Corn Cakes with Cilantro Lime Cream

Oh the joys of the sweet summer produce!  The stores are full of sweet corn right now..... the ears are fat and juicy and seemingly ready to burst.  That also means that this is when they are inexpensive and abundant - which is fabulous news for consumers looking for a great deal.  My daughter loves helping me pick out the ears of corn and is always up for a new recipe involving one of her favorite vegetables.  I actually found this recipe in a Diabetic Living magazine.  It looked so good I knew I must try it, so I brought the magazine home and adapted it a just bit to suit my tastes.

You gotta love a recipe where you can just dump everything together, pan fry it for a few minutes, and have something this lovely come out of it...right?  I think I need an "amen" here!  And even if I can't hear you over the computer, Lily proclaimed "these are amazing!"  So I'll take that any day of the week.  :)

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Ingredients for corn cakes:

• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup grated carrot (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet bell peppers (mixed colors)
• canola oil for pan frying

Ingredients for cilantro lime cream:

• 3/4 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt 
• 4 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp milk
• 2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onion
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Step-by-Step:
I will begin by making the cilantro lime cream first.  That way, the flavors will have time to marry together.  Also, when these babies are done... I want to be able to eat them hot... and not have to wait on making the dip.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients and set aside.  That's it.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking if you insist on making it more complicated.  :)

3/4 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt + 4 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice.  *You could also use sour cream if you don't have Greek yogurt available.

2 tsp milk + 2 Tbsp thinly sliced green onion

3/4 cup fresh cilantro + 1/2 tsp black pepper

Here's our dip!  

Okay, lets move on to the corn cakes.  The thing to do here is to get all your ingredients prepped first.  After that, all there is to do is dump it all together.  So chop, dice, measure, and grate before you get going, and this will be a piece of cake.

2 cups fresh corn (about 2 nice ears of corn should do it)

In a large bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, and salt.  Then whisk in the milk, eggs and egg whites until combined.  Not only will all these eggs hold our corn cakes together, but we are upping the protein content tremendously (and the two extra egg whites have zero fat)!

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs + 1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 tsp table salt + 1/4 cup milk

2 whole eggs, lightly beaten + 2 egg whites lightly beaten

Whisk together.

Stir in the grated carrot, sweet peppers, black pepper, and corn niblets that you have cut off of the cob.  If you don't have fresh corn available, perhaps you could try frozen, but I don't think I would recommend the canned version.  If you were feeling a bit adventurous, and were making these just for adults, I think some chopped, fire roasted jalapenos would be a phenomenal additional to this recipe!

1/2 cup grated carrot  + 1/2 cup chopped sweet bell peppers (mixed colors)

 2 cups fresh corn niblets, cut from the cob (obviously, ha ha).

1/2 tsp black pepper

canola oil for pan frying

Let's cook!

Add a tablespoon or so of canola oil in the bottom of a heavy pan.  Today I chose a 14" cast enamel pan.

I think this would work well in a nonstick pan, or a black iron skillet, also. 

Once the oil gets hot, portion out about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan over medium high heat, into individual portions.

Cook about 6 minutes, flipping them only once.  Then repeat with the remaining batter, adding more canola oil as needed.  

You may want to turn the heat down to more of a medium once the pan really heats up.  You know your pan/stove combination best. 

 

Serve with the cilantro lime cream on the side.  But of course, if you don't care for cilantro or something like that, feel free to substitute something else!  It's your dish - knock it out of the park!!  :)

Food Nerd Notes:  A reader has pointed out to me that these are a variation of Indonesian corn cakes called Perkedel Jagung, which just happens to be one of the most popular foods in Indonesia.  How cool is that?!  It's apparently one of those things where every Indonesian family has a slightly different recipe, with various theories on how to make them. Some people add spring onions, while others add kaffir lime leaves. Some add peeled shrimp, while some, like this one, just skip it for the vegetarian version. 

I hope you enjoyed this simple and delicious recipe!
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Written Method:

Begin by making the cilantro lime cream first.  That way, the flavors will have time to marry together.  Also, when the corn cakes are done, you won't have to wait on making the dip.  In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients and set aside.  That's it.  Adjust the seasoning to your liking.  

Okay, lets move on to the corn cakes.  The thing to do here is to get all your ingredients prepped first.  After that, all there is to do is dump it all together.  So chop, dice, measure, and grate before you get going.

In a large bowl, combine Panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, and salt.  Then whisk in the milk, eggs and egg whites until combined.  Not only will all these eggs hold our corn cakes together, but we are upping the protein content tremendously (and the two extra egg whites have zero fat)!

Stir in the grated carrot, sweet peppers, black pepper, and corn niblets that you have cut off of the cob. 

