Corn Cakes with Zucchini Salsa

Say hello to one of my favorite meals. Hiiiiiiii favorite meal!!!

You may remember when I first made this dish early last fall, but I recently made it again and now it's time to share the recipe. Last September I was gifted a huge sack of Olathe Sweet Corn from two of my friends. Corn, a pretty random thing to give someone, but they brought it all the way back from Colorado knowing I could turn it into something. Olathe is a teeny tiny town known for their "agricultural jewel," the Olathe sweet corn. 

I turned my huge sack of corn into Naturally Ella's Corn Cakes with Roasted Zucchini Salsa. It was amazing to say the least. Corn, zucchini, and red onion are some of my favorite ingredients. With summer on the horizon, it was time to make this warm weather meal again. I had to sub the Olathe corn for whatever average corn they had at Target, but it still did the job!

The corn is shaved off the cob then mixed with some cilantro, red onion, egg, seasoning and flour to make the cakes. I use whole wheat flour because I like the nutty and denseness it gives the cakes. I used an ice cream scoop this time to measure out the perfect size cakes. Then you just pan fry them in a skillet until brown. 

While the corn cakes are in the oven, you would have first gotten the veggies in the oven to start roasting them. Once it comes out, lime juice and more cilantro is mixed over the top!

Corn Cakes with Roasted Zucchini Salsa adapted from Naturally Ella
serves 2

Corn Cake Ingredients:
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 ears sweet corn
1/3-2/3 whole wheat or AP flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salsa:
2 cups cubed zucchini
1/2  red onion, roughly diced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup goat cheese, feta or cojita cheese (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400˚. Toss cubed zucchini with onion, jalapeño, olive oil, and salt. Roast until zucchini has turned slightly brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove and toss with lime juice and cilantro.

While the salsa is roasting, heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add in onions and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Remove corn from cob and stir in to onions, continuing to cook until corn becomes soft, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and place mixture in a bowl. Add ⅓ cup flour, baking powder, egg, honey, lime juice, salt, and cilantro; stir until well combine. Add more flour until mixture pulls together and can form patties.

Divide batter in to 5-6 patties. I found that an ice cream scoop measures out perfect sized patties. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Pat in to a thick round disc. Fry on each side for 5-6 minutes until browned. Once out of the pan I sprinkle with a little extra salt.

To serve, place a few patties on a plate and sprinkle with roasted salsa and a little cheese! I like to also do a little bit of verde salsa if you have it on hand.

Here is a glimpse at my first go around with corn cakes. I added some feta cheese which is what the original recipe calls for. I may have forgotten to get some at the store this time so that's why it got left off...Head to the store or Olathe, Colorado and get yourself some corn so you can whip up this perfect summer meal!

Annie

Zucchini, So Hot Right Now

Zucchini bread, zucchini salsa, zucchini cakes and now zucchini fries. I'm on a zucchini kick, but apparently the rest of the world is too.

After having a casual discussion about zucchini with one of my roommates (we are strange like that) and both mentioning how we've always wanted to make zucchini fries, it seemed like the time was of the present. I googled a recipe, adapted it a bit to make them healthier, then found myself sitting down to a whole plate of z-fries for dinner. 

Baked Zucchini Fries
yields 16 fries

Ingredients: 
1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
whatever seasonings you have in the pantry (I did a combination of salt, pepper, dried rosemary and garlic salt)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg white

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry your zucchini and cut the ends off. Cut your zucchini in half. Then slice each half down the middle. Slice into fourths so you end up with about 16 fry shape pieces. 

Mix bread crumbs and seasonings in a shallow dish. Pour flour in a separate dish, and beat your egg white in another dish. Dredge each fry in flour, egg, then bread crumbs and then place on your baking sheet. Once all your fries are coated, bake for 25 minutes until brown and crispy! 

I served mine with a spicy sriracha/ketchup combo! Extra tasty guilt free fries people!

You can serve these as a snack, side dish, or like me, a main dish! I find this totally acceptable considering all the health benefits of these little summer squashes. Low in calories, help prevent cancer and heart disease, have more potassium than a banana and can even help reduce constipation :0. Here are 35 more ways you can use this constipation reducing veggie. TMI? nah.

Annie

Cinnamon Veggie Bread

Cinnamon veggie bread--I know that sounds disgusting but ultimately that's what zucchini bread is and I just wanted a way to grab y'alls attention.  Zucchini bread is kind of like carrot cake. What ultimately tastes like a flavorful spice cake actually has vegetables and added nutrients hiding inside! I love my veggies, but love them even more when they are baked up with sugar and flour! 

After having the best zucchini bread of my life this summer from Baked and Wired, it went straight to the top of my baking list.  I raved about this bread so much I was surprised with a platter full of their zucchini bread at my internship going away party. 

I searched around to see if Baked and Wired had their zucchini bread recipe somewhere out in the Internet world, but they seem to have their recipes locked up. I then turned to my trusty food resource, The Kitchn to find an alternate recipe.  If you ever need to find a recipe, a way to cook  certain ingredient or want to know what's new in the food world, check out  The Kitchn. 

Zucchini Bread adapted from The Kitchn
Yields 2 loaves*

Ingredients: 
2 medium sized zucchini, shredded
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 egg
1 cup white sugar
½  cup brown sugar, packed
¾ olive or canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line two 8 x 4 loaf pans with parchment paper. Trim the stem and root-end form the zucchinis and shred on a box grater. Gather the zucchini in a dishtowel or a few layers of paper towels, squeeze out as much of the moisture from the zucchini as possible.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

Toss the zucchini in the flour mixture. Pour the liquids over top. Gently stir and fold just until no more flour is visible. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.

Bake 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The finished loaves should have a golden-brown crust and feel springy if you give the top a little pat. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Loaves will keep in an airtight container for several days. They can also be wrapped in foil and frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or in a warm oven for 20 minutes.

*I halved this recipe and it still turned out great. After my loaf disappeared in a few short hours I wish I hadn’t, but just know that you can half it! 

Annie