Roasted Sweet Corn Bread

The perfect slightly sweet addition to a main course. Use fresh, non GMO corn for that local flavor or substitute frozen corn in the off season.  

Ingredients

• 1 ear sweet corn (2 if small)
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. To roast the corn, heat the oven to 400°F., and place the husked corn on an oiled sheet pan. Roast, turning every 5 minutes until the corn is browned and soft. Let cool and then cut the kernels from the cob. You should get about 1 cup.
2. For the cornbread, heat the oven to 400°F. Butter or grease an 8-inch square metal pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk to combine. Place the yogurt, melted butter and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the yogurt mixture over the cornmeal mixture and stir until almost mixed, then add the roasted corn and stir just until the ingredients are combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out with no wet batter attached. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Cut 3 by 3 to make 9 squares.  

Serving Suggestion

Cornbread is always a treat, but when you have some leftover grilled corn, you have a fantastic addition to a pan of golden goodness. The one makes a great side for beans, soups and greens.

Lemon Bars

The bright lemon flavor of these bars makes a great finish to a dinner of hearty Mediterranean dishes like pasta or ratatouille. Of course, they’re a delicious midday snack as well.

Via Creative Commons

Ingredients

Crust

• 3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Filling

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour and confectioner’s sugar together. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Press the dough into the pan evenly.Bake for 15-17 minutes.
2. While the crust is baking, whisk the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour the filling onto the hot crust. Place the dish back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
3. Stir together the sour cream and sugar for the topping. Gently spread the sour cream mix evenly over the bars. Bake another 5-7 minutes. Let the bars cool completely before cutting or topping with powdered sugar.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD

Ingredients 

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 bag semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 
• 2 c. bananas (2-3 ripe & mashed bananas)
• ½ c. butter, melted
• ¼ c. milk
• 2 eggs
• Cinnamon for crust (optional)

Preparation 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, whisk together bananas, butter, milk, vanilla and eggs. Pour over the flour mixture and stir until blended. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Pour mixture into the loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a rack or serving plate. Serve warm.

Reprinted from Equal Exchange.

10 Ways to Cook with Ginger

Ginger is a great source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese. It's also widely studied for its medicinal benefits, including aiding nausea and vomiting, relieving the pain of osteoarthritis, and possibly a factor in treating heart disease. Of course, it's also delicious in all sorts of dishes and versatile. Try it using one of the techniques below.

1. Make sauces, dressings and dips all perk up with the addition of ginger. For a simple dipping or marinating sauce, add minced ginger to soy sauce. For a salad dressing upgrade, stir a bit of minced ginger to an otherwise plain vinaigrette.

2. Combine it with red miso and tahini in this colorful Kale Salad with Ginger Miso Dressing

3. Enhance flavor. This Ginger Beurre Blanc Sauce would nicely flavor any seafood or chicken, for starters.

4. Add it to grain dishes and mashed sweet potatoes.

5. Spruce up a simple stir fry with beef, chicken, or veggies. In this Grilled Tofu with Cilantro Ginger Pesto, ginger combines with cilantro.

6. Add fruit. Apples, pears and other fruit are delicious when seasoned with ginger. Sprinkle minced ginger on top of the fruit before baking or cook the fruit in gingered butter until softened.

7. Pickle it. Pickled Ginger is great for cleansing the palate or a light snack. This version is easy to make and, unlike many commercial varieties, uses no food dyes.

8. Add it to sweets. Dried and ground ginger performs well in desserts, like spice cookies, carrot cakes, or pumpkin and apple pie fillings.

9. Stir into cream cheese for spreading on fruit bread.

10. Serve it with curry. Offer tasty little bites alongside curried dishes.