Add a tablespoon or so of canola oil in the bottom of a heavy pan.  Once the oil gets hot, portion out about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan over medium high heat, into individual portions.  Cook about 6 minutes, flipping them only once.  Then repeat with the remaining batter, adding more canola oil as needed.  You may want to turn the heat down to more of a medium once the pan really heats up.  You know your pan/stove combination best. 

 

Serve with the cilantro lime cream on the side.  But of course, if you don't care for cilantro or something like that, feel free to substitute something else!  It's your dish - knock it out of the park!!  :)

Brady's Brussels Sprouts Hash

This is a "guest post" of sorts.  This recipe was created by my son, Brady.  They may be the best Brussels sprouts I've ever had.  It is so wonderful having people in your life who can put together a meal, and who can bring a kernel of an idea into fruition of a fabulous dish!

First of all, let's be honest.  Caramelized onions and bacon would be good on a flip flop, so you know they will be great in this dish!  But the rest of the flavor profile is spot on; and the first time he made this, the two of us stood there eating it out of the pan.  We love fresh roasted Brussels sprouts here, and we're always looking for new ways to prepare them.  Last weekend I planted some out in the garden, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll have a bumper crop!

Click for Printable Recipe

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 1/2 pound of fresh Brussels sprouts
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 small onions (about 2 cups sliced)
• 2 oz pine nuts, dry toasted
• 4 strips cooked bacon, cut into pieces
• 3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano + more for plating
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste 

Step-by-Step:

Prep all the ingredients first.  Shave the Brussels sprouts on the mandolin, using the "stem" as a handle. 

1/2 pound of fresh Brussels sprouts

We always use fresh Brussels sprouts... never frozen or canned.  I just feel good buying fresh ingredients for my family.  We also prefer the taste of fresh produce when it's available.

Please be careful when allowing your children to use the mandolin.  It is extremely sharp, but an excellent way to get super thin, consistent slices.

Slice the onions very thinly.

2 small onions (about 2 cups sliced)

Toast your nuts. Brady used pine nuts, but other nuts would be just as nice.  These were dry toasted until golden.  Watch them carefully.  Don't skip this step.... the toasted nuts have a completely different taste than the raw ones.

2 oz pine nuts, dry toasted

Cook and chop the bacon.   He cut them into about 1/2" pieces.

4 strips cooked bacon, cut into pieces

Caramelized the onions in the butter.  Bring them up to a bit of color on a medium heat, then reduce heat to medium-low/low for about 15/20 minutes until they are beautiful and brown and sweet. 

Once they onions are pretty much caramelized, add in the shaved Brussels sprouts.  Cook on medium for a few minutes. 

Add in the other ingredients and adjust seasonings.  He started with 3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar..

The smoky bacon pieces

The kosher salt

The grated Parmesan

3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano

Looking great, huh?

Toasted pine nuts

2 oz pine nuts, dry toasted

Olive oil

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

To serve, finish the dish with a little extra Parmesan at the very end.

The kitchen master!  He has the "stance" of a professional chef... focused and meticulously adjusting his seasonings until they are just perfect!

Seriously, if you could only taste these flavors!

Okay, so this doesn't have a whole lot to do with the Brussels sprouts hash, but we served it with beef medallions, so I thought I'd pass that along.  I have one reader who always writes to ask me about the preparation of other dishes that I serve my recipes with.... So this is for you, Beth!  :) I love this cut because it is super tender, and super lean.  If you prefer something else, go for it!

2 beef filets

We're going to slice them into beautiful medallions, so they will cook really quickly.  It will also spread out the meat, which stretches your dollar!  I mean seriously, these filets are like little roasts.  We don't really need to eat THAT much at a time!

Allow your beef to come to room temperature.  Basically, just take them out when you start the hash.  This will give you more even cooking.  Season well on both sides.  Oh - another thing... make sure your meat is dry on the outside in order to get the best sear.

Montreal steak seasoning

I'm using my grill pan for these, and butter.  Yep.  Butter.  Don't shoot me!

1 - 2 Tbsp butter

You want your pan really really hot!  And remember, these guys are thin now (and no longer cold in the middle), so they only take a couple of minutes on each side to cook to a medium.   Also, they will continue to rise in temperature a bit while they are resting.

Ok, so there's not a really great way to make shaved Brussels sprouts look pretty, but please trust me when I tell you that these were amazing!  If you have someone in your family who says they don't like them, this would be a great recipe to introduce them to!  I would put this meal on any restaurant menu out there!

I sure am proud of Brady and his awesome recipe creation!  In case you are wondering, he's 14!  He made me a deal one day that if I picked him up from school (rather than riding home on the bus), he would help me cook.  And this is what he came up with!  REALLY?!! 

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Here are some "bonus" recipes for you!

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