Corn with Bacon and Green Onions

I haven't been blogging lately because on June 20th I gave birth to our beautiful daughter. She is the light of my life and I have been busy learning the ropes of Mommyhood. For my first recipe after baby I chose something ultra quick and easy because that's the kind of cooking I've been doing lately. This Corn dish is a great side to any meal and can be made in a matter of minutes. I made it for a group dinner and it was so popular that by the time I got up to the food it was gone! I guess that's a good sign when you don't even get to try your own dish, right? 

Corn with Bacon and Green Onions

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 can corn, drained

3 strips of bacon, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

*I also used Julio's seasoning to kick it up a notch

Directions

Fry bacon in a pan until crispy. Take the bacon out of the pan and allow to cool on a paper towel. Pour drained corn into a serving bowl and add a tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add in chopped bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve immediately. 

Cowboy Caviar

My dear friend Beth brought this yummy chunky dip to a going away party we had before moving to Okinawa. I loved the fresh flavors and the mix of black eyed peas, avocado, corn, cilantro, and green onions.

About two months after first trying Beth's, I made it for our neighborhood Labor Day picnic because it's a perfect side dish for large gatherings. Even better, it takes less than ten minutes to make!

Cowboy Caviar
From Beth - thanks sweet friend!
Printable Version
2 cans of black-eyed peas, washed and drained
1 can white corn, drained
2/3 cup green onions, chopped
2/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Mix black-eyed peas, corn, green onions, cilantro, and avocado in a large bowl. 

Whisk together red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Pour on the olive oil/vinegar combination. Allow to marinate about ten minutes before serving with tortilla chips. 

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Here is another recipe we enjoyed on Memorial Day. Hubby and I have been pretty set on making corn on the cob this way, but our brother-in-law Chuck made us grilled corn on the cob last year and we absolutely loved the roasted flavor of the corn. So we decided to give it a whirl ourselves last weekend and were completely happy with the results. My hubby and our friend Jon were in charge of the corn. They seasoned it and cooked it and they did good! Although it's not pictured in the ingredient shot, the guys also seasoned the corn with Herbs de Provence and it was excellent on the corn! I would have never thought of putting it on corn and am excited to have another way to use this expensive herb blend I have sitting in my spice closet. 

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Inspired by What's Cooking America
Printable Version
Ingredients
Corn on the cob, husked and cleaned
Water
Olive oil
Butter
Spices of your choice (we used salt, pepper, seasoning salt, and Herbs de Provence)

Directions
Soak the whole cobs of corn in a pot of cold water for 20 minutes. This will help to add moisture to the corn for cooking and will steam the corn kernels inside the foil. Preheat a grill to medium temperature (about 350 degrees). Remove corn from the water and shake off excess water. Tear off squares of aluminum foil and place one ear of corn in the middle. Brush the corn with olive oil. Sprinkle of salt, pepper, and other spices of your choice. Place 2 tablespoons of butter, sliced into half on the side of each corn cob. 

Roll the foil around each ear of corn and close it up by twisting the ends. As you can see, we personalized our corn.

Place the corn on the heated grill, rotating the corn every so often. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Remove from the grill using oven mitts and remove aluminum foil. Serve with additional butter, salt, and pepper if desired (ours didn't need any). 

Hot Corn & Black Bean Dip

I found this hearty southwestern flavored dip on Delish. I knew it would be perfect to serve as an appetizer the night I fixed Grilled Fish Tacos for my parents and hubby and it was! Everyone gobbled it up.

This dip is warm, cheesy, creamy, and you can taste the black beans, corn, and onions in every bite. The original recipe did not call for sour cream but I added it in to make the dip more creamy.


Hot Black Bean & Corn Dip
From Delish
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 small can diced green chilies
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add oil to skillet over medium heat. Saute onions. Add garlic, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, and saute for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add black beans and saute another 3-4 minutes. Use a potato masher to coarsely mash half of the beans. Add corn and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer skillet contents to a large bowl and allow to coo slightly. Add in the sour cream and half of the cheese and stir to mix everything together.

Pour into a baking dish (I used a 8X8 dish) and top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot with tortilla chips or as a side dish to your favorite southwestern or Mexican meal.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Avocado and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Want to try a salad that is bursting with flavors and textures and is over the top delicious? then you have to try this BBQ Chicken Salad from Two Peas and their Pod. It involves creating a lot of different things: two homemade vinaigrettes, crispy cooked potatoes and grilled BBQ chicken, but every step is so worth it and so delicious. The salad alone is super yummy: tomatoes, corn, red onions, and black beans atop fresh greens.  I still cannot decide which of the dressings I liked better, the avocado or the blue cheese. Both are incredibly savory, tangy, creamy, and thick. They kept for several days so I dipped crackers and pretzels into after the salad fixins' were gone! 


The next time you are craving a salad, you gotta try this one! It's a salad that is m-e-a-l! You will not be disappointed!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Avocado and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
From Two Peas and Their Pod
Serves 4
Printable Version

Ingredients
For the Avocado Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons peach jam (I used rhubarb because I had it, and only used 1 tablespoon)
1 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Blue Cheese Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, dry pan roasted and chopped (I browned these in a skillet for a few minutes)
2 tablespoons peach jam (again I used my rhubarb and only 1 tablespoon)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blue cheese or Gorgonzola
Salt and pepper to taste


For the potatoes:
1 pound red or small white potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped


For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts
3/4 cup BBQ sauce - use your favorite brand

For the salad:
Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped (I used cherry tomatoes)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
French Fried onions for garnish

Directions
Make avocado vinaigrette by combining all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve salad.

