Grilled Summer Corn Pasta Salad

Let's not even joke about how long it's been since I posted a recipe here. 

I'll be honest: I love cooking, but I hate writing recipes. I'm imprecise, I don't follow directions, I make things up as I go, and I don't write anything down. Any recipe I create is an after-the-fact best guess at what I actually did in the kitchen. Also, I can't take pretty food pictures. 

All that said, I'm on sabbatical this year, and in a brief fit of madness, I thought "Hey, what if I dust off the cooking blog?" Scott thought it was a good idea. "You're happier when you have a project in the summer," he said. He is, of course, correct. 

So, I bring you a solution to a common summer cooking problem, namely convincing yourself to cook when it's hot. Pasta salad is a perfect remedy for this. First of all, you serve it cold, so it's refreshing. Second, because it has to chill in the fridge, you can make it in the morning when it's not so hot (that's what I did today). 

Notes: If you don't have a grill or a grill pan, you can just wrap your corn in some foil and bake it in the oven (at 400 for 20 minutes or so), but you won't get the delightful char flavor. 

Sub out the romaine for your favorite greens. I would just make sure it's something sort of light, like a baby spinach. Arugula would be good too, but it would be a stronger flavor.

If you want your mint and lemon to have a stronger presence in the dish, wait and add them to the pasta at the same time you add the greens.

Ingredients:

1 box dried, short pasta (elbows, shells, bowties)

1 package of baby romaine (10 or 12 oz)

4 ears of fresh corn

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

1 small bunch fresh mint 

1 lemon

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

Start with your corn: if you're using a grill, heat it to medium. Put the shucked ears directly on the grill. Grill for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Put aside and let them cool a little. 

While the ears are cooling, start your pasta. 

While the water is boiling, heat oil and butter in a small pan over medium-low. Add in dill, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Zest your lemon and add the zest to the oil mixture. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture. Once everything is heated through, turn off the heat. Allow to cool slightly. 

Once the oil mixture cools, add in your chopped mint leaves. Swirl everything around and let the mixture sit until the pasta is done. 

While the pasta cooks, give your greens a rough chop. Strip the kernels of corn off the cob by standing the ears upright in a large bowl and running your knife down the cob. The kernels will fall into the bowl.  

Once the pasta is finished, drain it and then return it to the pot on the stove (turn the heat off). Pour the oil over it and add the corn. Stir everything together. Allow the pasta to cool a bit (about five to ten minutes). Just leave it in the pot and stir it occasionally. If it starts to look dry and sticky, drizzle a little more olive oil over it. Add the chopped greens and stir until the greens wilt. Once you've mixed everything, give it a taste to check for seasoning (you might need to add some salt). Transfer everything to a large container and then chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Serve cold and enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Sliders with Bacon Sweet Potato Fries

Summer is waning, my friends! I hate to admit it, but it's true. It'll be September before you know it. That means we need to enjoy it while we can with some summer grill recipes.

Or if you're me you just make black bean sliders and sweet potato fries any time you feel like it---summer or not!

Notes: Don't have a grill pan? Never fear! Just use olive oil or vegetable oil and shallow fry the sliders in a big skillet. The sliders won't have the pretty grill marks, but they'll taste just as good.

I roasted my corn in the husk before I stripped it from the ear. If you want to do the same thing, just trim the loose pieces of husk and the tassel off, run the whole thing under water for a minute, and then stick it right on the oven rack for 30 minutes at 350. The roasted-in-the-husk flavor is awesome. If you don't feel like doing this step, no worries. Just strip the kernels right off the ear straight into the bowl.

I find the easiest way to make fries is to cut the sweet potato in half and then cut each half into strips. Then cut those strips into smaller fry-sized pieces. There's no science to it---just make them look like fries.

I didn't have any crumbled bacon, but I had leftover bacon grease in the fridge from the last time I made bacon. If you don't have any, just use butter or olive oil for the fries. It will work just fine.

