Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts

Monday, August 22, 2011

Meatless Mondays: Quinoa Sliders with Spicy Roasted Corn Salad


I keep reading and seeing blog posts about quinoa being used as the primary ingredient in burger patties, and I finally decided it was time to stop reading and start doing! I love making vegetarian burgers, and this seemed like a great twist on an old favorite. Plus, it could not be any simpler.



Let me back up a second, though, and tell you about the side dish I made to go along with the Quinoa Sliders: Spicy Roasted Corn Salad. This is a fun way to use up your fresh corn on the cob; it's tangy and spicy, with some great contrasting textures in the form of black beans, scallions, and sweet corn. It can be made in advance and served cold, and it keeps well for days. As you can see above, the ingredients are combined with a delicious chipotle vinaigrette, then tossed well and chilled before eating. I like my food spicy, but of course this recipe could be modified and made with less (or no) chipotle peppers.



The slider recipe I used came from another blog, and the author fried her slider patties on the stovetop. Then, she served the burgers with a quail egg on top. I didn't go quite so fancy; below I included a link to her original recipe. Because I was trying to make these a bit healthier, I chose to bake my patties in the oven and I skipped the egg. Because I baked them, they did turn out just a tad rubbery, which I think is due to the fact that there are several eggs in the slider patties (there to bind the ingredients).

I love these because they are a blank canvas for virtually any flavors you like. If you wanted a Tex Mex burger, you could add some chili powder to the slider base. If you were to go Asian next time, they would taste great with some soy sauce, fresh lime juice, ginger, etc. For this go-round, I did a slightly Middle Eastern thing. I sprinkled plenty of ground sumac (our new favorite spice) into the slider ingredients, which lends foods a slightly sour, acidic flavor. No matter how you dress them up, I suggest you give them a go if you like quinoa, or even if you need an introduction to them. Simple and lovely!




Quinoa Sliders
adapted from food+words
makes 12 sliders

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 egg whites (lightly beaten with whole eggs)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 slices whole wheat bread, processed into crumbs
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
1/2 a small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground sumac (found in international supermarkets and spice shops)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Slider buns (we used pretzel buns, yum!)
Sriracha sauce, for drizzling
Spinach leaves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the cooked quinoa with the beaten eggs and egg whites, the salt, bread crumbs, jalapeno, onion, garlic, sumac, and black pepper. Using your hands or a large cookie scoop, form slider patties and place on a nonstick baking sheet (or a sheet lined with parchment or silpat). Flatten slightly to form your burgers.

2. Bake the sliders for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. (If desired, you can also fry them in some olive oil on the stovetop, about 2 minutes per side.)

3. Serve the quinoa sliders on slider buns with spinach leaves and a drizzle of sriracha sauce.


Spicy Roasted Corn Salad with Black Beans and Feta
adapted from Fine Cooking
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients
3 ears fresh corn
1 small red onion, diced
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 oz. (1/2-3/4 cup) reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
2 scallions, sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 small canned chipotle pepper, seeded and minced, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from the can)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the ears of corn, still in their husks, directly on the center rack in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool; remove husks and silk. Slice the corn kernels from the cob and place in a large bowl.

2. To the bowl, add the red onion, black beans, feta cheese, scallions, and oregano. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, chipotle pepper and sauce, and salt and pepper. Alternatively, you can blend the ingredients together with an immersion blender, or inside a standard blender.

3. Pour the dressing over the corn mixture and stir well to combine. Refrigerate the salad for several hours before serving. This will keep in the fridge for several days.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Jamaican Pork Chops with Snow Pea Succotash


I decided to make this recipe because of one tiny, little pepper. I was experiencing a craving for something Caribbean-flavored, and I just so happened to have a beautiful habanero pepper that needed using. Suddenly, inspiration struck and I knew I was destined to make Jamaican Pork Chops. It's been a while since I've used those flavors, and we love them so much. Plus, these pork chops were hanging around in my freezer and could stand to be cooked already.



I gathered the ingredients for my marinade based on several different recipes, ones that I can't even quite remember just now. The flavors were fantastic, I thought. There was some great sweet/tangy/fiery marriage going on there. Unfortunately, I kinda overcooked my meat. I took it out of the oven just as it was nearly done, but then I threw it back in for another minute or two, and sort of forgot about it. Five or six minutes later, I took the meat out again, only to find that it was a bit crispy around the edges. Oh, well. It was still good! It was just a bit dry, but as I said, the flavors were enough to salvage the whole thing.

