I'm Strictly on the Corny Side

My sister just returned from a study abroad trip in France. Apparently, they don't eat a whole lot of corn over there. But thankfully, we eat a lot of it here in America!

So, I decided to share some corn side dishes. They have Mexican and Italian influences. So, I guess we're not the only ones who appreciate this tasty vegetable!

I also realize that this particular entry should have been posted in the summer time because corn really isn't in season right now. So, sorry!



Mexican Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen shoepeg white corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno pepper (about 1 large)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced, or 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; toss well. Cover and chill 8-24 hours. Stir well before serving.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 1/2 cup)

Nutrition information: 112 calories, 3.1 g fat, 2.8 g protein, 19.1 g carbs, 2.8 g fiber, 0 mg chol, 0.2 mg iron, 199 mg sodium, 8 mg calc

Source: Cooking Light Salads cookbook.



Baked Polenta Fries

These delicious baked polenta fries can be made using tubes of prepared polenta found in the refrigerated section or Italian section of local supermarkets.

Ingredients:

2 tubes (18 ounces each) plain prepared polenta
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, or dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unwrap and cut each tube of polenta in half crosswise. Then cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges.

Drizzle olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper, and turn gently to coat with oil. Arrange wedges in a single layer.

Bake, turning once with a thin metal spatula, until golden and crisp, 45-50 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Transfer to a shallow dish, and toss with Italian seasoning before serving.

Source: Martha Stewart website and Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Notes: I made a batch using regular polenta and another batch using polenta that had sun-dried tomatoes in it. I just thought "What the heck." Both versions of the polenta fries were fantastic. So fast and easy to make and super tasty.


Basil Corn on the Cob

Ingredients:

4 Ears of corn (the fresher the better!)
Basil, 3 leaves per cob
Butter, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove husks and silk from each ear of corn. Place each ear of corn on a square of aluminum foil. Butter and salt and pepper each ear of corn to your taste. Place 3 basil leaves on each ear of corn. Wrap aluminum foil around corn.

Place foil wrapped corn on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until tender, turning ever 5 minutes.

This can also be cooked on the grill.

Source: This was originally a Weight Watcher's recipe that used 4 ears of corn, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 2 tsp reduced-calorie stick margarine, 1/4 tsp salt, and 24 large basil leaves. However, I don't think we've really followed the recipe that way since the first time we made it. However, if you would like to, it makes 4 servings at 2 WW points per serving.

In the picture above, I used white sweet corn on the cobb. I love white corn! But yellow corn is delicious in this recipe too.

My Guess as to my Father-in-Law's Mexican Rice and White Bean Salad

Ingredients:

3-4 cups cooked white rice
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 pkgs. frozen white shoepeg corn, thawed
4 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
cilantro, about 1/2 cup chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
small can of tomato sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Saute garlic and onion until tender. Add tomatoes and saute until just soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato sauce until heated. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine rice, white beans, shoepeg corn, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Add cilantro and more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Source: This one came from the mind of my father-in-law (who is a very talented cook). When I asked him about it, he said that he had just made up the recipe. I asked him if he could write it down for me. He looked at me like he thought I was just plain silly and said that he would...but in my heart, I knew that he wouldn't write the recipe down. :) So, I hoarded away some of the leftovers and tasted them while I did my best to write down the ingredients and the method of cooking I thought he had used. I think I got it as close as I'm going to get without getting the exact ingredients and method from him. But I don't think I ever will!