Mexico City Corn

Since migrating from the Midwest there have been no shortage of jokes about my knowledge and love of corn being a direct result of the fact I grew up near corn fields. Yes, that's right, all heartland expats share a secret society of knowledge about this starchy vegetable. So imagine my surprise when I bit into my first ear of the season at Standard the other week and my mind was blown.

I'm not a purist when it comes to how you prepare corn. (Although I will say, why boil it when you can grill it?) But this was a new spicy, delectable preparation: Mexico City Style Corn on the Cob. Holy blessed street food.

I was hot to trot for a recipe to try and reproduce this new veggie champion. Common ingredients across recipes included chili pepper, cayenne pepper, mayo, lime, cheese (Parmesan vs. Cotija), black pepper.  Beyond that the variations included sour cream or butter, garlic, cilantro. Some are also very specific about leaving the husks on as handles or not. If you do, just soak them in advance so you don't smoke up your grill.

The version I ended up using, I would make a couple tweaks to next time. I would use the cotija instead of the parm. It really is different enough to matter; I would add a  little cheese on top after slathering the corn; and add a little more heat to the mix with an extra shake of cayenne. This version is from Cook's Illustrated.


1/4 cup regular or light mayonnaise

3 tablespoons sour cream

3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons juice from 1 lime

1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt

6 large ears corn, husks and silk removed 

While grill is heating, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, black pepper, cayenne (if using), lime juice, and cheese in large bowl; set aside. In second large bowl, combine oil, salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; add corn and toss until coated evenly.

Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, 7 to 12 minutes total. Remove from grill and place in bowl with mayonnaise mixture; toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Fresh on the Doorstep

Our first haul from Arganica.

Being more conscious of where our food comes from can be a taxing effort and I'm not even close to pinning down the source on every item I ingest or purchase. However, in an effort to eat more local and support our local/regional farmers we've joined Arganica. A bit of a spin on a CSA, this group gives us what we loved about the easy organic delivery from Washington Green Grocer with a commitment to buying local. 

Oh, and did I mention an awesome list of additional items we can add to our order every week? We did a four week trial run and we're definitely hooked. Yes, we're paying more for vegetables than if we just went to the store. I've read and referred to this myself as a "yuppie tax."

Here is my justification. If we can't increase the demand for locally sourced foods, the supply isn't going to increase and we can't achieve any economies of scale to impact the supply chain in our markets. In addition, it forces me to plan our weekly menus around fresh, seasonal vegetables. This has required me to be open to researching and cooking some veggies I would not readily purchase. No it's not all kale.

In fact there's a delicata squash waiting for me to figure out how to cook next week. Luckily it has a long shelf life so I can tackle the familiar butternut squash this week.

Also, having a magic delivery person leave a box on your front door step on a Sunday morning is a great way to kick off the week. The double smoked bacon, Belgian chocolate milk and local butter we added to our order last week didn't hurt either. It may just be the best bacon we've ever had. Full stop.

Burger Burger

Vegetables are something I usually prepare to put on burgers, not in burgers. So this weekend when I prepared to host a cook out for a combination of omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans I had to create a different kind of menu.

I wanted to make sure that everyone could enjoy the menu. So our combined efforts includes lots of grilled veggies, gorgeous orzo salad, delicious veggies with hummus and tapenade and chips/salsa. 

I used my small chopper to process the
oats/pumpkins seeds, spice blend, carrots
and black beans.

 Besides the regular burgers, turkey burgers and hotdogs, I attempted my first purposely vegan recipe, black bean burgers. It seemed that most recipes call for a fairly sophisticated spice blend, a vegetable binder, and the beans smashed and whole.

This particular recipe had a bit of a Indian spice profile and the verdict from vegans and omnivores was that it's a keeper.

I found the process of making the burgers simple and intriguing since it's a careful balance of binding the ingredients and adding enough flavor. I'm not giving up meat anytime soon, but I will certainly be exploring more vegan-inspired recipes.

Vegan Bean Burger Recipe from Daily Garnish
Makes 6 burgers.

