Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini-Radish Slaw

Big things are happening in sports.  What I mean by that is, isn't something big always happening in sports?  World Series here.  World cup there.  Match point.  Touch down.

I can honestly hardly keep track of it all.  But specifically...college football decided to throw up all over the place.  I barely knew who was part of the Big Ten LAST year (/the last million years).  Big 12?  What?  And now they changed it all and ...shoot.  I am lost.  

I do know that my CO Buffs do not play my hometown Huskers anymore.  This would have come in handy over the past five years of driving through Western Nebraska with my Buffs sweatshirt on.  

Are these tacos a good "game snack"?  Not really.  But they have corn in them.  Corn huskers!  Football!  Sports!

Ok, let's focus.  I really like these tacos.  And everyone needs a good vegetarian taco up their sleeve.  I was drawn to this recipe because it doesn't do the typical replacement of meat with beans.  Which I love.  But it is nice to have something else.  And let's be honest, we need to find more things to do with radishes.  Very few people are like my dad and eat them straight up as part of a relish tray.  I like radishes finely chopped or thinly sliced.  My radishes were some weird variety that is yellow on the inside, in case you are trying to finding them in the photos.  

Lastly, the sour cream is really nice with these tacos.  Not that the addition of sour cream ever hurt a taco, but in this case, I think it really rounds it out nicely.  But I also had these tacos without sour cream and I wasn't complaining.  I made these for my ultimate team this past summer the night before one our tournaments.  We made these and fish tacos and I was digging these more than the fish tacos, surprisingly.  Super satisfying.  

Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini-Radish Slaw

adapted from smitten kitchen

1/2 pound red radishes

small (4 to 5 ounces) zucchini, long and narrow

2 limes

4 ears corn, husks removed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon light oil, plus additional if blistering tacos in skillet

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces or 70 grams) crumbled queso fresco

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

10 to 12 small (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

sour cream

Cut radishes and zucchini into tiny match stacks. Toss radishes and zucchini together. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the radish, and season with salt to taste. Add more lime juice and some chopped cilantro, if desired. Set aside. Over a hot grill or an open gas-stove flame char the corn until well-blackened but not completely burnt. Remove cobs from heat, and when cool enough to handle, shave off kernels using a large knife and reserve.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and oil together and once hot, add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to high, add the charred kernels of corn to the mixture, and toss to combine until heated through. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the corn mixture, and use the juice to scrape up any stuck bits. Season the corn mixture with salt and chili powder. Stir in chopped herbs, if using.

Heat your tortillas by places over an open gas flame. Or coat the bottom of a castiron skillet with olive oil and wipe it out so on the thinnest slick remains. Heat the skillet on high. Once hot, cook a tortilla for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, until lightly blistered. Repeat with remaining tortillas but if your skillet is well-seasoned, no need to repeat the oiling process.

Fill each taco with a few small spoonfuls of the corn mixture. Top with a spoonful of crumbled cheese, the radish-zucchini slaw and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with an extra lime wedge on the side (you’ll have half a lime left to slice up).

(Servings: 4, Prep Time: 40 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:  

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Roasted Edamame Salad

Let's say I am trying to find out if there are more babies born each year in a particular month.  Or if there is a month where the least amount of babies are born.  How do you think I would go about that google search?

Option 1 - Short and Sweet

"babies born each month"

Option 2 - Old School

"babies + (common dates of conception or common date of births) + frequency"

Option 3 - In the Form of a Question

"Dear Google, 

How are you doing today?

I was just wondering, what is the most common month when babies are born?  While you are at it, what is the least common month?  

Hugs and Kisses, 

Shanon"

Option 4 - Start Broad, Click to Find More

"baby birth statistics"

What kind of searcher are YOU?  98% of the time my searches are in the form of a question.  While I do not write a letter to google each time I search, I do like to treat google as much like a human as possible.  Just like how I treat my dog.  It is called respect, people.  

If you were wondering, after some research, the answer to the questions seems to be that most babies are born in late fall.  The least amount of births happen somewhere in late winter/springish.  These are US statistics and are semi-unofficial.  But that seems to be the trend.  

