GIVE CORN A SUMMER FRESH TASTE IN WINTER October 6, 2004 Susan Noble Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent

I keep telling people I'm having trouble with my mind wandering, but no one believes me. Most folks respond with a very unsympathetic "now, now dear -- you're too young for that." Well, I'm not and this column is proof. I started in one direction but ended up going another -- or several to be more exact.

I began as I do most columns by searching through "The Drawer" where I keep an over-abundance of recipes I want to try. The first recipe that struck my fancy was an okra-corn dish using frozen vegetables. So I started organizing my thoughts around the theme of using frozen veggies to extend the fresh-from-the-garden eating of summer.

As I continued to search the drawer, I came up with two more recipes that appealed to me. Both recipes used frozen vegetables, so they fit well with the "extending summer" idea. But the two recipes, like the first one, featured corn. I abandoned my first theme and wandered over to corn.

Really, the two themes are not that far apart. My favorite summer vegetable is corn. Nothing beats garden-fresh juicy, sweet, tender corn. That's why I work so hard to fill my freezer with the stuff. I've never been wild about commercially frozen corn. But if these three corn recipes would taste as good as fresh, WOW -- I'd be on to something good.

So I started trying the recipes and learned several kernels of information to share with you. All could be column themes, but I'll try to control my mind and just report the facts.

The okra-corn recipe used frozen okra. I had never tried commercially frozen okra preferring to freeze my own. I was delightfully surprised with the quality of the commercially frozen product. Freezing okra will no longer be on my summer "to do" list. If you've never used commercially frozen okra, give it a try. You, too, may give up freezing okra.

The next time I make this dish, I plan to use cut okra instead of whole. The large pieces of whole okra and the small pieces of corn and tomato didn't mix well on the fork.

The green and red colors in the dish would make it perfect for your Christmas table. Watch out - my mind may wander back to this recipe for a Christmas theme.

Creamed corn is one of my favorite dishes to order at a cafeteria. Not one of the canned creamed corns I've tried through the years has ever equaled cafeteria version in flavor or texture. I had resigned myself to visiting cafeterias for corn.

So with some dubious thoughts, I tried the creamed corn recipe using frozen corn. I can now have cafeteria corn at home. The trick is to process some of the frozen corn in a food processor before combining it with the remaining corn and ingredients.

The final recipe was billed as a cross between corn bread and corn pudding. It is! The nice texture was achieved by combining corn with a corn muffin mix.

As good as the dish is, it is probably not a good choice for a diabetic. Corn, being a starchy vegetable, is high in carbohydrates. Corn muffins are also high in carbs. Combining two high carbohydrate foods in one dish means a diabetic will definitely have to practice portion control to control carbohydrate intake.

This brings my mind to a caution for diabetics. People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease. Thus, reduced-fat dishes and ingredients would seem like a wise choice.

Unfortunately, many reduced-fat products, such as mayonnaise, peanut butter, and salad dressings, have increased carbohydrates in comparison to the regular version of these products. This is because sugar is added to make up for the flavor lost when the fat is removed. (Sodium is also typically increased.) Talk with your doctor about whether or not you should use these products.

That's it -- I'm at the end -- I think.

Sauté onion in hot oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or till tender. Add okra; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in corn and remaining ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or till thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

For testing purposes, RO*TEL® brand was used. Recipe from RO*TEL®.

Using knife blade in food processor bowl, process 1 package of corn until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Melt margarine in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in pureed corn, remaining 2 packages of corn, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or till liquid is absorbed, stirring often. (In the future when I prepare this dish, I will remove it from the stove before all the liquid is absorbed so that the dish is a bit "soupier.")

Makes 10-12 servings.

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 3 ingredients in bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in onion, bell pepper, whole kernel corn, and cream-style corn, mixing well. Add muffin mix and black pepper, stirring till well combined. Pour into 11- x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 9 servings at 241 calories each.

For testing purposes, Jiffy® corn muffin mix was used.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

The use of brand names in this column does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

E-mail address: Susan_Noble@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/12/04