For the blue cheese vinaigrette combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add a drizzle of olive oil and mix again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve salad.

To make potatoes, slice thinly and saute in a large skillet with olive oil and shallots until browned and crispy. Stir in parsley. Set aside and keep warm until serving.

Grill the chicken and brush each piece liberally with BBQ sauce. Cut into strips and set aside.

To plate the salads layer first with mixed greens. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the greens. Top with tomatoes, black beans, corn, and tomatoes. Place potatoes on top. Garnish with french fried onions. Drizzle entire salad with the avocado and blue cheese vinaigrettes. 

Southwest Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce

I'm definitely on a "southwestern" kick lately, but I just love the flavors of the southwestern cuisine. This meal is uh-maz-ing!! Sauteed corn, peppers, onion, and lime juice mixed in with ground turkey made these burgers super juicy and flavorful. Next time I think I'll throw some black beans in, too. 

The avocado sauce may be the best thing I've ever topped a burger with. It's just genius. I'm definitely going to make it over and over again - for tacos, burritos, or just dipping tortilla chips into. Please, do yourself a favor and make these burger pronto.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce
From Taste of Home
Makes 4 Servings
Printable Version


Ingredients
For the burgers:
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a combination of frozen peppers from Trader Joe's)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 pound extra-lean ground turkey

For the Avocado Sauce:
1 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt


Directions
In a large skillet saute the corn, onion, and peppers in olive oil until tender. Stir in the lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook 1 minute longer. 

Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Scoop ground turkey into bowl with corn mixture and mix well. Form into four burgers (I actually made 6) and refrigerate for at least 3o minutes. 

Meanwhile in a small bowl mash the avocado and mix with sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Refrigerate until serving. 

Grill burgers over medium heat or broil 4 inches from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and juices run clear. 

Top each burger with 1/4 cup sauce and serve as desired. I topped mine with cheese, red onion and tomato. 

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I've finally jumped on the Quinoa bandwagon. When we were shopping at Costco a couple of weeks ago, I saw an enormous bag of Quinoa and decided to purchase it to see what all the hype is about. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is all the rage in the food blogging world. I read up on it to share a little bit of info with you:

• Quinoa is an amino-acid rich seed
• It is a relative of spinach and swiss chard
• It includes all nine essential amino acids
• It is a good source of magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus
• It is gluten free

Basically, quinoa is extremely healthy and has a lot of health benefits. I am using it in my cooking as a substitute for rice or Cous Cous, but in my reading I found it is commonly used in soups. Please share with me your favorite way to use quinoa, as this is all new to me! 

I was browsing some of my favorite food blogs for ideas to use my quinoa and found this recipe for Black Bean and Bell Pepper Cous Cous Salad on Beantown Baker. I loved how Jen's salad uses so many of hubby and my favorite flavors: corn, black beans, cilantro, lime. Although Jen's salad uses Cous Cous, I substituted quinoa and added fresh sliced avocado on top. This salad was so filling and flavorsome. I loved the taste of  all the veggies with the zesty citrus dressing. The quinoa added a nutty, grainy taste and was a perfect addition. We ate it chilled for two days. It will be hard to find a more tasty use of quinoa!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Beantown Baker

Makes 8 Servings

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (my store was out so I used cilantro in a tube - great substitute)

1 cup corn (I used frozen corn kernels, thawed)

2 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to directions and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. 

Add green onions, red bell pepper, cilantro, corn, and beans and toss to coat.

Fluff the quinoa and break up any chunks. Add the quinoa to the bowl with the veggies and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Stoplight Corn Chowder

To mix things up a bit in the new year, my husband and I decided to eat only vegetarian meals at home for the month of January. This decision was actually hubby's idea. I was telling him that while he was gone for six weeks this fall I didn't buy any meat to cook at home. So he suggested cooking vegetarian at home for a month. I was all for it and am having a lot of fun looking up yummy vegetarian recipes to try. If you have a favorite vegetarian dish, please share it with me! 

I saw this recipe for Stoplight Corn Chowder on Food and Whine. The name comes from the red pepper, green pepper, and corn. Cute, huh? I love corn chowder but the ones I've had always incorporate chicken, so I was interested in seeing how the soup would taste without it. I took Megan's advice and added in Navy Beans for extra protein. I made this soup last week when my sister in law was visiting. All three of us really liked it. It was filling, comforting, and had great flavor. Give this soup a try, you won't miss the meat at all!

Stoplight Corn Chowder

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cups corn

1 cup navy beans

2 vegetable boullon squares

3 tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Optional for garnish: crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, and/or sliced green onions

Directions

In the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pepper and onions and saute until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in Navy Beans.

Crumble bouillon over pepper and corn mixture. 

Sprinkle flour atop peppers. Whisk in milk. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir over medium heat until chowder begins to thicken. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted. 

Garnish if desired before serving.