Try this salad!  It is so good!  Roasting the edamame and corn makes it nutty and delicious.  This could also be eaten with tortilla chips as a salsa type thing.  

Roasted Edamame Salad

by Alton Brown via FoodNetwork

12 ounces fresh or frozen shelled edamame, about 2 cups

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, about 2 ears of corn

1/4 cup finely diced scallion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the edamame, corn, scallion, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper into a 13 by 9 metal pan and stir to combine. Place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the edamame begins to brown. Remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator until completely cool, approximately 30 minutes.

Add the tomato, basil and vinegar to the edamame mixture and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

(Servings: 4, Prep/Cook time: 40 min., Chill time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Ham, Black Bean and Corn Pizza with Fontina Cheese

Having pizza every night is fine if you put corn on it.  And black beans.  Those things are healthy.  

It is like...you think Mexican...but then you get a bite of Fontina.  Fontina ain't Mexican!  

That line should definitely be erased.  It makes no sense.  

I really have nothing to say.  But I already got this far.  

Ham, Black Bean and Corn Pizza with Fontina Cheese

pizza dough (1/2 this recipe)

1/2 cup of tomato sauce

1/4 cup of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup of frozen corn

1 cups of shredded mozzarella (I used whole milk)

4 thin slices of ham

2-4 ounces of Fontina cheese, sliced

2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

pepper

Place pizza stone in oven on middle/bottom rack and preheat to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.

Roll/stretch out dough. Using a pastry brush, brush the 1 tsp of olive oil on the outer rim of the dough. Spoon and spread out the tomato sauce on to the dough, leaving a half inch border around the edge. Add black beans, corn, shredded mozzarella, ham, fontina cheese and top with green onions. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese and crust are golden brown.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  6/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  1/5

Roasted Corn and Poblano Polenta with Cumin and Chili Shrimp

I saw this recipe on a new blog that I recently found, elly says opa.  I knew right away that Scot would love this dish.  It has all his favorite things.  He loves Mexican flavors, especially the flavor of corn.  

The idea of transforming a normally Italian polenta dish into something Mexican is pure genius.  I mean, the corn flavor of polenta pairs so well with Mexican.  

I love freshly roasted peppers.  Even though I do use jarred roasted red peppers to speed up a week night meal...roasting them yourself is amazing.  I have never seen other varieties of jarred roasted peppers, so most of the time I have to roast them, anyways.  But they take on a whole new thang.  SO good.  In fact, I used two poblano peppers instead of one, as the original recipe suggested.

We had this polenta with cumin and chili shrimp, as Elly suggested.  Just season cleaned shrimp with salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.  Then, saute in a little oil over medium-high heat, 1-2 minutes per side. 

Lastly, the cheese is really optional.  I only added it because I already shredded it.  But, taste the polenta without it.  It is so creamy and delicious.  It doesn't need it at all.  

Roasted Corn & Poblano Polenta

adapted from elly says opa

2 poblano peppers

3/4 cup roasted corn (approximately 2 ears of fresh corn)

2 tsp. butter

1 clove garlic, grated

1-2/3 to 2 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the polenta)

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup (1 oz.) cheddar or Monterey jack cheese (optional)

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375° F. If using fresh, cut kernels off of ears of corn. Spread kernels in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about 10 minutes.

Turn oven to broiler setting, char the poblano peppers on all sides, until the skin is blistery and black. Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cooled, peel and dice.

(Alternatively, you can roast the corn and the poblano peppers on the grill.)

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until just fragrant. Stir in the chicken broth, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste; bring to a boil.

Slowly whisk in the polenta - it will absorb the liquid almost immediately. Add the diced poblano and corn. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese and re-season if necessary. Serve immediately.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 45 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

Zucchini and Corn Quinoa with Mexican Egg rolls

Scot was in love with this meal. I mean he loves everything. But he really loves Mexican. Both the egg rolls and the quinoa. This meal is so filling. I took a bite of a egg roll and was full. The quinoa too, very filling. And very satisfying.