Slider buns are fairly easy to find nowadays. I found mine at Trader Joe's, but I've seen them in Target and other grocery stores as well. If you can't find them, any small roll will do.

Ingredients for sliders (makes about 8 sliders):
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ear of corn

For fries:
2 large sweet potatoes
6 teaspoons bacon grease, divided
Salt
Pepper
Crumbled bacon for topping (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with foil.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fries. Spread them in one layer on the baking sheets. Pour 3 teaspoons of bacon grease over each tray of fries. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are tender and they start to turn dark brown. Stir the fries about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning.

To make the sliders, drain the beans (don't rinse). Strip the kernels off the ear of corn. In a large bowl, mash the beans and corn together with a potato masher. Be sure to leave some of the beans and kernels whole. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the bowl along with the bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt, hot sauce, brown sugar, and taco seasoning. Mix everything together until it forms a thick paste. Form small patties and then let stand 5 minutes.

Heat your grill pan on medium-high. Grill each slider about 3 minutes per side until a crust forms on the outside. Remove from the grill and transfer to a plate. Tent them with foil to keep them warm while you grill the rest.

Top with your favorite hamburger toppings and serve with hot sweet potato fries. Enjoy!

Baked Taquitos and Mexican Restaurant Rice

We have yet to find a Mexican restaurant we like here. There's no Mexican place in the town we live in. There are two in the next town over, but apparently they aren't that super (or so we've heard). I'm sure there are lots of places in the city we could go to, but when it's cold, the idea of walking through the city doesn't sound particularly appealing.

As you have probably noticed, I make a lot of Mexican-style recipes at home to make up for our lack of restaurants. Luckily, I found this recipe the other day. Chicken taquitos are not my bag, but a vegetarian version sounded great.

Notes: If you have an onion, feel free to use that for the rice instead of the onion powder. I just used the powder because I didn't have an onion.

I'd use a colby jack or a cheddar in the taquitos. I used fontina and it was too mild. You could barely taste it.

This makes about 8 taquitos, so you'll have egg roll wrappers left over. If you want to use up all your wrappers, just double the filling recipe.

Ingredients for Taquitos
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
Egg roll wrappers
1 small bunch cilantro
1 cup shredded cheese
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Hot sauce, to taste
Small bowl of water
Melted butter (optional)

Ingredients for Rice
2 cups instant rice
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt
Butter or oil

Directions: Heat oven to 375.

Drain the beans (don't rinse). Mince the garlic for the taquitos and chop the cilantro. When the beans are drained, put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mash them a little with a potato masher. Add in the corn, cilantro, garlic, hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, cheese, and salt. Mix to combine.

To make a taquito, put approximately three teaspoons of filling in the middle of the egg roll wrapper (the wrapper should be diagonal). Moisten the edges of the wrapper by dipping your finger in the bowl of water and running it along the edge. Bring the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling and tuck it under. Pull in the sides and then roll it up. Place each taquito seam-side down on a foil-lined or oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is gone.

Brush the taquitos with melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

While the taquitos are baking, make the rice. Mince the garlic. Melt butter or heat oil on medium-high in a skillet with a lid. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in rice and toast for just a minute. Season with salt and onion powder. Pour in tomatoes and water. Turn the heat to medium and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

When the taquitos are done, serve them with a side of rice and enjoy!

Eat Food, Save Money: Freezer Friendly Spicy Vegetable Soup

On this edition of "eat food, save money," we're goin' cold. Ice cold.

Homemade soups freeze very well. They are also heartier and more flavorful than the kind of pour out of a can. And when you make homemade soup, you get A LOT more soup for your money than you do when you use the canned version.

Frozen meals make for an easy weeknight dinner. After a rough day when you're tempted to just eat out, if you have a ready-made dinner waiting at home, it's much harder to justify a run through the drive-thru. So, the next time you have a lazy weekend afternoon, consider helping your future weeknight self by making some soup and then freezing it.