• 2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup dry rolled oats
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

To Prepare:  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Next, add the oats and pepitas to your food processor and grind until coarsely chopped (they will still be a little chunky).  Let it run for roughly 10 seconds.  Grate the carrots, and then add to your mixture in the food processor.  Add 3/4 of the beans, all spices, and the olive oil.  Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whir and mix it all together.

Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and then fold in the rest of the whole, reserved beans.  Wet your hands and then form into 6 medium sized patties.  Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or into a baking pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle.  If you want to grill these, pre-bake them for 30 minutes at 300, and then throw them on the grill to reheat and get a little extra browning.

New Summer Salad Favorite

Cooking through everything we purchased in one week ended up stretching into two week, but I am happy to say that we actually did it. No leftovers were thrown out. No limp celery was discovered at the bottom of the drawer. And this couscous salad recipe may be my new bomb-digity go to recipe for summer. It calls for making the veggies on the grill, but given our lack of ready access to a grill, I decided to roast them.

One note: This recipe makes a lot of salad. I mean enough to take to a picnic with 20 of your closest friends, so cutting it in half  or more would be a good way to go if you don't want it for every meal for five days. That being said, it is delicious cold and at room temp so it makes the perfect office lunch item.

I also doctored up a quick peach cobbler with very ripe peaches from the fridge. Yum.

Now I need to come up with recipes for the quinoa, jasmine rice, and navy beans in my cabinet. My orzo is going to be made into this (thanks to M for the idea!). Ideas welcome.

Ode to Tomato Soup

Or perhaps "A realization of my obsession with tomatoes in all forms." The summer tomato harvest isn't even in sight and I am already unconsciously peppering my cooking with a disproportionate amount of tomato goodness. Exhibit A: Cook's Illustrated Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Yes, it's so good you capitalize every word. 

Note on Cooks Illustrated: It's a subscriber website, but they have a free 14-day trial, so if you aren't already a convert, scurry over there for this download and the one below.

Four days after that pizza, still eating it. Crust-still awesome. Sauce to cheese ratio-outstanding. A true leftovers champ. Inspired by this success and also because I meal planned around making it, I dove into Cook's Illustrated recipe #2 (Exhibit B) of the week, the creamy creamless tomato soup.

The headline: 45 minutes start to finish with time to make accompanying grilled cheese. Also, I continue my love affair with my stick blender. Wow that thing can blend a mean soup.

So back to the soup. Over the winter I put my crockpot to hard use making beef stew, chili, chicken noodle soup, etc. Now with the weather being a cluster as of late the crisp, rainy days have left me wanting a warm bowl of something.

Initial Soup Base

This quick tomato soup was the answer. There's nothing in this recipe you don't already have in your kitchen or could easily source at any grocery store. The only reason I'm not listing said recipe is I think CI is really strict about reproducing recipes. The kick in this recipe comes red chili pepper flakes, bread, brandy, the right onion/garlic ratio.

The full soup before boiling and blending.

I started to run it through a very fine mesh strainer to make it smoother, but it was taking forever and it was already pretty fine, so I just went with it as is and I'm not looking back. I'm already thinking about the next bowl. And the cream? Didn't miss it at all. It's a full bodied soup that when paired with a dairy ladden grilled cheese or salad is right on point.

Why have I generally skipped over tomato soups all of my life? I love tomatoes in every form. Well, I'll be making amends with this soup right through into caprese season. I mean summer.

Roasty Toasty

Roast vegetables form a gloriously delicious bridge between grill season and winter's embrace. We happily crank up our ovens as the evenings get chilly, filling our homes with scents of the season and tastes we crave.

The unassuming butternut squash transforms after spending an hour at 325 degrees accompanied by an onion and a few heads of garlic (and a few brutal moments with a stick blender). Yes, butternut squash soup is a standard in the fall repertoire, but it's a satisfyingly quick soup that covers at least a few meals and is even better when reheated.

Here's the cream free option that I keep tweaking each time I make it. Easily doubled, but frankly I just make it again rather than stock up. It makes the house smell so yummy.