To serve with the chops, I made a simple pot of Israeli couscous, along with a quick Snow Pea Succotash that I found in one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks. I took a couple of liberties with her master recipe, and I really liked it. It is also a clever way to use up the other half of the lime you use for the pork chops! Waste not, want not!




Boneless Jamaican Pork Chops
adapted from various recipes
makes 4 chops

Ingredients
4 (6-7 ounce) boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
1 medium habanero pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 lime, zest and juice
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions
1. In a large, resealable Ziploc bag, place the pork chops. In a medium bowl, stir together all the remaining ingredients, then pour the marinade into the bag. Close the bag and shake it up so the marinade coats the chops. Stick the bag in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before broiling.

2. Once you are done marinading, preheat the broiler. On a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack. Using tongs, extract each pork chop from the marinade bag, allowing the liquid to drip off. Place the chops on the cooling rack-covered baking sheet.

3. Broil the pork chops for 5 minutes per side, then allow them to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Rest the meat for 5 minutes before serving.


Snow Pea Succotash
adapted from Rachael Ray
makes 4 servings

Ingredients
8 oz. (about 2 1/2 cups) snow peas, trimmed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 ears corn on the cob, kernels removed (you can also use thawed frozen corn)
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 lime, juice and zest
2 tsp. hot sauce, such as Sriracha
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the snow peas and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Add the bell pepper, corn, and onion, and cook for another 7 minutes or so, until the veggies are crisp-tender. Remove from the heat.

2. Transfer the veggies to a serving dish. Sprinkle in the lime zest and juice, the hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Toss well before serving.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Burritos (And They're Vegetarian!)


Our entree this week in our Cinco de Mayo fiesta was something I've never made before, but have wanted to for a while. Now that I eat (and love!) black beans, and have been working more with meatless dishes, I thought I would make a nice black bean burrito with some soy chorizo and corn.



I ate the most delicious vegetarian burrito at a Mexican restaurant a couple weeks back, and it inspired me to try making one of my own. The burrito that I ate before contained flavorful rice, corn, squash, and black beans, so mine is very loosely modeled on that one. I liked the idea of the meatless sausage for heat, and I figured I can always try making the squash variation later this summer, when Andy's parents start sharing their bumper crop of summer squash and zucchini with us!



For the rice, I simmered mine in some salsa and added onion and garlic to the pot for flavor. When it came time to cook my meat, I did half soyrizo and half non-spicy veggie crumbles. The soyrizo by itself would have been pretty spizy, so I wanted to cut it down a bit. After the meat had a chance to cook, I added some ground cumin, a can of black beans, and some thawed frozen corn.



I read somewhere that it makes the burrito-rolling process much easier if you warm the tortillas first in the oven, so I used that method and it worked beautifully. My rolling skills still leave an awful lot to be desired, but I was at least able to roll mine up so that nothing fell out and the sides were more or less tucked in. The burritos were baked in the oven for about 10 minutes, just enough to lightly crisp the tortillas and warm the filling through. These were so good dipped in some of my Salsa Verde, and Andy slathered sour cream all over his and loved it. He had cheese mixed in with his filling, but I did not. Try the cheese if you love it; I was just trying to cut down on my calories! And I loved these burritos, cheese or no cheese.




Black Bean and Soyrizo Burritos
recipe by Bri
makes about 10-12 burritos

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 a red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water (you can use vegetable broth)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. salsa (any variety, any heat level)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz. Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo sausage), casings removed
4 oz. Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles (or any combination of meat/veggie meat that adds up to a total of 8 oz.)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 1/3 cups frozen corn, thawed
10-12 (large or burrito-size) flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, optional, for filling
Hot sauce, optional, for filling (we like Cholula)
Sour cream, optional, for serving
Salsa, optional, for serving

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir occasionally to toast the grains, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salsa until it coats the rice. Add the water (or broth), bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and let stand 5 minutes before using.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet turned to a medium heat, heat the (frozen) veggie crumbles until hot, stirring frequently. After about the first 5 minutes of cooking, add in the soyrizo and continue to cook. Keep stirring; the meat mixture should take about 10 minutes until it reaches the fully cooked stage.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 and place the tortillas on a large piece of foil. Sprinkle the tortillas with just a few drops of water and cover completely with foil. Warm the tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes (this makes them pliable and easier to handle when filling).

