Blue Cayenne

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C. corn kernels
• 1/4 C. fine yellow cornmeal
• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 C. plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 1/4 C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 C. grapeseed or other neutral oil
• Powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rack in your oven in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch round pan or spray it with cooking spray.
2. Cut corn from corncobs. Measure 1 1/2 C. of the kernels and put the kernels in a blender. Add the cornmeal, condensed milk and yogurt to the blender and puree these ingredients until they are smooth. This will only take a short time, maybe 15 or 20 seconds. Let this pureed mixture stand for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking power and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Add the whole eggs and egg yolks to the blender mixture along with the oil. Blend until you have a smooth puree.
5. Pour this puree into a large bowl and add the flour mixture to the bowl. Whisk these ingredients together until all the ingredients are moistened and there are no lumps.
6. Pour batter into the prepared ban. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees F. Your cake is done when it is firm in the middle when pressed with your fingers and when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
7. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. When the cake has cooled, run a paring knife around the edges of the pan to make it easier for the cake to release from the pan when inverted. Turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack and then re-invert the cake onto your serving dish. Cool the cake completely; this will take about an hour. Serve dusted with a generous amount of powdered surgar. Serve with sliced fresh fruit (optional).

Cauliflower Soup

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Ingredients

• 1 large white cauliflower
• 4 C. vegetable broth
• 1 lemon (plus more to taste)
• 1 1/2 t. sea salt (to taste)
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 T. olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 t. dried herbs (thyme, fennel, oregano, basil or a mixture or fresh herbs if you have them)
• 2 oz. fresh creamy goat cheese or cream cheese
• Garnish: Buttered breadcrumbs (sourdough is great for this!) and chopped parsley, chopped green onions or cilantro

Instructions

1. Divide cauliflower into florets and chop the florets into small pieces. Add cauliflower to a large soup pot with 2 C. water and 4 C. vegetable broth. Juice the lemon and peel off a 1-inch strip of the zest. (Be sure to zest the lemon carefully. You don't want any of the white pith attached to the zest. The pith is bitter.) Add 2 T. of the fresh lemon juice, salt and the strip of zest to the soup pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon zest.
2. While the soup is cooking, chop carrots, celery and onion. Saute these vegetables in 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet along with the garlic and 1/2 t. sea salt. You want to saute the vegetables for about 20 minutes until they are soft and beginning to brown. Add the herbs and stir for a few additional minutes.
3. Add the sauteed vegetable and herb mixture to the soup pot with the cauliflower mixture. Cover the soup pot and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be very tender. Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes before you blend it.
4. Puree soup in a blender. Add salt to taste. Add additional lemon juice to taste. Return the soup to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Add the cheese and the last T. of olive oil. Stir until the cheese melts and is incorporated into the soup.( I found that using a whisk made it easier to incorporate the cheese uniformly into the soup.)
5. Saute 1 C. of coarse breadcrumbs in 2 T. of butter.
6. Serve soup topped with buttered breadcrumbs.
7. Cook's note: If you are feeling indulgent, add a glug of cream to the soup. The original recipe used 1 t. herbs de Provence in the soup. I didn't like the flavor of the rosemary or lavender in the soup and substituted dried thyme, fennel, oregano, and basil.

Nutrition

Calories

659 cal

Fat

53 g

Carbs

36 g

Protein

13 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Chinese Stir-Fried Tomatoes and Eggs

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Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 t. sesame oil
• 1 T. Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 t. cornstarch
• 1 t. sugar
• 2 T. ketchup
• 1 pound beefsteak tomatoes or 1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes in juice (use the juice if you use canned tomatoes)
• 4 T. vegetable oil
• 3 scallions (sliced)
• 1 t. grated (or minced) ginger
• Steamed rice (for serving)

Instructions

1. Break eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them well with 1 t. salt, sesame oil and rice wine or sherry. Set aside.
2. Combine cornstarch and 2 T. water in a small bowl. Mix. Stir in the sugar and the ketchup. Set aside.
3. Prepare tomatoes. The recipe calls for beefsteak tomatoes but I used plum tomatoes. I think beefsteak would be a better choice because they would be more juicy for the sauce, but, in a pinch, plum tomatoes worked fine.
4. Heat a large non-stick or well-seasoned skillet over high heat with 3 T. vegetable oil. Reserving some for the garnish, add most of the sliced scallions to the pan and quickly stir fry the onions (about 20 seconds). Add the eggs to the hot pan and stir to cook them until they form large curds. This will take about a minute. You want the eggs to set but to still be a bit runny (they will cook fully in the last step of the recipe). Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the egg/onion mixture into a bowl. Set aside.
5. Wipe the skillet and reheat it over high heat with 1 T. of vegetable oil. Stir-fry the minced ginger until it is aromatic. This will only take about 15 seconds. Don't let the ginger burn, so watch it carefully. Add the tomatoes to the pan cook them with the ginger for 2-3 minutes. Stir the tomato mixture while cooking. You want the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. You want the juices to begin to thicken.
6. Reduce the heat in your skillet to medium and stir the cornstarch mixture into the tomatoes. Let the cornstarch mixture come to a boil and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, sugar, ketchup) if necessary.
7. Break the egg curds into large pieces in their bowl and add them to the skillet with the cornstarch mixture. Stir and cook for a few seconds to finish cooking the eggs.
8. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with reserved sliced scallions.
9. Cook's Note: The original recipe says this serves 2 to 3 persons. I successfully cut the recipe in half and had enough for two medium servings.