Tag Archives: corn

June 14, 2011 · 1:30 pm

BAJA CORN CHOWDER

Fresh corn is so good this time of year. When I created this chowder I was interested in making a corn chowder with a Baja twist, but I wanted a chowder that celebrated the crisp sweetness of the corn and did not drown it out with too many other flavors…it deserves to be the star! This chowder will thicken the longer it sits. If it becomes too thick, add some water or some more broth. I also like to have different textures in my chowder. You are more than welcome to blend all of the soup…I prefer to blend some of the soup and keep some of the corn and veggies chunky.

Below I listed some flavor options for those who are looking for a little more zing. This time I made the chowder as it is written in the recipe below without the flavor options…I will add those next time I make the chowder.

INGREDIENTS – Serves 4-6

1-2Tbs. olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

¾ cup celery, finely diced

¾ cup carrot, finely diced

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

3 cups corn (I used grilled corn)

32 ounces vegetable broth

6 corn tortillas, browned

Pepper to taste

ADDITIONAL FLAVOR OPTIONS

½-1 jalapeno, very finely diced

1 tsp. cumin

GARNISH

Chopped cilantro

Dash paprika (for color)

Lime wedges

Heat the olive oil in your soup pot over medium heat and sauté the onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrot (and jalapeno if using).

After sautéing for 5-7 minutes, add the coriander, salt, and pepper (and cumin if using). Mix well to combine.

Add the corn and mix well.

Pour the broth into the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Once the soup has reached a boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Place the tortillas onto the top of the soup for 2-3 minutes (this will soften them).

Remove the tortillas from the top of the soup and put them in your blender (I use my Vitamix). Pour 6-8 ladles of soup and veggies over the tortillas.

Very carefully blend the tortillas and soup (Always be VERY careful when blending hot liquids). You may need to do the blending in two batches.

Return the blended soup to the soup pot and mix well.

The soup is now ready to be served with the cilantro, lime, and a dash of paprika.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

8 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Recipes, Soup, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tagged as Baja Corn Chowder, cilantro, corn, corn chowder recipe, corn tortilla, tortilla soup, vegan, vegan corn chowder, vegan tortilla soup, vegetarian

March 29, 2011 · 1:34 pm

FRESH MEX CORN SALAD

I am so happy that Spring is here! Although it isn’t quite April yet, we definitely are experiencing the “showers” part. Now that Spring has arrived, the amazing produce Spring brings has started making its way into farmer’s markets and the grocery stores…yay!

While I do cook this salad slightly, it would be very good completely raw as well.

INGREDIENTS

6 cups freshly cut corn (I used 8 small ears)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

½ head cilantro, chopped

1 ½ cups jicama, diced

1 lime

1 tsp olive oil

½-1 tsp ground cumin

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Pour the tsp of olive oil into a pan. Over medium heat lightly sauté the onions and peppers for 2 minutes (you want to maintain their crunch). Add the corn and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Squeeze in the juice of the lime and turn off the heat. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Sprinkle in the cumin and mix well. Add the cilantro and jicama and mix thoroughly.

Let the freshness of the ingredients speak for itself. Do not overpower the salad by adding too many spices.

This salad tastes phenomenal accompanied by flavorful black beans…I ate this for lunch three days in a row!

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

5 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Main Dish, Recipes, Salad, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Tagged as bell pepper, cilantro, corn, corn salad, gluten free, healthy salad, jicama, lime, onion, spring salad, vegan, vegetarian

February 24, 2011 · 1:50 am

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

Homemade Corn Tortillas

It’s confession time…I bought yet ANOTHER kitchen gadget (My husband is always teasing me about all of my kitchen gadgets)!!!

I have been eyeing the tortilla press in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue for some time now and I finally broke down and ordered it from their website. Trust me, paying the shipping cost is worth it because I know if I actually went into the store I would do a lot more damage to my finances.

Fresh tortillas are soooooo good. Has anyone gone on the Mission Tortilla Factory tortilla tour at Disney’s California Adventure? That’s what I was dreaming of when these puppies were cooking. The kids really went crazy for these and they were crazy easy to make.

The recipe comes from the back of the Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour bag. I may experiment and change the recipe for fun next time, but it is oh so good just as the recipe reads…

INGREDIENTS – makes 16 tortillas

2 cups instant corn masa flour

1 ¼ cups water

¼ tsp celtic or Himalayan salt

TOOLS

tortilla press

plastic wrap

Cover both sides of the tortilla press with plastic wrap. Make sure that the inside sections of plastic on the press are smooth.

Plastic Wrapped Tortilla Press

Combine the masa flour, water, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add more water if the mixture is too dry…you want the dough to form a nice workable ball.

Mix the Masa Flour, Water, and Salt

Mixing In Progress

Finished Dough

Once the batter is mixed well, form it into a 4 inch disc and cut the disc into 16 equal parts.

16 Sections of Dough

Take one of the sections and use your hands to roll it into a ball (cover the remaining sections with a damp towel so the batter does not dry out). Place the dough ball onto the prepared tortilla press.

Dough Ball Ready for Pressing

Use the lever and press the plates together. When you open the press the tortilla should be uniform. Carefully use a spatula to release the tortilla from the plastic.

My Daughter Making a Tortilla...Love the Gloves!

Ready for Cooking

Heat a nonstick pan to medium heat (no oil needed). When the pan has come to temperature, put the freshly pressed tortilla in the pan and cook for approximately 50 seconds on each side.

In the Pan

Nice and Brown

Repeat with the remaining dough sections.

For printable version of this recipe click here.