4. After the meat mixture has had a chance to fully cook, add in the ground cumin, the black beans, and the corn. Cook just until the beans and corn are completely heated through, and remove from the heat.

5. To assemble the burritos, place a heated tortilla on a work surface. Add about 1/4 cup rice mixture and 1/4 cup meat mixture to the tortilla; top with cheese and/or hot sauce, if desired. Roll the tortilla over the filling, then tuck in the sides. Roll all the way up, and transfer to a greased bakin sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

5. Bake the burritos in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the tops are starting to crisp and the filling is very hot. Note: this step is optional, but we really enjoyed the burritos warmed up this way. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or anything else you'd like!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Chicken and Shrimp Corn Chowder


I kinda threw this soup together not long ago when I was suddenly struck with a chowder craving. You know, it's funny that I had such a craving. I never really ate chowder growing up, and I haven't even eaten it that much as an adult. But we had recently visited a restaurant in St. Louis that served this amazing chowder, and I was smitten.

Rich and creamy, and loaded with shrimp, chorizo, andouille sausage, and peppers and onions, this chowder was a knockout. I couldn't resist finishing the entire bowl, despite the fact that we had already eaten a couple of courses before this one. I spared myself the embarrassment of licking the bowl when I was done, but I assure you that I would have if I'd been in the privacy of my own home!

So I knew I would not be able to fully recreate this wonderful chowder, but I set out to at least satisfy my urges with something that would be substantially lower in calories and fat, but still yummy. I think I was pretty successful. The chowder I made used a Food.com recipe as its point of reference, but I changed it up here and there. I posted my full recipe below, and I'm pretty happy with it. It hit the spicy notes, thanks to jalapeno and cayenne peppers. It hit the sweet corn notes, with pureed whole kernel corn and frozen corn added to the mix. It was full of textures, it was creamy, and it was very satisfying. It's a much more affordable way to enjoy the chowder, so I'd like to continue to tweak this and work on it some more. After all, sometimes you just have to improvise when faced with cravings for delicious, yet expensive, things!




Chicken and Shrimp Corn Chowder
adapted from Food.com
makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup cooked, diced boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 small breast half)
1 cup small, cooked shrimp, tails removed and diced (about 1/2 lb. shrimp)
1 cup frozen kernel corn
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (15-0z.) can whole-kernel corn
1 oz. Canadian bacon, cooked and sliced thinly into strips, for garnish
Radishes, thinly slivered, for garnish

Directions
1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the milk and chicken broth, and then add the chicken, shrimp, frozen corn, and salt and pepper. With a blender (or immersion blender), puree the can of whole corn, then stir into the soup.

3. Bring the chowder to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer, from 10-20 minutes. The chowder should thicken somewhat.

4. When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls, then top with strips of Canadian bacon and a couple slices of radish.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

CEIMB: Chicken Sliders with Warm Tomato-Corn Salad (and Israeli Couscous)


This week, Craving Ellie in My Belly is making Chicken with Warm Tomato-Corn Salad, chosen by Danica of Danica's Daily. I decided to deviate just a bit from Ellie's original recipe this time. I took a look at the chicken part of the recipe and decided I wanted to jazz things up a little. I love a simple piece of grilled chicken just as much as the next healthy-eating gal, but I took this opportunity to put a yummy rotisserie chicken to good use. I'll be using half my (albeit slightly anti-healthy) store-bought chicken for another meal this week, so I decided the other half would make some very delicious barbecue pulled chicken sliders.



As for the tomato-corn salad portion of the recipe, I didn't change a thing! This was so fresh, so bright, so colorful and flavorful and just perfect. I was fortunate enough to be able to use home-grown corn (thanks again to Andy's parents!) that was so sweet and tender, it was hard not to just eat it by the cob. The cherry tomatoes were fantastic; as I've been saying on my blog for a little while now, I have really come to embrace them when they are cooked exactly this way.




The cilantro was just enough pop for me, the lime juice was a welcome taste of acid, and as for the avocado...well, everybody enjoyed it but me! I have tried (and failed) in the past to like avocado, but so far I can only eat it if it is blended into something else. I guess I like the flavor, but not the texture. I'm admittedly weird when it comes to food textures, and I'm working on it! This group really does help with that. Look at me and tomatoes, BFFs now!

