corn

Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 16:01:35 +0000

Quesadillas are one of those foods that I love, but rarely make at home. Why? Because I stink at getting them restaurant crispy. The skillet method never worked for me. They’d get a little brown or my pan wouldn’t be hot enough and they’d soak up all the oil or butter…and no one wants a soggy quesadilla. Enter Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas and my life has been changed forever. They are seriously crispy and it’s one of those “d’oh, why didn’t I think of that” moments. Use your broiler! Also, there’s quinoa inside and it works. Quinoa…in a quesadilla.

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Corn Casserole

Leah Short — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 16:34:08 +0000

I know this time of year people are looking online for healthy foods and ways to get back in shape after the holidays. Trust me, I’m doing the same thing. As much as I’d love to give you that, I’ve got a list of yummy eats I enjoyed that I’m dying to share with you. I figure this is the good stuff that got me in this wanting to eat healthier predicament, so it must be worth sharing, right? Let’s start with Corn Casserole. I’ve made this creamy, cheesy, insanely delicious casserole for years. However, I’ve never made it with the bell peppers until now. Hello, favorite casserole ever!

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Ranchero Corn

Leah Short — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 11:43:08 +0000

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned our running joke about always having corn in the house, so whenever someone says “What are we eating with it?” the joke is always “Corn!” Ok, maybe you have to be there. I was looking for a side for our 4th of July menu and saw this Ranchero Corn recipe and instantly knew I wanted it. It furthers our joke and it has bacon AND ranch dressing. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. I love it when you look forward to a side as much as the main dish. I also wanted something really simple to put together so I could spend more time enjoying the festivities and not cooking.

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Summer Shrimp Succotash

Leah Short — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:06:53 +0000

Get ready to click the print or save to recipe button on this one! It’s been a few months since I’ve made a shrimp dish, which is really a shame because they cook so quickly, are packed with protein, and are low in calorie. Let’s not forget they’re completely delicious and can take on almost any flavor combo. This Summer Shrimp Succotash is going to absolutely knock your socks off! There was really nothing that special about it when I chose this recipe, I just wanted shrimp and veggies. Holy cow did I stumble upon a lip-smackin’ keeper!

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Corn Frittata

Leah Short — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 14:16:43 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me how you can spend hours in the kitchen prepping a dish or you can spend minutes, and both come out tasting fantastic. Funny how food works that way. Luckily this Corn Frittata is the latter. It’s a breeze to put together and takes no time to cook. If you’re a corn lover, you’re going to enjoy this one. We used to have a joke at my mom’s house when asked “what do you want with it?” that the answer was always corn. She always has a bag of frozen corn in the freezer and guess what? So do I. The recipe calls for fresh corn and certainly go that route if you like, but frozen corn works just as well.

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Roasted Tomato-Corn Chowder with Cilantro Pesto

Leah Short — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:08:05 +0000

I love a good soup. Even when it’s hot outside, I’ll still crave a good bowl of soup. They’re easy, comforting, and a great source for bread-dipping. This Roasted Tomato-Corn Chowder with Cilantro Pesto certainly meets all those requirements. It takes no time to make, is low calorie (which hello, room for more bread!), and only makes four servings so you’re not stuck eating soup for weeks. A tasty bonus is the cilantro pesto swirled on top with pepitas!

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Creamy Corn with Chives

Leah Short — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 14:56:25 +0000

In my last post, I shared with you an entire meal that came in around 420 calories. Usually the main dish is the star of the show, and while I loved the flavor of the Baked Sage Breaded Pork Chops, what I went crazy over was the corn. Yep, corn. Back when I lived with my mom, we used to joke about having corn with every meal because she always had a bag of frozen corn in her freezer. But this isn’t your ordinary corn side dish. It’s Creamy Corn with Chives and it completely took center stage on my plate! Have you ever munched on a few bites of part of your dinner while waiting on the rest to finish cooking? That was me with this corn. I almost ruined my dinner because I ate so much of it. It was that good!

