Tag: vegetarian meals

Easiest Way To Cook And Shuck Corn On The Cob

For years I would buy fresh corn on the cob, shuck it and get the sticky silks all over the place and somehow there were still more on the cob. Not to get too infomercial on you, but I wished there was a better way…and there is! Oven-roast those suckers!

When my friend first told me how to do this, I was convinced that shoving paper-like husks into a hot oven would result in roasted corn and an epic house fire. I’m happy to say that only one of those things happened. (It was the corn thing; if it were the house thing then this would be a terrible method for cooking corn.) The corn comes out of the oven cooked to perfection and the silks are magically stuck to the husk instead of the corn. Just peel the husk off and the silks come too!

How to make this fabulous corn on the cob

Place corn on the cob (still in the husk) directly onto the racks of your 400°F oven and bake for 30 minutes.
(Optional) Continuously open the oven door to peek inside and make sure the corn is not on fire…despite your friend’s insistence that it is not.
Once the corn is done roasting, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 10 – 15 minutes before asking your dinner guests to shuck a 400°F object (lesson learned).

That’s all there is to it! (And you thought the house was going to burn down…)

Want to learn more about corn? Check out my Bounty From The Farm: Sweet Corn post and coming on June 11 (National Corn on the Cob Day) I’ve got a great Edamame, Corn and Tomato Salad that makes a great side dish at outdoor barbecues.

katie: normal girl

How to Build The Perfect Veg Sandwich

As summer approaches and backyard barbecues commence, I’m always on the look out for filling, vegetarian sandwich that’ll go perfect with all of the classic summer side dishes (chips, baked beans, corn on the cob…it’s all so delicious). This sandwich is it for me. It’s great because all of the toppings can double as burger toppings (if you’re a mixed meat and veggie crowd), it’s great for taking on hikes and it’s packed with protein so it’s filling and energizing.

HOW TO BUILD THE PERFECT VEG SANDWICH

The ingredients:

rustic ciabatta roll (or other hearty, crusty bread of your choice)
cilantro hummus (if you can’t find hummus, just mix a handful of chopped, fresh cilantro into your favorite classic hummus dip)
cucumber slices (I prefer english or pickle cukes because they are crunchier than the standard cucumber)
tomato slices
mixed baby lettuce or spinach
shaved or julienned carrots (use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots and create thin carrot ribbons)
olive oil (not optional, I used to think it was but it is not)
sea or kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

The layers:

Start with your ciabatta roll. Spray or brush a thin layer of olive oil onto both the top and bottom pieces of your roll. I didn’t used to do this, then a friend of mine suggested adding it and wow! What a difference it makes. I was honestly shocked that a little olive oil could make the sandwich taste better but it does – don’t skip it!
Follow with a sprinkle of any large granule salt, like sea or kosher salt and a dusting of fresh cracked pepper on both sides of the roll.
Then spread a layer of the cilantro hummus on each side of the roll.
Start building your layers on the bottom of the roll with the carrots, followed by the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber.
Pop the top of your roll onto the sandwich and bite into the delicious-ness!

This sandwich is so tasty that it doesn’t just have to be for the vegetarians in your group, the meat-eaters will love it too!

katie: normal girl

Pomegranate Breakfast Bread

The tasty red jewels from the pomegranate have so many great uses but I like to keep it simple. This breakfast toast is ridiculously healthy, easy to make and perhaps most importantly, it’s tasty.

You’ll need:

A hearty multi-grain bread – I prefer Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Bread available in the freezer section of the grocery store.
Plain greek yogurt – The tart flavor works well with the pomegranate seeds and the greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt – a good thing for us vegetarians.
Pomegranate seeds, that you harvested yourself using the easy spoon method.
Honey – For just a hint of sweetness, it is, of course, optional.

Toast up your bread, spread a thin layer of yogurt on top, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and drizzle with honey. Breakfast is served!

katie: normal girl