Notes: The easiest way to freeze meals (if you ask me) is to freeze individual serving sizes in small plastic freezable containers. Then you can just pull 1 or 2 containers out of the freezer depending on how many people are eating.

Let a frozen meal thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours. If dinner time rolls around and your meal isn't completely thawed, you can always just heat it up in a pot on the stove.

I start this soup the same way I start my gumbo. It gives the soup a nice deep color and flavor. And since the soup is made with cajun seasoning it makes sense to treat it like gumbo.

You can use hot sauce or fresh chopped hot peppers in place of cajun seasoning.

Feel free to mix up the veggies and use your favorite. You can even use a selection of your favorite frozen vegetables to make the soup more pantry-friendly.

Need some protein? Add some canned beans when you add the frozen corn.

If you want to make this even easier, just skip the butter and flour and throw it all the slow cooker for 8 hours on low.

Ingredients:
1 quart chicken or veggie stock (or water)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
5-6 carrots
1 bunch celery
1/2 pound fresh green beans (or 1 cup frozen chopped)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 onion
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
1 small bunch fresh rosemary
5-6 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour

Directions: Dice the carrots, celery, and onion. Chop the green beans into small bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic and rosemary.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Whisk until the roux is the color of milk chocolate. Remove the pot from heat and dump in chopped veggies, garlic, and rosemary. Stir until the sizzling stops.

Add in tomato paste and cajun seasoning and stir. Return to heat and stir in stock. Add corn kernels. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for between 1-2 hours.

When the time is up, remove the soup from heat and allow it to cool. Divide it in to single servings in freezable containers. You can defrost the number of servings you need for 24 hours in the fridge and then heat the soup in the microwave before you serve it. You can also just put the frozen soup straight into a pot and heat it on the stove.

Enjoy your frozen and frugal meal!

Lima Bean, Tomato, and Corn Salad

One can never had too many recipes that are suitable for ferrying to parties. Summer time means lots of cookouts, BBQs, family reunions, and pot lucks.

Dishes that travel well have a couple of good qualities. First, they don't contain ingredients that spoil easily (read: no mayo). Second, they are flexible and can be easily doubled or tripled. Finally, they don't take hours and hours of prep (who wants to spend all day or morning in the kitchen while you're trying to get ready for a party?). This salad meets all the criteria.

Notes: I wouldn't recommend canned lima beans for this. They are too mushy and salty, and they won't have the nice bright green color to make the salad pretty. Frozen lima beans work much better.

You can substitute frozen corn with no problem, but since it's summer and corn is in season, I thought fresh would be great.

This salad doesn't have a heavy dressing. I just used fresh herbs and the toasted garlic.

You can easily double or triple this recipe depending on how many people you need to serve. This will serve 4-6 depending on the serving size.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen lima beans
3 ears fresh corn
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small bunch parsley
1 small bunch chives
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Start by shucking the corn. Strip the kernels off by standing the ears up in the middle of a large bowl and running your knife down the side.

Heat a large skillet on medium and add the butter. While the butter melts, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the butter and sautee until it just starts to turn light golden brown. Add the corn and lima beans (don't bother defrosting). Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn and lima beans are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the beans and corn are cooling, slice the tomatoes in half and mince the chives and parsley. Add them to the bowl you plan to serve the salad in. When the corn and beans are cool, add them to the tomatoes and toss everything together. Serve immediately or let it chill in the fridge. Enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Charred Corn, Heriloom Tomato, and Arugula Quesadilla

The old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" is never more true than in cooking. This dish came about because I had three things in my fridge that I suddenly had no use for: tomatoes, wheat tortillas, and arugula. I'd rather not let food go to waste (I'm not die-hard about it, but hey, money's money), so I came up with a way to use them all together.

Notes: I make the charred corn by setting the ears directly on my gas burner. They pop and hiss, but worry not, that's normal. Just keep turning them until the outside is nice an brown. If you don't have a gas stove, just omit this step.

