Vegan New England Chowder

I have had this recipe from Weekly Vegan Menu bookmarked for some time now, and since today was drizzly and cold, it was about time I made it. I changed a couple of things like using button mushrooms instead of oyster and pureeing 1/2 the soup for a more chowder consistency. The flavors in this soup are spectacular and was perfect for a day like today.

INGREDIENTS:
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 a bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
4-6 C mushrooms, diced
1 C corn
3 C vegetable stock
3 C russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 C nondairy milk (soy or almond)
1/4 C cornstarch
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Tofutti sour cream (optional)
Vegan cheddar, shredded (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. I recommend having all your ingredients out, chopped, and ready to go before starting:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and add onion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano. Once they are hot and on high heat, add the mushrooms and cook about 10 minutes.

While this is happening, roast the corn in the oven for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, then the stock, Old Bay, Liquid Smoke, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Whisk together the nondairy milk and cornstarch and add to the pot along with the corn. Bring to a simmer, but not a boil. Taste for seasoning. Here, I added (in batches) half of the soup to my food processor and just pureed a little; just enough to still be a bit chunky. I then added it back to the pot and mixed it with the un-pureed soup for the perfect chowder consistency. Top with a bit of cheese and sour cream, if desired. Enjoy!