Corn on the Cob Quickstyle!

Happy 10.10.10 @ 10:10pm!

Congrats to JSpa & Flo for their new baby boy, Oliver who was born today! & our great friend Kyle & Alex who got engaged! LOVE is in the air, homies! <3

So here's a quick & easy recipe to store for whenever you need it!

I've developed a new love for fresh corn on the cob! So I've tested out SO many different ways to cook it quickly and efficiently! My go-to over the last month or two has been to cheat by using the microwave. Which may have been common sense to most of you, but I had no clue- until my friend [Rainey] told me she sometimes used the microwave! So I tested out a few different methods and voila! Fresh corn on the cob in approximately 3 minutes! How's that for quick and easy? Growing up in East L.A., it was part of my everyday culture to stop at any given corner on Whittier Blvd. & buy corn on the cob from the street vendors. I loved getting it slathered with mayo, cotija cheese, melted butter, powdered chile and some lime! Wooowee! Soooo yum! Although that recipe is still a comfort food that takes me back, I wanted to do a different version with what I had readily available in my refrigerator. I also have begun cooking an ear of corn and taking the corn off the cob, instead of buying a can- so much fresher and very convenient when it comes in my co-op basket!

Ingredients

• 2 ears of corn


• 2 tablespoons of veganaise or mayonnaise


• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper


• a few crumbles of your preferred cheese- I used feta because it's what I had on hand

Directions

1. Place fresh corn on the cob on a dampened paper towel in your microwave for 3-4 minutes. [Add a minute for more cobs, i.e. 3-4 cobs=5-6 minutes, & so on]! Do not remove the husks or silk. The corn will cook in its own moisture. Turn ears over & rotate them after 1.5-2 minutes! When the timer goes off, and the ears are hot, wrap them in a paper towel so they continue to steam for about 5 minutes.

About to be cooked!

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together your veganaise or mayonnaise with the cayenne pepper in a small bowl. You may want to omit the cayenne if you don't enjoy heat or add less! [As I've said before, it's one of my go-to spices]!

3. Remove the husks and silk (you can use a paper towel to help remove the silk- & trust me, it is super fast the more practice you get. Some people have advised to do it before as well- your preference!)

4. Spread cobs evenly with your mix and sprinkle with cheese crumbles.

ENJOY the sweet perfection!

FYI: Geoff did NOT like corn at all- especially on the cob and now he devours these! :)

Rosemary Wedges

Potatoes are probably my favorite root vegetable! They are extremely versatile and make up some of my favorite meals: mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, french fries (oh, my demise- I can never say no to a crunchy french fry! Limp ones need not apply)! They can be side dishes or main dishes! They can be added to stews, soups and make excellent salads. Ahh! AND they're good for you! They get a bad rap mainly due to the toppings we enjoy loading them with! Minus the added delicious junk, potatoes are rich in Vitamins (C, B6), potassium, iron, copper AND promote good blood-pressure levels!Okay, enough with the potato endorsement! ;)

This is one of Geoff's favorite recipes! Use as a side for veggie burgers or anything really!

[I'm still waiting for the recipe for homemade veggies burgers from my Roomie *ahem*]

They can be as crispy or soft as you'd like! But they do take awhile so be warned! It definitely depends on your oven!

Here they are about to go in the oven:

Rosemary Potato Wedges

 

Ingredients

• EVOO- a couple of tablespoons, at most


• Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges (any kind will do- I'm partial to Yukon Gold & Red but these are just 4-5 regular baking potatoes)


• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (from a jar is fine too- just make sure to chop those, too)


• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how much garlic you enjoy- we love a lot!)


• a couple of sprinkles of ginger and cayenne pepper


• 2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers


• chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional)


• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F.


2. Place the wedges in a bowl or plastic baggie. Add all of the dry ingredients and EVOO & either mix with your hands or shake all about in the bag! [I love this part!]


3. Make sure all the wedges are evenly coated! Spread the seasoned potatoes in a single layer on your baking dish or sheet.


4. Bake your potatoes until browned and to the consistency you prefer. Average is about 40 minutes! Occasionally, move the sheet around to ensure even baking!


5. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and ENJOY! :)

*Feel free to add any spices in your pantry that you have and prefer to make this recipe your own! For instance, I tend to add cayenne, ginger and garlic to most of my recipes because I love that spice combination!