You want to be careful not to overstuff the quesadilla. Make sure everything is in a nice thin and even layer.

If you cut these into smaller triangles, they might work as a nice cocktail party food. The recipe makes 4 quesadillas.

Ingredients:
2 ears of corn
2 small heirloom tomatoes (you can use Roma, too)
1 small bunch of arugula (about 2 cups), washed and dried
8 whole wheat tortillas (I had 10-inch)
2 cups grated cheese (I found a nice aged English cheddar on sale)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Shuck the corn and discard the husks, leaving the stalk in tact. If you're charring the corn, turn your gas burner on high and set the ears on top while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Turn occasionally.

Dice the tomatoes and put them in a strainer to let some of the liquid drain off. Grate the cheese (if you're not using pre-shredded).

Heat the oven to 400. Once the corn is charred, strip the kernels off, mix with the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the quesadillas, put a wheat tortilla on a baking sheet (you can fit two quesadillas on one normal sized baking sheet). Spread it with 1/4 of the arugula. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the corn and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese. Top with another tortilla. Repeat this process for all four quesadillas.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes and then flip and bake for an additional 8 minutes or so. The cheese should be melted and the quesadillas will start to brown and crisp.

Enjoy Q.E.D. quesadillas any night of the week!

Q.E.D.: Charred Corn and Black Bean Enchiladas

Scott and I just got back from visiting his brother, sister-in-law, and their twin girls. Their family has recently gone gluten free. Lots of people are doing that these days and many of them find it helps with a number of common problems. I'm all for experimenting with your diet in order to make life changes. Since I've cut out a lot of processed foods, I know I've felt better.

I decided I might try writing a recipe that could be made gluten free if you needed one. Everyone needs recipes in their arsenal that can please people with dietary restrictions. And if it's quick to make, all the better!

Notes: The ingredients I used were likely not all gluten free, so be sure you read the labels carefully.

Smitten Kitchen has more detailed directions for the charred corn and it was that recipe that was my inspiration for this one. If you don't have a gas stove, just skip this step. They won't be charred corn enchiladas, but they will still be delicious.

The brown rice tortillas, as it turns out, were not as pliable as the wheat tortillas, but heating them would have helped that. I wrote that step in the recipe. If you split a tortilla, no biggie. You'll cover it with sauce and cheese.

You don't taste the pumpkin in these, but it gives the texture of refried beans (without the work or the fat) and it pumps up the nutritional content. Perfection.

Trader Joe's enchilada sauce was pretty good. If you're feeling industrious, you can make your own, but it wouldn't be Q.E.D. for sure.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1/2 can pumpkin puree
2 ears corn
6 brown rice tortillas
1 jar/can of your favorite enchilada sauce
3 teaspoons cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili power
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cheese (colby jack works great)
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 375.

Open the beans, drain and rinse them under cold water, and set aside.

Shuck the ears of corn leaving the stem on for a handle. If you have a gas stove, turn on a burner to medium high. Hold the ears over the burner (you can rest them on it -- just watch them) and turn them until they start to char, pop, and turn brown.

Keep an eye on the corn, but go ahead and chop the cilantro. Add the pumpkin to a large bowl. Season with cumin, chili power, salt, and pepper. Add in the beans. When the corn is done, strip the kernels off  into the bowl with a sharp knife. Add in the chopped cilantro and mix everything together. Add in 1/2 cup of cheese and stir.

Warm your tortillas by wrapping them in a moist paper towel and zapping them in the mircowave for about 15-20 seconds.

In a 9x13 baking dish, pour about a tablespoon of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan to coat it (alternatively, you can butter the dish). Assemble the enchiladas by adding about 3 tablespoons or 1/4 cup of filling in the tortilla, toward the bottom of the round. Roll the tortilla up from the bottom and set it in the dish seam side down.

When you're finished assembling, pour the rest of the sauce over all the tortillas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the cheese starts to brown.

