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!!  :)

Duo of Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup Shooters

Inspiration comes from the oddest places sometimes.  One day last week, one of my sons missed the bus.  Ughh!  Haven't we all been there?  So Lily and I had to really hustle to load up and get him to school on time (yes, in pajamas).  Did I mention it was super cold, dark, blustery and raining?  Anyway, on the way there, Lily started talking about farmers.  We were discussing all the reasons why they are so important to us, and all the wonderful products that they bring us.  When I mentioned growing carrots, the next thing that popped out of Lily's mouth was... "And don't forget parsnips!  Carrots AND parsnips!"  I suppose that I roast these two together so much (see my Roasted Carrots and Parsnips) that my kids automatically think of this duo as a natural team.   I should also mention that when the weather is cold and miserable, I have been conditioned since childhood to think of having a nice comforting soup.  So at her suggestion, a little light bulb in my brain yelled "YES!  Roasted Carrots and Parsnips.... in a soup!  Let's do this!!"  And now here we are!

At the risk of having a boring soup, I have taken the liberty of making these a little more exciting!  So I am bringing you a Curried Roasted Carrot Soup with a Gingered Roasted Parsnip Soup.  Together, these flavors are evocative of the warm and exotic flavors of Indian cuisine.. creamy and rich, yet light all at the same time.  This duo would make an excellent appetizer soup as a first course for a dinner party.  Don't worry, they aren't spicy... just yummmmm!  Yes, parsnips can be a little spicy, but the roasting makes both the parsnips and the carrots so wonderful and sweet.

Curried Carrot Soup -

• 4 cups chopped carrots
  
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped from stems
• 3 cloves garlic
• EVOO + kosher salt + pepper for roasting
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
• 1/6 cup celery, chopped fine
• 3/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup half and half

Gingered Parsnip Soup -

• 3 cups parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped from stems
• 3 cloves garlic
• EVOO + kosher salt + pepper for roasting
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
• 1/6 cup celery, chopped fine
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup half and half

Garnish for both -

• light sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• fresh dill sprigs

Step-by-Step:

Prep - This part can be done in advance, with the roasted veggies being stored in the refrigerator.  Peel and cut the carrots and parsnips into about 1/4" pieces.  Season them with some EVOO, kosher salt, and black pepper.  Add whole garlic cloves and some fresh thyme leaves to the sheet pan.  Roast them all together for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.  They should be soft with a slightly caramelized edge, and taste sweeter.  Not only the carrots and parsnips will be sweeter, but also the roasted garlic.  Roasting takes the "bite" out of it, making it way more mellow.

4 cups carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces

3 cups parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces

You may want to rotate the pans halfway through.  My pans were too large to put both of them on the same level.

Now to put the soups together -

Saute the onions and celery in butter in a saucepan.  This will be base for both, so you can do it together and split them, or do them separately.  I sauteed the onions and celery together before separating them.

3 Tbsp butter (or 1 1/2 Tbsp to each pot)

1/2 cup onion (or 1/4 cup to each pot), diced

I always keep chopped celery in the freezer.  It's so convenient!

1/3 cup total (1/6 cup to each) of chopped celery. 

 

At this point, if you have sauteed the veggies together, separate them into two pots.

For the parsnip soup, add fresh ginger that has been peeled and finely minced.

1 1/2 tsp ginger, peeled and finely minced

For the carrot soup, add the curry powder.

3/4 tsp curry powder added to the pot for the carrot soup

Allow those flavors to marry together with the sauteed vegetables a few minutes, then deglaze with chicken stock.   You could easily make this vegetarian by using a vegetable stock if you wish.

2 cups chicken broth added to each pot

Add the roasted vegetables to the appropriate pots.  Season with a bit of salt and let them cook about 5 minutes.  All we are doing here is allowing all the flavors to come together.  The veggies are already done.  

Add the roasted veggies to each pot, respectively

1/4 tsp kosher salt added to each pot

Curried Carrot

Gingered Parsnip

Now - time for some fun!  

Add the contents of the soup (one at a time), to a food processor.   You could also use an immersion blender to do this right in the pot.  You could use a blender, but please be very careful and let the soups cool first if you do.  Hot soup in a blender can be an explosive situation.  Take it from me!   Process until smooth.  Add the water to thin it.  You could also add the water once you put the puree back in the pot if you are using a food processor with a smaller bowl.

curried carrot soup

1 cup water added to each

Repeat for the other soup.

gingered parsnip soup

return the purees back to their pots.

For the final touch, add the half and half to each pureed soup.  Adjust seasonings as you see fit.

1/2 cup half and half to the carrot soup

1/4 cup half and half to the parsnip soup

This soup can be served hot or cold.  Your choice.  To make the "duo" as I have, pour each one at the same time into your shooters or bowl from opposite sides (at the same rate, obviously).  Garnish with a dab of sour cream and a fresh sprig of dill.  That big of tangy, creamy sour cream really brings this soup up a new level!

I also sliced up a baguette of French bread, then buttered and toasted them up in a griddle pan to serve along with the soup.  If you are serving the soup in a bowl, these are great for "dunking" in the soup!

Of course you can serve the soup in a bowl, too!

I hope you have enjoyed this recipe.
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