Southwestern Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder with Blackened Shrimp

Hey everyone....sorry so long...i'm in this 6 week fitness challenge at work and i am trying to lose a few pounds...and by a few i mean alot....LOL.  This recipe just popped into my head and trust me the flavor combination is sick...and by sick i mean really sick!...I will warn you it is a bit labor intensive, but well worth it.  I told you from the start this blog would be healthy and budget conscious...so for anyone thinking to themselves "corn chowder....healthy?....heavy cream, butter and white flour...healthy?...sure David...what ever you say....".  I have substituted fat free milk for the heavy cream and instead of doing a traditional white flour and butter roux I have decided to allow the blended elements and a high boil thicken it for me.  I thought about a wheat flour and olive oil roux, but i really am trying to lose a few.  The gorgeous sweet flavor of the corn is seriously elevated by the underlying flavor of my roasted poblano chili pepper.  I thought the spicy blakened shrimp would be a great compliment and hey...the shrimp was on sale at my HEB!  This one works well....really well.  I am using sweet potato in this one because we love sweet potatoes and the creamy texture once it is blended is off the chain.

What you will need:

1 poblano pepper ($.48)
1 sweet yellow onion ($1.10)
2 cans cream corn ($1.20)
4 ears corn on the cob ($1.00)
1 can chicken broth ($.60)
1 pound shrimp ($3.98)
1 sweet potato ($.48)
1/2 quart nonfat or 2% milk ($.59)
4 cloves rough chopped garlic
sea salt (to taste)
fresh cracked pepper (to taste)

How to make it happen:

First things first.  Wrap the corn in foil and pop in the oven on 360 degrees for 40 minutes.  The poblano will go in for about 30 minutes.  Pull the poblano out and insert 2 skewers and then roast it stove top over an open flame to blaken the skin.  Set it aside to cool before peeling and removing the seeds.  Clean the shrimp and coat liberally with any blackening seasoning.  Allow them to hang out and take on some of the spice.  Now for the chowder.....Rough chop the onion and throw it in a pot on medium high heat with a couple teaspoons of olive oil.  Saute the onion to your liking...you know i like mine dark for the flavor.  Throw in the garlic and work it in the last 5 minutes of the saute.  Add the chicken broth, roasted poblano and canned corn and let that business simmer for about 20 minutes.  Using a hand mixer...blend all this together right on the stove while it continues to simmer.  I rough chop when i know i am going to be breaking it down with a hand mixer.  Remove the corn from the oven and allow to cool before shaving from the cob.  You can also roast for a few seconds over an open flame if you happen to be entertaining and want to add a little color for a great visual touch.  Add the milk, diced sweet potato and shaved corn as you bring the chowder to a boil.  Contiue to low boil without a lid, stiring frequently to avoid sticking while it thickens up.  Once it thickens to a pretty decent chowder like texture use the hand mixer to break down the sweet potato and shaved corn.  This can simmer on low while you cook them shrimps....Heat the skillet up with some cooking spray until it gets really hot...nothing new here...shrimp cook really fast...like a minute on each side.  We just served this up and dropped the shrimp and a bit of the roasted corn in at the last minute.  When its all said and done this one came in at about $9.50 for 10 servings....hmmmmm thats about ninety five cents a serving.  This could easily be done with blackened chicken or way outside the box...spoon onto a shallow plate and serve under a piece of blackened salmon.  If you re-invent this one....let me know so i can try it.