Serve and enjoy!

100th Post: Sweet and Salty Manchego Corn Muffins

Ladies and gentlemen, it's my 100th post!

I started this blog over a year ago as a summer project. It's become a way for me to keep track of all my culinary creations while sharing them with my friends and family. It's really helped me expand my cooking arsenal. I've made lots of things from scratch and tried lots of new ingredients. Thanks for sharing it all with me.

Notes: This recipe is an altered version of Smitten Kitchen's corn muffins. Scott is not crazy about kernels of corn in his muffins so I left those out. I also didn't have any buttermilk, but I did have yogurt. I had some leftover manchego cheese that needed using up, so hey, why not? They turned out great. 

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 teaspoons raw sugar
1/3 cup shredded manchego cheese
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Heat your oven to 400. Line your muffin tin with paper cups.

Pour melted butter and olive oil into a large bowl. Beat the eggs slightly and add those in with the yogurt and the cheese. Mix the wet ingredients together.

Add flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar into the bowl. Once all the dry ingredients are in the bowl, then mix everything together. Don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth, just combine everything.

Scoop out the batter into the muffin tin and bake for 15-18 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the muffins are very lightly golden brown on top.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Manchego Orzo with Spinach and Corn

The cooking gods were telling me I needed to make orzo, so I did it.

Two of my regular cooking blog reads had recipes for orzo. Both of them looked delicious, so I decided to create my own.

Notes: Cheeses like manchego are Scott-approved. Perhaps you cook for someone who is suspicious of cheese? Trust me, if Scott likes it, your picky cheese eater will like it too.

Ingredients:
1 box orzo pasta
Approx. 4 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
1.5-2 cups shredded manchego or similarly-flavored cheese
2 ears of corn
Salt
Pepper
Butter for sauteing

Directions: Fill a stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a small handful of salt to the water. Cook pasta according to directions (mine was 10 minutes).

Strip the kernels off the corn and collect them in a bowl. Heat a large skilled on medium and melt the butter in the skillet. Add the corn and saute. Season with salt and pepper.

Roughly chop the spinach and add it to the skillet with the corn. Saute until just wilted. If the pasta isn't done, go ahead and turn the heat off.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet. Stir in manchego and pesto sauce until everything is well-combined.

Enjoy!

Royal Tacos

In ancient Rome, the color purple was associated with royalty. Purple dye was made from crushed sea shells that were only found on the shores of Phoenicia. Because the shells were rare, the dye was very expensive, so only royals or high-ranking aristocrats could afford it.

Lucky for you, you don't have to be royalty to enjoy these tacos. But they are purple nonetheless!

Notes: Scott said these were the best tacos he's ever had. That's a ringing endorsement! I loved them as well.

I'm a huge fan of the blue taco shells. To me, they have more flavor and they're just more fun.

Here's a fun trick: make these tacos for people and don't tell them what's in the mixture. I bet you they'll never guess that pumpkin is one of the ingredients. The pumpkin adds a creamy texture like refried beans, but you up the vitamin content and lower the fat content of the dish. But it doesn't taste like pumpkin.

Cooking the rice is the thing that takes the longest, so if you used minute rice, this could easily be Q.E.D..

I decided to make a little dressing for the cabbage, but you could leave it plain if you're not into mayo.

Ingredients:
2 ears fresh corn
1/2 small red cabbage
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup pumpkin puree
4-6 oz. Spanish cheese or white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon brown or raw sugar
1 tablespoon chipotle power
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter, divided
Salt
1 box blue taco shells

Directions: Start with the rice. Add the rice, 1 tablespoon butter, and 2 cups water to sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and let it cook for 35-40 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350. Rinse and drain the beans. In a large bowl, strip the kernels off the corn cobs and set aside. In another bowl, add mayo, milk, and dill and whisk together. Thinly slice the cabbage and add it to the bowl in with the dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and put the bowl in the fridge to chill.