1 large butternut squash
1 large-ish onion (yellow or whatever is in the fridge)
3-4 cloves of garlic (this really mellows when you roast it, so if you want it more pronounced add more)
Olive oil or oil of choice
pinch of salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
1 tbs fresh grated ginger

Preheat over to 325 degrees.
Cut squash in half, clean out seeds and goo (I use my melon baller for this).
Chop onion into very large slice/chunks and peel garlic cloves.
Place squash cut sides down onto baking sheet and sprinkle onions and garlic around the halves.
Roast 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I check the onions and typically sprinkle a little olive oil on them to keep them roasting down and not drying out. (or you can toss then in olive oil to start, works the same). Roast another 30 minutes (or if pre-oiled, just go 60 minutes).

Pull out, let cool a little bit or if you have hearty fingers dive right into scooping out squash into soup pot. Blend squash, onions and garlic with stick blender in pot, adding a touch of vegetable broth slowly until consistency you think you want (I prefer slightly thicker). Add in ginger and s/p to taste.

Allow soup to cook on medium to medium low for around 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Eat.

Garnish options:
-Dollop of sour cream or yogurt
-Cinnamon, nutmeg or cayenne pepper
-Ginger butter (brown 4 tbs of butter, add in fresh grated ginger)
-Bits of candied ginger

Miss the creamy? Add in up to 1/2 cup of heavy cream during the cooking/ginger step.

Yea for an easy Meatless Monday option.

Eating that Cow is Like Driving an SUV or Be More Friendly with Veggies

Let's be clear. I am an Omnivore, but I have not finished the copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma that's been on my side table for more than a year. Nor have I consumed In Defense of Food, the Caveman Diet, or the myriad of other writings on healthier, organic eating. (I do plan to make my way through at least Pollan's work as a start). So at this moment, I am not yet scarred by the horrific images of our food chain.

My Midwestern roots currently keep me firmly comfortable with consuming most meats and veggies. And no, I do not know 100 ways to prepare corn just because I know how to detassel it.

I also have no aversion to vegetables. With very few exceptions (sorry lima beans and collard greens) I am friendly with produce. Bring on the roasted brussels sprouts, steamed or grilled asparagus, peas by the pound, and so much more.

Yet, when putting together a dinner menu for the week, I am always following the unspoken triangle in my head: meat, veggie, starch. This does not mean only pot roast and pork chops. We eat a lot of fish (a potential problem and separate post) by way of tilapia, salmon, and sea bass. We also tend to use ground buffalo now more than ground beef thanks to the Buffalo Lady at the Kansas City farmer's market. (Note: Only Whole Foods and Wegmans in our area consistently carry Buffalo and even then, very little variety.)

So, when the idea was presented that eating one additional meatless meal per week could have a real impact on the environment, I was intrigued. After all, I'm pro-veggie, so why not consciously make a choice to eat a meal entirely built around them (fruits too, but I am not a fruitarian).

The environmental cost of meat. Eating one pound of meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gases as driving an SUV 40 miles. It's the supply chain and the product itself that hurts us on this one.

An interesting piece in NewScientist reviews new research on this issue:

• Cutting back on beefburgers and bacon could wipe $20 trillion off the cost of fighting climate change.
• The livestock sector receives surprisingly little attention, despite the fact that it accounts for 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions and for 80% of total anthropogenic land use.

"The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century."

Many of us could argue, we already eat at least one meal a week that doesn't contain an animal protein. So, why not add another? That is the question I am pondering as I plan my weekly meals.

The easy solution of course is stir fry (I know, you thought I was going to say cheese pizza). This past year I have started to embrace wok cooking. For the record, the wok is genius. Why on earth I didn't bother before and why I don't use it more is a perfect example of why we cook what we know. I didn't grow up with wok cooking, I didn't have an early exposure to wok cooking, so I just didn't do it.

Between a trip to China and a trip the Philippines our household suddenly became intrigued enough by the capable piece of cookware to ask for one (thanks mom!). But let's be honest, cooking veggie stir fry takes a lot of prep. Seriously look at all these veggies:

It is going to take some serious re-prioritization to get me to chop that many veggies more than once a week, so I think additional veggie dinner choices are going to have to be explored (again, beyond pizza).

In case you're wondering, all those veggies cook down in about 10 minutes and are delicious on  rice (in this case jasmine, it's what I had on hand).

So, I'm in pursuit of non-pasta, non-carb heavy meat free options to take our house from one meal meat free a week, to at least two.