I have been wanting to try quinoa for forever. It is a gluten-free grain. I like it. It is a little chewy and heartier than most grains. I don't think I made it completely right, but it still tasted really good. I ended up doing it more like a risotto. The water kept getting completely absorbed and I would have to add more. I ended up adding 1.5 times the amount of water. This has happened to me before with rice, so not really sure. But, regardless, it all worked out.

I have had Mexican egg rolls and made plenty of regular egg rolls, so this was fun for me. I love spring wrappers instead of the regular egg roll wrappers. I got that idea here. When frying anything, you can always do a shallow fry. I almost always do a shallow fry, because it wastes less oil.

Zucchini and Corn Taco Seasoned Quinoa

from Closet Cooking with modification by foodforscot

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water (plus up to 1 cup more)

1 batch taco seasoning (recipe below)

1 ear corn (grilled and kernels cut from cob) or 1 cup frozen corn, cooked

1 cup zucchini (grated)

1 cup black beans

1 green onion (sliced)

1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon oil

1 lime (juice)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cotija (crumbled)

Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the taco seasoning until the water is absorbed, about 40 minutes (I cooked it for over an hour). I had to keep adding water because the quinoa would soak up all the water and still be crunchy! I ended up adding another cup of water or more! Not sure why.

Mix the quinoa, corn, zucchini, black beans, green onion and cilantro in a large bowl. Dress with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with cotija cheese.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 1 hr., Difficulty: Easy)

Taco Seasoning

from Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon chili powder (toasted and ground dried chilies)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons cumin (toasted and ground)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything.

(makes enough to season 1 pound meat)

Printable Version

Mexican Egg Rolls

1/2 cup chicken, cooked and shredded

1 small onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup black beans, rinsed

1 8 oz can of diced green chilies, drained

1/2 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

salt

pepper

Spring roll wrappers

1 egg, beaten

light frying oil (about 2 cups)

In a skillet in a tbsp of oil, cook onion until softened. Add corn and cook until warm. Add beans and green chilies.

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, veggie mixture, cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Preheat oil in deep skillet or shallow pot. You will need at least approximately an inch deep of oil (you can also deep fry them).

To wrap egg rolls, lay one wrapper with corners pointing right and left (and up and down). Fill with about 1/2 cup of filling. Bring bottom corner up and over filling, fold in both side corners, tightly roll until there is about 2 inches left. Brush remaining corner with egg wash and continue roll to make a nice seal. Carefully fry them in batches. If doing a shallow fry, you will need to fry each side for about 3 minutes on each side.

Serve with dipping sauce.

(Servings: 8 egg rolls, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

Mexican Chopped Salad

Last night's dinner. I never posted it because...ummm.....maybe....I was going INSANE. Ask Scot. Exams and whatnot. But, I am good now. My semi-official New Years' resolution was to focus on keeping my life in balance. I am doing pretty decent.

This salad was delish. I love chopped salads. I really liked the Cotija cheese, which is similar to feta if you have never had it. Scot was a big fan too. Main dish salad!!! Woo!

Mexican Chopped Salad

2 cups of fresh or frozen corn

1 can of black beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained

1 tomato, diced

1/4 cup of finely diced red onion

1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

1/3 cup of crumbed Cotija cheese

2 limes, zest and juice

some olive oil

salt and pepper

1 avocado, seeded and diced

1 head of lettuce (I used green leaf lettuce), diced

If using fresh corn, boil the cobs for about 3-4 minutes and rinse with cold water to stopping the cooking. Remove kernels from cob. If using frozen corn, microwave for about 5 minutes and rinse with cold water and thoroughly drain.

Mix together, corn, black beans, tomato, red onion, cilantro, cheese and lime zest. Dress with juice of one lime, olive oil, salt and pepper. Put diced avocado on top of mixture. Squeeze half of lime over it. Add lettuce and the rest of the lime and

a little more olive oil. Carefully toss, avoiding the avocadoes as much as possible. Serve with tortilla chips or strips.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 0 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version