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Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies

Leah Short — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:03:55 +0000

I hope you take a moment to read about these Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Veggies. I know from the picture they look like ordinary baked potatoes. Who cares right? You’d be missing out though! A few posts back I told you that I’m trying to like bell peppers more. When I saw this recipe, I decided to leave the bell peppers in and see how I liked them in the slow cooker. Normally I’d skip them and not think twice about it. You see I love the way they smell and their flavor, but the texture weirds me out. Texture problem solved in the slow cooker, right?!

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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Leah Short — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:31:57 +0000

A few weeks ago I bought a ton of produce. I was convinced this new diet was going to have me eating super healthy and shedding pounds right and left. Um, yeah, that lasted for not even a full day. On closer inspection, the diet was nothing but a ton of raw veggies on salad with little dressing and I knew I was going to hate it before I took the first bite. Those kinds of diets always hook me in when I know I should just stick to what works for me. Fast forward and I’m stuck with all kinds of fresh veggies. Some of those being some beautiful yellow bell peppers. I took inventory of what was already in my pantry and discovered I could whip together a fantastic filling for Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers. I used to think I couldn’t create my own recipes, but I’m slowly proving myself wrong. Kind of fun to experiment in the kitchen and end up with something blog-worthy that isn’t in my Oops category!

So, how’s it taste?

I really surprised myself with this one! I can follow a recipe no problem and make some killer food, but I don’t venture out into original territory too often. Part of the reason is why bother when there’s so many awesome recipes out there, and another part is not knowing if it will taste good. But I take that risk making others’ recipes anyway. I wasn’t in the mood to prowl the internet for the perfect recipe and I wasn’t about to go to the grocery store after spending an insane amount of money on all that produce (side note: it it EXPENSIVE to eat healthy, sheesh!). That’s when I raided my pantry, freezer, and fridge and started to come up with a plan for what I could stuff into these peppers! Rice was easy as the base, then thinking about the corn and beans, I decided on the Southwest spices. The rice, corn, and beans add bulk and are really filling. The onion, garlic, and spices give it such a boost of flavor. The tomato paste is the key as it adds just a bit of sweet and helps to keep the mixture together. Of course, the cheese provides the finishing touch. Ta da!

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Taco Spaghetti

Leah Short — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:29:14 +0000

Taco Spaghetti? That sounds weird. That’s what you’re thinking right? I’ve mentioned this dish before to friends and they turn their noses up as if I’d said, “Hey for dessert let’s dip broccoli in chocolate.” I know it sounds strange, but trust me, merging taco salad and spaghetti is magnificent. There’s no tomato sauce involved, no Parmesan, so it’s not a true merging, but that probably helps you picture it’s goodness better. It’s like taco salad with the added bonus of pasta.

So, how’s it taste?

I’ve been making taco spaghetti for a long time. It really is just like taco salad, but with spaghetti. I love everything about it, all the cheese, the hearty beef, tangy olives. Plus any dish I can top with sour cream is always a winner. You can turn up the heat level with the type of salsa you use and certainly a great addition would be jalapenos. This dish is fairly low calorie for quite a big serving using beef, but if you make it with turkey it’s even lower. Both meats are fantastic.

It’s a really filling casserole and the leftovers are even better. It sounds strange, but I’m telling you, it’s worth trying. A great conversation piece when someone asks, “What’s for dinner?”

Taco Spaghetti

Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking for Today Pasta
makes 6 servings
per serving: 438 calories, 36g protein, 42g carbs, 21g fat

Ingredients:

5 oz. dried spaghetti, broken
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
11 oz. can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
1 cup sliced pitted black olives
1 cup colby jack or cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
4 oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
shredded lettuce
tortilla chips
tomato
sour cream, optional

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain fat. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the cheese, salsa, and green chili peppers.

3. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 2-quart round casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake until melted.

4. Serve with shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, and sour cream, if desired.

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