When the rice has about 15 minutes of cook time left, heat a skillet on medium. Add the rest of the butter to the pan. When it melts, add the cumin, sugar, oregano, and chipotle and stir. Add in the beans, corn, and pumpkin. Stir everything together and turn the heat to low. If the mixture starts to look too dry or stick to the pan, add a little water.

When the rice is done, add it to the beans and pumpkin. Heat the taco shells according to the box directions (mine said bake for 5 minutes). While the shells are in the oven, grate the cheese.

When the shells are done, assemble the tacos and enjoy (royally)!

Farmer's Market Creation: Okra and Corn Summer Stew

The days of summer are waning. Our local blueberries and strawberries have already exited the farmer's market. I am sad to see them go. While I still have the vegetables of summer, I'm trying to enjoy them.

Notes: Is there anything better than fresh okra and fresh corn? Nay. I've heard a lot of people claim that they don't like fresh okra because it's slimy. I've never understood that. Oysters are slimy. Okra is merely sticky. If you stew it with tomatoes, the stickiness goes away. So if you're trying to learn to like okra, by all means, try this dish.

Ever seen purple okra? Neither had I.

Purple and green okra with fresh corn

 I couldn't resist. Funny thing is, the purple color was gone after I cooked it. Who knows? It's just fun to experiment!

Ingredients:
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch celery
4-5 pieces of fresh okra
2 ears of corn
1 small onion
4 garlic cloves
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes + half a can of water
1 1/2 tablespoons dried herbs de provence
10-12 drops Tabasco sauce
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Directions:

Dice carrots, celery, and onion. Mince garlic. Slice okra and remove kernels from the ears of corn. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot. Saute all the veggies for about 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs de provence.

Pour in the tomatoes and water. Add hot sauce and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings accordingly. Serve hot and enjoy!

Pictured with a homemade parmesan crouton

Farmer's Market Creation: Summer Corn Soup

Summer is the time for farmer's markets and that means the challenge of a farmer's market creation!

Pictured here are my farmer's market finds:

Wax beans, a golden zucchini (which I had never seen before), a regular zucchini, fresh corn, an onion, and fresh thyme.

Scott and I had some corn chowder at lunch the other day and I decided I'd like a tomato-based version a little better. So here you have it!

Notes: Fresh tomatoes would have been great in this dish, but none of them looked good to me. Also, I would have wanted to roast them to bring out more flavor and with the heat I've been adhering to a strict no-oven policy. So, I just used canned tomatoes.

I already had carrots and celery on hand, so I added them to the soup as well.

Stripping the thyme leaves is a little time-consuming (get it?), but since it is the only herb you need, it's worth the effort.

Ingredients:
3 ears of corn
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1/2 pound wax beans
1 large zucchini
1 large golden zucchini (you could sub yellow squash)
1 onion
4-5 celery stalks
4-5 carrots
1 bunch fresh thyme
Salt
Pepper
Butter or olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

Dice the carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini. Trim the ends off the wax beans and cut them into dice-sized pieces.

Heat a stock pot on medium-high and melt your fat of choice in the pot. Add the veggies and start sauteing them. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, strip the kernels of corn off the ears of corn by standing the ear on end in the center of a large bowl. Run your knife down the side to separate the kernels from the cob. The bowl will collect the kernels for you. Add the kernels to the pot.

Pour in the canned tomatoes. If the soup looks thick at this point, add about a 1/2 cup of water. Stir everything together. Strip the leaves off the thyme stems, chop the leaves, and add them to the soup. Season with salt and pepper again and stir. Bring the soup to a boil and then turn it to a simmer. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, but more is always better.

Serve and enjoy the bounty of summer!

Summer Salad Series: Brown Rice, Zucchini, and White Bean Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

I promised a summer salad series, didn't I? Well, here's salad #2!

Scott was a fan of this salad for its heartiness. He's not always the biggest fan of citrusy or fruity salads, but this one is more substantial.

