounded to the nearest multiple of 5.