Okay, I made a huge pot of the chowder and instead of the milk and evaporated milk I used a can of coconut milk and also potato flakes. It was DELICIOUS! We all liked it better this way....Bug kept saying she likes it the vegan way better!
It did change the flavor a little bit, but it was perfect.
I did scoop out some and try it with the coconut milk and flakes before doing the whole pot.