Notes: This salad turned out really well. Remember that brown rice is chewy, so cold brown rice will likewise be chewy. It's OK -- the chewy texture is great mixed in with the light veggies.

As with the last salad, this one involves the oven. If you'd rather not turn it on -- even at night -- you could leave the corn raw and just saute the zucchini.

This salad is also, like the last one, VTMK! I'm on a roll!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cups water
2 small zucchini
1 15 oz. can navy beans (or any white bean)
2 ears of corn
10-12 basil leaves
1 lemon
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 425.

Slice the zucchini into half-moon shapes. Toss on a foil-lined baking sheet with salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pull off any dried leaves from the corn husks and slice off the tassels at the top. Bake them in the oven right on the oven rack. Bake the zucchini until it is fork tender. Both will take about 20-30 minutes.


Bring the rice and water to a boil, turn it to a simmer, and let it cook for 30-35 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, chop the basil, zest the lemon, and drain and rinse the beans.

When the zucchini, rice, and corn is done, add the rice and zucchini together. Strip the kernels off the ears of corn and add those to the pot. Add beans. Season everything with salt and pepper.

Juice the lemon and whisk the juice with the herbs de provence. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add the basil and lemon zest. Toss to combine well.

Chill for at least two hours or overnight. Serve cold and enjoy!

Famous Veggie Chili

It's probably not accurate to call this "famous" veggie chili, but it has routinely been a crowd pleaser. Scott and I have entertained with it on several occasions and it always goes over well. I'm kind of surprised I haven't put this on the blog before. It's one of my oldest recipes.

Notes: The key to this chili is a balance of flavors. You want a combination of heat, depth, and sweetness.

The beans are easily swappable: use pinto beans or red kidney beans if you prefer. I happened to have fresh corn, but you could use frozen (about 1/2 a small bag) if it's not in season.

This chili is not particularly hot. If you want extra heat, look for the diced tomatoes with green chiles in them!

Ingredients:
5-6 small or medium carrots
1 onion
2 ears of corn
2-3 garlic cloves
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 large tablespoons cumin
10-12 drops Tabasco (I used the chipotle)
1 capful of liquid smoke
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or honey)
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Chop your carrots and onion in a small dice. Strip the kernels off your ears of corn by standing them up on end in a bowl and running your knife down each side. Mince the garlic. Drain and rinse your beans under cold water.

Heat your fat of choice in a large stock pot on medium-high. Add in carrots, onion, and garlic. Saute about 2 minutes and then add the corn. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add in all your chili powder, cumin, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Stir until the veggies are coated. Add in the Tabasco, liquid smoke, beans, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Bring everything to boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Let it simmer for as long as you have time to wait, but at least 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Poblano and Corn Chili

It rains a lot in the Northeast. Today was no exception. It was misty and cold -- the kind of weather that drives you inside and begs you to take a nap. In other words, it was chili weather.

Notes: Chili cries out for experimentation. Try out your own blend of spices. This chili is not as hot as my usual recipe. I wanted the flavor of the poblano to come through. If you like it hotter, by all means, fire it up.

Ingredients:
1 sweet onion
3 garlic cloves
1 poblano pepper, seeded
1/2 bag of frozen corn (or 2-3 ears of fresh, if it's in season)
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes 
1 15 oz. can red beans (kidney, pinto, aduki would all work)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of water
2 tablespoons cumin
10 dashes of hot sauce
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Dice your onion, mince your garlic, and finely chop your pepper. Add your fat of choice to a stock pot and heat it to medium-high. Saute your veggies until they are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cumin and stir to coat the veggies.

Rinse and drain your canned beans. Add the tomatoes and beans to the pot. Pour in the water. Stir in the tomato paste and brown sugar. Finally, add the corn (no need to thaw) and the hot sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and let everything simmer together at least 20 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better it gets! Be sure to taste it for seasonings before you serve.

Top with your favorite chili garnish (sour cream all the way!) and enjoy!