Anyway, we decided to serve the avocado alongside everything in slices. I heard that the slices were really good on the pulled chicken sandwiches, too. For my other side dish, I served a simple pilaf of Israeli couscous (a favorite around here) that went over well. My mother in-law had never eaten this before, and she loved it. We like introducing people to Israeli couscous, because everyone seems to enjoy it once they've had it. It's sort of a cross between regular, smaller couscous, pearled barley, and orzo. It's easy to make and so versatile! If you ever find it in your grocery store, I highly recommend giving it a try.



But back to the Warm Tomato-Corn Salad! It was a huge hit at our dinner table; even "the picky one" devoured it without a single complaint. That right there speaks volumes about this dish. I mean, it was veggies, and it was embraced by my 4 year-old! Thanks again, Ellie, and thank you, Danica, for the great pick! It was summery and perfect!

You can find the full recipe, complete with Danica's fun Cajun variation on the chicken, on her blog, here.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Ancho Chile Pork Tacos with Roasted Corn and Caramelized Onions


I have recently begun to cook pork a lot more often than I used to. Since I do not eat beef, or hardly any fish, I wanted to be able to switch it up every now and again from chicken, chicken, and more chicken. I've been trying to figure out some creative ways to use pork, and this recipe certainly fits the bill.



I found this recipe online, by browsing Recipezaar for pork tacos. I thought that sounded really good, and plus I had some flour and corn tortillas to use up! This dish seemed very simple and relatively low maintenance, so I made it on a weeknight when I knew I'd need something like that up my sleeve. I did change the recipe slightly based on what I had on hand that I wanted to use up.

You roast the pork in the oven with a quick spice rub slathered on. While this cooked, I was able to caramelize some onions, chop up some green onions, and shuck some previously roasted corn. Roasting corn is my new favorite way to prepare it. It is very hard to mess up! Simply put the corn, still in its husk, into a 350 degree oven for about a half hour. That's all there is to it! I learned this method while watching Tyler Florence on the Food Network one day, and I just had to try it. It's pretty much foolproof.




Once the pork was finished, I allowed it to rest for about 10 minutes. I sliced it up sort of thinly, then set up all the taco toppings in bowls and warmed up some tortillas. The taco filling is so simple, yet so fresh and light! The spice-rubbed pork was so delicious for containing so few ingredients. The caramelized onions are sweet and juicy. The roasted corn adds a welcome bit of crunch and flavor. The green onions provide a nice, sharp contrast to the other, much sweeter veggies. A sprinkle of green salsa and Cholula (our hot sauce of choice!) added some great heat to the taco. Together, all these components added up to a seriously yummy creation. Next time, I could add some limes to the dinner table. Some citrusy juice sprinkled over the tops of these would be so divine. Even without that, I was completely satisfied with this meal. My kids loved the pork, too, so that was a plus!



I found the original recipe here. I am going to post the recipe the way I made it, though, since I really enjoyed this with my changes.

Pork Tacos with Roasted Corn and Caramelized Onions

adapted from Recipezaar (original recipe from Cooking Light)

makes 8 tacos

Ingredients

2-3 ears of corn, in husks

1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat

1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cups onions, thinly sliced

8 tortillas (I used half flour, half corn)

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Salsa, green salsa, or hot sauce, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ears of corn, still in the husk, directly on the oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove corn from oven and let cool enough to handle.

2. Turn heat up to 425 degrees F. Prepare pork by combining the ancho powder, brown sugar, and salt in a small bowl and rubbing it evenly over the pork. Place tenderloin on a foil-lined baking sheet, coated in cooking spray, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let the pork rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

3. While pork is cooking, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil, then the thinly sliced onions. Cover and cook at least 10 minutes, until onions are soft and golden brown, stirring frequently. Uncover and cook another few minutes, then remove from heat.

4. As the onions and pork continue their respective cooking processes, you can cut the corn off their husks. I use a bundt pan to do this. I peel the husk back and use it as a handle. I then place the corn into the center hole of the bundt pan and, using a sharp knife, slice downward. The corn falls away from the cob and into the bundt pan. It's a great trick!

5. After pork rests, slice it thinly and serve it alongside the caramelized onions and roasted corn. Gently warm the tortillas, then assemble tacos and enjoy!