& here they are before being devoured:

Riquísimo!

Easy Stuffed Peppers!

As you may or may not noticed, I love my recipes to be quick and easy. So I'm always looking for shortcuts to make cooking fast, easy and fun! Tonight I was in a rush to make dinner as I had just gotten back from training for my 5k and wanted to have dinner ready before the fiancé got home. I looked in the fridge and figured I should do something with my red bell peppers...and then I saw my green chile peppers looking a bit sad... Along with two ears of corn...so stuffed peppers it is! I found some leftover homemade salsa (I'm sure some from a jar would be fine, too) and from my pantry pulled out some rice, kidney beans (sure, why not? I've been meaning to use them for something) and voila! Well, kinda...if you go through the typical route of making stuffed peppers it'll take you well over an hour...I cheated and used to microwave to speed up the process. Of course, not using plastic in it and not standing in front of it ;)

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers & Green Chile Peppers

Ingredients

• 2 large red bell peppers, halved and seeded


• 3 large green chiles


• 6-8 oz of salsa- either homemade of from a jar


• 1 cup of white or brown rice (I made mine with garlic for more flavor)


• 1/2 onion


• 2 ears of corn


• 1 can kidney beans (drained & rinsed, optional)


• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes


• 1 dash each of the following: ginger, turmeric, cumin


• salt & peppers to taste


• homemade vegan Parmesan cheese*

Directions

1. Place two ears of corn in your microwave. Heat for 3 minutes. Peel back ears and voila! Amazingly perfect corn! :) Set aside to cool down.


2. Arrange pepper halves in a square glass baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap for vents, and heat 4 minutes in the microwave, or until tender.


3. Sauté onions in a small pot. Add kidney beans and cook through.


4. In a bowl, mix salsa & cooked rice. Stir.


5. Chop up one green chile (If you don't enjoy spicy foods you might want to reconsider adding this one)! Remove corn from the cob.


6. Stir in chile, corn, kidney beans, and red pepper flakes, ginger, turmeric, cumin, salt & pepper into the salsa/rice mix.


7. TASTE it! See what you'd like to add!


8. Spoon hot mixture evenly into pepper halves; if they got warm, cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic to vent steam, and heat in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Remove plastic, sprinkle with vegan Parmesan cheese*, and serve when ready! :)

Hearty, delicious and healthy! All peppers contain Vitamins A, C, K, Lycopene, fiber, antioxidants that prevent cancer, & improve your immune system!

*I'll add my recipe for this in a later post! ENJOY! ;)

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

I find that we have not been going to the grocery store as much as we used to and I am LOVING it! A few months ago, we started purchasing fruit & veggie baskets from a local co-op called "Bountiful Baskets" (www.bountifulbaskets.org). For a total of $16.50 you get an array of different fruits and veggies that are either locally produced or come from other areas of Arizona and California (although they have locations for other states and I'm sure that the produce is closer to the given region). I swear by this so much that a few of my girlfriends have begun purchasing theirs as well. I get so excited to get my basket and then see what recipes I can come up with for the next two weeks. We have been basing all of our meals with whatever we get in our baskets and it's been working great!

Our Bountiful Basket from this Saturday

A couple of weeks ago we got sweet potatoes in our basket. I was so excited to make sweet potato fries! I wanted to make sure that they turned our crispy (since they tend to come out softer). As I was looking through my pantry I noticed I still have Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) I thought I'd throw these in to the mix and voila!

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Vegan Ranch

Ingredients

• 6 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut


• 2 tablespoons EVOO


• 1 garlic clove, minced


• 3 tablespoons Panko Bread Crumbs


• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1 teaspoon rosemary (or Italian Seasoning)


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


2. In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Add panko crumbs last.


3. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets. DO NOT overcrowd or they will not become crispy!


4. The amount of time to bake will vary by your oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 20 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. *

*When it comes to choosing what spices you want to use, think about what you typically enjoy and what you have in your pantry/spice rack. Feel free to substitute any of the spices for this recipe! Next time I get some I'm adding cinnamon instead of cayenne! ;)

ENJOY! & as you're eating them think about all the beta-carotene you're consuming (which fights cancer), along with selenium, Vitamin C & Vitamin E! & since they're baked, this eliminates any added fat!

I'll leave my vegan ranch for a future posting! ;)