Quick Corn and Black Bean Salad

Hi there!  Hope you had a great weekend.  We spent a long weekend with some friends in Pennsylvania.  It was a great time.  Thankfully we had nice weather so we were able to go to Sesame Place and the Philly Zoo.  All the kids played nicely and we had some wonderful food.  I'll be sharing some recipes and pictures of that later this week.

In the meantime, here is a quick summer salad that you can enjoy as a side dish or make it a full meal by adding chicken or ground beef.

Corn and Black Bean Salad
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn, cooked and removed from cob
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped and seeded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste
oil and vinegar to taste

Instructions:
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the seasonings to your desired taste. 
AFC notes: I microwaved the corn in the husks as described here. And I added 2 T each of olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Tofu Stack Ups

I'm always looking for new tofu recipes since tofu stir fry can get old pretty fast.  And I am always trying to find recipes that do new things with the tofu since marinating it and grilling/broiling it can also get pretty fast!

So when I saw this recipe for Tofu Stack Ups in Better Homes and Gardens, I thought it looked interesting enough to try!  Plus, it did something new with the tofu - the recipe called for breading the tofu in cornmeal.  That blew my mind since it didn't even occur to me that you could bread tofu.

Clearly I am a tofu novice!

Tofu Stack-Ups
recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Ingredients:

2 ears fresh sweet corn

2 12- to 16-oz. pkg. firm or extra firm tofu, drained

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 to 4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and sliced

2 medium green tomatoes, sliced (AFC note: I used red tomatoes)

Lime wedges

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions: 

1. In a large saucepan, cook corn, covered, in boiling salted water for 7 minutes. Drain. (AFC note: I don't salt the water, I read somewhere that it draws moisture out of the corn)

2. Meanwhile, slice each block of tofu horizontally into 4 slices. In a shallow dish combine cornmeal, chili powder, and salt; dip tofu into mixture to coat.

3. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook tofu in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Remove tofu from skillet; add sweet pepper and green tomatoes and cook in remaining oil about 3 minutes until tomatoes are heated through and lightly browned and peppers are crisp tender.

4. Cut corn from cob. Place one slice tofu on each of four serving plates. Top with half of the corn, peppers and tomatoes. Top with remaining tofu slices, and remaining corn, peppers, and tomatoes. Serve with lime wedges and fresh cilantro leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Verdict:  I loved the tofu covered in cornmeal.  It added a nice crunch!  However, both the Husband and I agreed that it could have been more flavorful.  Anyone have any suggestions on what they would add?

Updated:  I'm linking up to Mangoes and Chutney's Fat Camp Friday!

Tuesday Edition: Kitchen Tip

"corn beautiful corn 05" uploaded to Flickr by by cammy♥claudia

I love eating corn (on the cob) in the summer.  Don't you?  Last summer I went to the little farm stand down the street from me and would get my corn there.  Sadly he didn't open this year, so I have been stuck getting corn at the grocery store.  It's been pretty good, but not the same as freshly picked from the farmer's field!

I usually boil my corn in a big pot of water on the stove.  But I know there are lots of different ways to cook corn.  My favorite is grilled!  How do you cook your corn?  Do you add anything to the corn after you cook it?  Depending on its taste, I might add a little butter.  The Husband is a purist - he adds nothing!

I found a great tip in Good Housekeeping magazine about how to cook corn so the annoying silk comes off easily.  Here's there tip: keeping the husks on, rinse 4 ears of corn and microwave them for 7-8 minutes on High, turning over half-way through.  When the ears are cool enough to handle, peel off the husks and silk!