How to Peel Corn

Are you laughing at me?  How to peel corn?  Well, let me tell ya, peeling corn is MESSY!  And if you can show me a cleaner way to do it, I'm all for it!   I discovered this method this summer.  The corn crop is so good this year!  I've been buying local and organic fruits and vegetables this summer and the corn is to die for and I've ordered extra corn every week!  Some say corn is good for you, some say it's bad for you.  I say it's a whole food and it's delicious.  So here is how you peel it. 

1.  Cut both ends off with a sharp knife.
2.  Cut a slit in the husk from end to end.
3.  Peel back husk and corn silks.
4.  Remove cobb.
5.  Discard husk.

There is many-a-way to enjoy corn on the cobb.  My favorite is grilled in foil with olive oil and lime juice.  I usually cut it off the cobb and enjoy it with salads or dishes like my Mexican Cauliflower Rice.

 What's your favorite way to eat corn?

Chicken and Quinoa Chili

My sister and I used to eat my mom's chili on top of saltines.  Saltine + chili + sour cream + chedda cheese. Oh man, it was delicious.  A few years ago I had a craving for my mom's chili again and I asked her what her recipe was and she said, "oh, I just used Carrol Shelby's." My world was shattered.  But not really, because I knew I'd be able to duplicate the flavor for my family! 

I usually start my chili with onion and green pepper (sooo good) and then add canned tomatoes, ground chicken/turkey and then beans but I happened to have a lot of cooked quinoa and a few ears of corn I needed to use.  The beauty of chili.  It's so versatile.

Ingredients

1/2 c diced onion
1 diced green pepper
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 lb of ground chicken/turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (save can for water)
1 can kidney beans (drained)
2 cups of fresh corn (frozen or canned will work too)
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 package of Carrol Shelby chili mix

Directions:

1.  Saute onion and green pepper until soft.
2.  Add ground chicken/turkey and cook until half way done.    
3.  Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 cans of water.
4.  Add chili mix, salt and cheyenne (provided in chili mix). 
5.  Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, then add corn, drained beans and quinoa.  Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes. 
6.  (optional) If you like a really thick chili, you can add the masa flour that is included in the mix. 

Serve with corn bread, saltines, cheddar cheese, sour cream, lime, avocado, on top of burgers/hot dogs, bake potatoes...the list in endless. 

Warm Roasted Corn and Quinoa Salad

It's a little after noon and my husband is home.  He usually works until 3:30 but he has pneumonia so he is spending time resting.  He took last week off but his boss so graciously told him to go home early yesterday and take the next 3 work days off.  I'm happy.  This means I got to make him lunch today.  Normally by the time I'm done feeding the boys, food is the last thing on my mind.  But today I actually have been able to eat TWO meals, and it's only 1pm!  For all you SAHM, you know what I'm talking about.

My friend Holly over at My Plant Based Family, has really inspired me to make better choices when it comes to meal time.  We absolutely love spending time with their family.  A lot of times her husband eats a bag of spinach for breakfast.  Oh, he has blueberries too.  That makes it more breakfasty right?  I first tried quinoa at her house and now we eat quite a bit of it!  We buy it in bulk and will either get a big bag (but usually that's because the spout kept pouring) or I'll get what we need for the week. The case this week is that we have plenty to last us a while.  :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 can of black beans
• 3 ears of fresh corn (or 1 cup of frozen or canned corn)
• 1/2 cup of chopped red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped
• 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 pinch of chili flake
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1lemon
• 1/2 c oil
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t chili powder
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t onion powder
• honey

 1.  Bring 2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil and add one cup of quinoa.  Reduce to medium and cover for 12 minutes.  After 12 minutes, turn burner off and let sit covered.

2.  Cut corn off of each cob.

 I found that if you leave the corn laying on the cutting board, it's a lot less messy than cutting it vertically.  It took my a while to figure that one out.

3.  Melt tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add corn and chili flake.

Resist the urge to stir constantly.  You want to char your corn just a tad like this:

Keep cooking over medium high heat until the corn is browned.

4.  In the mean time, chop your onion and jalapeno and quarter the tomatoes.

5.  When the corn is done, put in a large bowl and add the other ingredients.

6.  Next up is dressing.  Squeeze the lime and lemon into a measuring cup or the dressing vessel or your choice.  Add honey according to the sweetness of your lemon and lime.  Add chili, cumin, onion and garlic powder.  Drizzle in oil while stirring the mixture.  QUALITY CONTROL PEOPLE.  Now is the time to taste test.  Adjust your flavors if you need to.  Having something a little sweet is okay because you're going to have heat on the corn and with the jalapeno.

My dressing tastes different every time.  This particular batch was a little sweet.  It was a really nice balance.

7.  Add the cooked quinoa and drizzle half of the dressing.  QUALITY CONTROL!  Taste before you add the rest of the dressing.  The warm quinoa will absorb the dressing.  It's, well, delicious.

 
I make so many variations to this salad and there are so many out there.  It's so versatile and the ingredients are so inexpensive.  Sometimes I cook the corn with garlic, sometimes I soften the red onion.  If I have a ripe avocado I will add that as well.  You can eat this hot, cold or room temperature.  It's all so good and good for you.  My first time cooking quinoa at home I definitely scorched it.  A few weeks later I regained my confidence and tried again and made Esquites Quinoa Salad with Avocado.  Once I started cooking with quinoa, I haven't been able to stop.  I hope you love it as much as we do!

For leftovers, throw on a tortilla and make tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos...you get where I'm going with this.  I love to make a big batch of quinoa and use it in different recipes throughout the week.  We like it way better than rice. 

I would show you a picture of this dish served up all pretty on a plate but we ate it on paper plates and I refuse to take a picture of food on a paper plate.

-Honey can I take a picture of you eating the salad?
-No.

I hope you enjoy, I know we did!