Zesty Cook » corn

Kicked Up Barley Not in a Stew

zesty — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:30:15 +0000

Happy Monday! Hope you had a good weekend. I wanted to share with you a simple side dish that can replace your normal run of the mill grains such as rice or pasta. I find, for me anyway we tend to get in a rut of only choosing rice and pasta as our grains. I am trying to keep an open mind and use grains such as quinoa, bulgar, and barley. They are very simple to cook and absorb any flavor you throw at them.

For today’s post, I started with barley and follow the directions and boiled them in plain water. Then I added some sauteed mushrooms and corn, a little bit of butter and a hint of red wine. I let that reduce down before adding it into the cooked barley. Results were delicious and I must say, simple to make.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Pot Barley
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Mushrooms
1/4 Red wine
1 Tbsp. Butter
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
Salt and Pepper

Method

In a medium sauce pan, follow the instructions on the barley and cook accordingly.
In a larger pan, start by adding 1/2 Tbsp. butter and saute the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Once cooked down, about 4 minutes add the red wine and reduce. After most of the wine has evaporated add the corn.
Continue to saute the corn so that it starts to brown.
Set aside when cooked to your liking
In the barley, once all the water is evaporated, stir in the remaining butter, lemon zest.
Now add the mushroom and corn mixture. Toss gently and incorporate. test for flavor adjusting if needed.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Using alternative grains throughout the week will prevent boredom at the dining table. Something we all should aim for to keep our food interesting.

Monday is upon us. Another busy week in the hopper. I will pop back in on Wednesday for something else to eat. I hope you have a great start to your week.

Take care

zesty

A “Corny” Cobbler and Pizza Weekend!

zesty — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:00:16 +0000

Hi and happy Monday… or so I hope it is a happy start to the week. I am still recovering from the excitement over the weekend. There was absolutely no time for house work this weekend, minus a little bit of tidying and cleaning up. It started on Saturday and ran through right until Sunday evening. We were invited to a pizza party at the zesty in-laws on Saturday which to me simply means…. wear the loosest pants you have because you are going to be stuffed. They never disappoint and Saturday was no exception.

Not only did we have amazing pizza for a couple of hours… including a really nice combination of shrimp, basil and tomato but the phenom baker of the group decided to dazzle us with a Peach and Maple Crumble for dessert. As I was looking in the kitchen at the start of the night, I noticed the Pioneer Woman’s cookbook out on the counter and I had a funny feeling something was in store.

I had never tried this dessert before but … oh man! This is a must at some point in your life. Delicious!

A photo courtesy of Pioneer Woman

Now not only was Saturday night full of fun, Sunday was packed with a corn maze walk, shooting cobs of corn from a cannon, driving around on John Deere peddle tractors and eating ice cream.

Oh did I forget to mention that we also bought some corn ( 19 to be exact – a baker’s dozen and 1/2 dozen ). We did some boiled and some grilled. Oh, this corn was delicious!!! Such a fun weekend and now back to the grind of … real life.

Have a super Monday and I will talk to you all on hump day.

Take care

zesty

Leftover Vegetables and Breakfast Eggs

zesty — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:30:13 +0000

Happy Canada Thanksgiving!

Ever have a lot of leftover vegetables from the night before and you are unsure what to do with them? Happens from time to time and I usually create a vegetable hash, veggie cakes or a vegetable puree but today I wanted to share something slightly different. Although this concoction is similar to a hash with the addition of a very special ingredient. Eggs. I love eggs and definitely could eat them everyday.

This recipe is super easy and really has no boundaries. A quick way to use leftover food from a previous meal and also an excellent way to kick start your day with energy. Add whatever else you may have on hand in this such as bacon, sausage, parsley or peppers – you name it. No boundary breakfast.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Leftover smashed potatoes
Leftover grilled carrots
Leftover grilled corn
4 Eggs
Tomatoes
Whole Wheat Bread
Salt
Pepper

Method

Preheat saute pan over medium heat.
Add oil and potatoes and begin cooking through. Toss in carrots and corn and continue to saute. Once heated through, create a couple of holes in the pan for your eggs

Crack two eggs in each hole you create and let cook sunny side up.

Cook until eggs are complete, season with salt and pepper.
Serve with whole wheat toast and some fresh tomato slices.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: A little sauce goes really well with this dish. Sometimes I mix together ketchup, hot sauce and some barbecue sauce and serve on the side to dip into. You can pour it on top if you really love it.

I am on the road this week to Virginia however I will be continuing to catch up on the consulting side and posting on my normal days this week. I hope you have a great start to your week and I will touch base with you on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty