July 2017 – Luv Cooks

Corn Recipes So Inspiring You Could Make them on Vacation

Corn Polenta — Gorgeous corn polenta by Half Baked Harvest!

Hola mi amigos!

Can you believe it’s the end of July already? To be honest, the summer of 2017 has moved at a weird pace for me. The minutes flash by on food shoot days- I look at the time, it’s 8 am, and then it’s 6 pm and the photos or videos are wrapped. Other freelance, “work-on-my-business” days seem to slowly eek along, as I email, call, and assault the internet (and my marketing list) to pursue working in and around food as much as I can. Those are the days I hear my middle school basketball coach in my head screaming “Hustle” until about 7 PM.

Also, “spider drills!” (Did anyone play basketball back in the day? You know what I’m talking about…)

And to be real, it’s hard work building a business around what you love. It’s worth it- but when it’s 1,000 degrees outside and you catch yourself fantasizing about a vacation away from your computer- this reason alone is why I can’t wait to turn off my email and actually read a book next week.

Since Jake and I have decided to take some much-needed time off, it’s an all out breakneck speed to the finish line as we wrap up food photos and projects, take Bigbsy to doggie camp and assemble some sort of cleanliness to our house. But y’all, the end is in sight! As in, eating sweet potato fries, lingering over coffee and building some sort of color on my pale legs will be my life goals for seven days.

This got me thinking- what are the easiest, most vacation-friendly corn recipes out there? What would one actually want to make when all I’ve done all day is sit in a pool with a cold Coca-cola? Well my friends, and those about to go on end-of-summer, pre back-to-school vacations, I have rounded up a great list for you.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy. Cheers to summertime unwinding:)

Summertime Grilled Corn Salad by Simply Delicious This recipe screams refreshment and summertime and delicious to me! Plus I dig the way she boils the corn then grills it and tosses the kernels with feta cheese, tomatoes and basil. Plus all of these ingredients are likely available at your nearby grocery store. Yassss!

Summer Avocado Toast with Grilled Corn by She Likes Food Corn for breakfast!! Again, the beauty of charred, grilled corn paired with creamy avocado and crunchy toast. So fresh and so perfect for a lazy beach breakfast!

Honey BBQ Chicken with Charred Corn Polenta by Half Baked Harvest: This polenta and chicken combo is making my mouth water just thinking about it. Oh. My. Geez. You can even use raw corn on top of the polenta, and use local smoked chicken in place of the skewers if you don’t feel like busting out the grill. Plus this photo?! The lighting is GORGEOUS!

Vegan Corn Chowder by The Roasted Root: I know, I know soup in summertime? But yes! Sometimes after a long day on the beach all I want is cold, cold AC, a blanket and a pot of soup on the stove cooking away. Minimal prep, minimal work. Plus I am intrigued by the coconut milk corn combo!

Honey Skillet Cornbread by Sally’s Baking Addiction Confession: Though I am a Southern girl, I like my cornbread sweet with chunks of fresh or creamed corn inside! This recipe hits on all the points. Plus, you can reuse this cornbread on salad the next day (as your breadcrumbs) or repurpose in open-faced cornbread sandwiches or eat for breakfast topped with fresh summer peaches and cream!

Spicy Southern Hot Corn by Peas & Crayons How perfect would this super-easy corn be for dipping with fresh salsa and tortilla chips, enjoyed with a glass of wine or iced tea, on your vacation getaway (or staycation) porch? I love it!

And last but not least- cue dessert!

Lemon Blueberry Corn Muffins by Garlic and Zest Ok so technically these aren’t technically using corn- they use a corn bread mix- but I have a super soft place in my heart for Jiffy corn muffin mix because it’s delicious and I prefer it over homemade cornbread sometimes! So I think this recipe is genius, and could even be repurposed for breakfast in a parfait with yogurt- or topped onto fresh vanilla ice cream for an extra treat!

Candy Corn Ice Cream by The Simple Sweet Life: This ice cream was too much fun (and too cute) not to include! Plus, it’s a no-churn recipe, so I have a feeling you could use the ice cream base and stir in roasted corn and blackberries as your garnish if you weren’t up for fall candy quite yet. Yumm!!

And just because this is fascinating…

LOVE YOU GUYS!!

My Life-changing Leftovers Tip + Sweet Corn Pizza with Chorizo

It’s July, and I KNOW you have some leftover produce hanging around in your fridge that you don’t know what to do with.

Maybe it’s not even the whole vegetables! Maybe it’s the garlic skins you rubbed off while you were prepping that stir fry on Monday, or the onion skins that were peeled away for that summer tomato pie on Thursday. What do you do with those leftovers?

You BRING THE **FUN** BACK TO THOSE VEGGIES, that’s what! If it’s good enough for Justin Timberlake, then I think it’s great for us. This week I will share with you, my amazing readers, the #1 use-up-your-leftovers tip I EVER learned. As in, your life may not ever be the same and you will most likely feel about as accomplished as Alice Waters from here on out.

The broth bag!! I know, genius right? I first heard about this technique while listening to (hearts) Lynn Rosetto Casper on the Splendid Table, interviewing a brilliant 90-year old woman whose claim to life-long health revolved around bone broth. And her key to great bone broth was not letting all of your leftover veggie scraps go to waste, but instead stockpiling them in a freezer bag.

Food people are the BEST people.

But I also know that you have more than your leftover veggie scraps lying around- you probably also have TWO more things I normally cram into my refrigerator:

Hummus– Hummus is not only an amazing snack, but there are some super cool things you can do with it outside of pita chip dipping’! Hummus chicken, pasta sauce, VEGAN QUESO *all the hearts**

Leftover pickle juice– There are a myriad of things you can do with leftover pickle juice. From adding it to potato salad and marinating meats to simply throwing your leftover veggies straight into the brine to make your own version of pickles, get creative! This list of the 15 Ways To Use Leftover Pickles by Bon Appetit is super-inspiring.

And of course, since this month’s focus is corn, so I’m pumped to share this awesome spicy corn and chorizo pizza we shot for Birmingham magazine. Pizza is a PERFECT vehicle for leftover summer produce!

So this weekend, let’s relax, make an easy bowl of hummus pasta, and throw whatever leftover veggies you have in pickle juice or the broth bag. Like 90-year-old Louise Hay says in her book Loving Yourself to Great Health, “Your body will love you for continuing to nourish it in this manner!”

Sweet Corn Pizza with Monterey Jack and Chorizo

This corn pizza is perfect- and easy enough- for summertime! Just grab some fresh summer corn, spicy chorizo, and melty cheese and you are ready to create a hearty appetizer or fun main course. Try substituting the chorizo for ground beef or turkey with taco seasoning if good quality chorizo is hard to come by.

What You Will Need:

Yield: 1 pizza

1 pound ground chorizo
4 fresh ears sweet corn, shucked and kernels removed for cooking
1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
1 (13.9-ounce) can pizza crust
1 jalapeno, sliced
4 ounces Mexican blend shredded cheese
Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving

What You Will Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium saute pan, cook chorizo over medium heat, breaking up large pieces with a spoon. Once cooked through, remove to plate.
Add corn kernels, onion, cumin, and taco seasoning to pan. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until onion softens and corn is crisp tender, about five minutes.
Remove corn mixture from heat.
Cover a large surface with parchment paper. On it, roll out pizza dough into a large circle.
Move dough to parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove crust from oven, then top with cooked chorizo, corn/onion mixture, cheese, and sliced jalapenos.
Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy, about 10 minutes more.
Top with cilantro leaves and serve immediately with hot sauce.

How to use leftover PRODUCE + Summer Corn Succotash!

Hey WOW it’s July and WOH there is some heat happening in Tennessee!

I liken going outside to feeling like your tonsils are being strangled by a hot sauna while someone sets a steamy, hot cast iron skillet above your face.

It’s weird; but growing up in the South, oddly familiar.

And of course, I am doing all I can to stay inside near an air conditioner for the better three fourths of the day. I find that a run with our dog Bigsby in the morning also fulfills about 200% of my outdoor quotient for the week.

And because of my avoidance of anything outdoorsy until September, this also means that a lot of the recipes I’m cooking these days revolve around the things I have scrounged around from food shoots or indoor trips to the grocery store.

Like this delicious succotash Jake and I shot for Birmingham magazine this month. I am a complete sucker for corn and bacon, and this sweet corn version with bacon and sage is soooo good. As in, my mouth is watering thinking about it. Plus, you don’t even have to go outside to cook it! No grills! Just an indoor heat source and cast iron skillet to fry bacon is all you need.

And speaking of leftovers, this week’s video is ALL about what to do with leftover produce. As in, avocados, brown bananas, and sweet potatoes! PRAISE for getting creative and bringing FUN back to your leftoverzzzz (with a Z of course).

And as promised, the links I mentioned above for some creative leftover inspiration:

Frozen avocados: Just blend the avocado fruit with a bit of lemon in a food processor. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze! Can be thawed to use in salad dressing, guacamole, and smoothies! Just don’t eat by itself- it will be watery and not taste the same!

Banana recipes:

Cookies: Banana Chocolate Chip

Pancakes: Healthy Banana Pancakes

Muffins: Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Banana/Quick breads: Coffee Cake Banana Bread and Strawberry Banana Bread

Banana “Fro yo”: Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt

Sweet Potatoes: Stuff them! Bake them whole, doused in olive oil with a bit of sea salt and wrapped in aluminum foil, in a 450 oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your tater. Let cool for 15 minutes; slice open, and fill with: turkey pepperoni, cheese, marinara sauce, basil; or black beans, ground turkey, cheddar cheese, and salsa. Combos are endless! Put back in oven on baking sheet to melt cheese if desired.

Sweet potato baked goods: Cinful Sweet Potato Cookies and Healthy Sweet Potato Breakfast Brownies

And this week’s corn recipe! Which you can also find here!

Fresh Corn, Bacon and Sage Succotash

This easy breezy summer side is perfect for a hot day because you don’t have to go outside to cook ANYTHING and it’s just as tasty indoors with a glass of cold, cold iced tea. Serve with tortilla chips if you like:)

What You Will Need

3 slices center-cut bacon
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup sweet Vidalia onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp plus ¼ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 ears fresh corn, shucked and kernels removed for cooking
1 15.25 ounce can lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 pint organic heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

What You Will Do

Cook three pieces bacon in a cast iron skillet on medium low heat until done and crispy; remove and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon grease.
Add olive oil, sweet onion, garlic, chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; heat until onion is softened, three minutes.
Add corn and lima beans and cook 6 to 11 minutes on medium low heat, depending on how crunchy you like your corn. It should be crisp-tender and cooked through.
Allow corn mixture to cool. Chop bacon.
Stir in chopped bacon, sage, basil, ¼ tsp salt, and cherry tomatoes to corn mixture. Taste; season with more salt and pepper if desired.
Serve succotash immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Inspiring Avocado Recipes + How To Pick The Best Avocados

MAJOR avocado inspiration about to head your way! Watch out, because huge avocados with pits could potentially take out your eyeballs.

I KID!

No, instead of dodging actual avocados, it’s time for this month’s recipe round up of all of the fantastic and delicious avocado recipes I found on the internet. And yes, my mouth did water as I was looking these up and I was overcome with avocado-inspired, voracious hunger.

And speaking of cooking with avocados, how do you actually pick out the best avocados? Check out this week’s video to learn some great tips and tricks (and watch Bigsby feign exhaustion):

Here we go, drumroll, THESE PEOPLE ARE AVOCADO BRILLIANT AKA MY FAVE AVOCADO RECIPES THIS MONTH!

Avocado Hummus by Cooking Classy Umm, tahini + avocado + chick peas = SUCCESS

Avocado Bacon and Eggs by Lil’ Luna Please someone make this for my breakfast tomorrow?

Honey Mustard Chicken, Avocado + Bacon Salad by Cafe Delights The dressing is also the marinade, GENIUS!

Cucumber and Avocado Sandwich by Two Peas & Their Pod Avocado + cucumber + sprouts + HERBED GOAT CHEESE OH MY GRACIOUS!

Paleo Chocolate Pudding by Wicked Spatula My husband can tell you that I can NOT get enough of avocado pudding and will eat every drop of it if you get close I promise I will stab you with. my spoon.

Avocado Coconut Truffles with Dark Chocolate by Wild Blend Umm, this chick is INCREDIBLE and her food brain is so, so smart. Well done Wonder Woman, well done.

Blueberry Avocado Muffins by Gimme Some Oven Genius!! Using avocado as the oil in these muffins totally ups the blueberry muffin game into the baking stratosphere. Genius! Wait, how many times have I said genius?

Avocado Salsa Verde by Joyful Healthy Eats This is one of my FAVORITE ways to eat avocado. Plus a homemade salsa verde oh my GEEZ LOUISE!

And finally, the Tuna Poke Bowl by bon appetit This is one of those recipes you see, your mouth waters, and you think “I’d be willing to spend $100 on tuna right now.” Then you look in your bank account and realize that yes, dreaming about avocados IS a positive, yet not so lucrative, past time.

Here’s to a weekend full of avocado-inspired joy and great food!

Much luv y’all– C