Chilled Thai Corn Soup

I don't often make soups, and when I do it's typically a variation of chicken noodle. So when my roommate requested soup, I decided to switch things up! At a recent trip to the farmer's market, a chef from Parkside was sampling a chilled corn soup, but the recipe had so much heavy cream, I decided to try my hand at making one that was slightly more healthy. Enjoy!

Chilled Thai Corn Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
6 ears corn, husks discarded and kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, roasted, halved seeded and roughly chopped
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot and warm olive oil. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, then add corn kernels. Cook about 5 minutes, then stir in red pepper and cook additional 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and water and simmer 10-15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to smooth out the soup, then stir in cilantro, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper.

I served with toasted caprese sandwiches, featuring ciabatta bread, fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced tomatoes, baby spinach leaves, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.