VEGGIE & FETA GREEN SALAD

~ Bethany Weathersby

spinach, torn

romaine lettuce, chopped

orange bell peppers, chopped

frozen corn, thawed

pea pods, sliced

feta crumbled

Fill serving dish with spinach and lettuce, then top with remaining ingredients. 

CREAMY SLOW COOKER POTATO, CORN, & JALAPENO SOUP

~ Sweet Peas & Saffron

6 c. yellow fleshed potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 11.5 oz. cans corn, drained
2 jalapenos, seeds removed and pepper sliced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. coriander
1 t. cumin
3 c. stock
1 c. plant-based milk
juice of one lime,
chives, optional

Place potatoes, corn, jalapenos, salt, oregano, coriander, cumin, and stock in a 4-qt. or larger slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4 hours.

Once potatoes are tender, remove from slow cooker and mash in a mixing bowl with milk until mostly smooth. Return to pot, add lime juice, and stir to combine. Garnish individual servings with chives, if desired.

Notes: We use about 3 1/2 cups of frozen corn instead of canned, chicken broth, and put a potato masher right in the slow cooker instead of removing the potatoes to a separate dish to mash. 

TUNA CASSEROLE

~ Bethany Weathersby

pasta
tuna
veggies
sour cream or yogurt
seasonings
milk, if desired
grated or cubed cheese, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta until desired tenderness is reached, then drain. Saute any firm vegetables until tender. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into baking dish and bake 30 minutes or until heated through.

Notes: There are countless ways to make tuna casserole, but I recently realized I don't have any posted. My approach is more method than recipe, so you can tweak it to fit your needs and preferences. I use one pound of shaped noodles and three cans of tuna, saute bunch of onion, celery, and mushrooms, thaw some frozen peas and corn, and add sour cream, seasoned salt, and pepper. Whether I thin it out with milk or add cheese varies from time to time.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CORN SOUP

~ Sunset magazine - October 2016

1 large butternut squash, about 3 lb.
1 1/2 t. kosher salt, divided
1 T. honey
3 medium onions, chopped
peeled cloves from 1 head of garlic
1/2 c. salted butter
2 T. chopped fresh sage leaves
5 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 - 2 qts. chicken broth
1/2 t. Hungarian paprika
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 c. corn kernels
1/2 c. creme fraiche or sour cream
2 T. finely sliced flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Split squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Set cut side up in a 9x13-inch pan. Score flesh crisscross four times on each half. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt and spread with honey. Roast until tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally with juices. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, cook onions and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes or until golden. Add sage and carrots, then cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Scrape squash from shells into onion mixture and add 1 1/2 quarts broth. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are very tender when pierced, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup one portion at a time in a blender until very smooth. Return to pot and mix in remaining teaspoon of salt, paprika, pepper, and nutmeg.  Add corn and heat soup over medium heat, stirring a few times until corn is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Thin with 1-2 cups broth, if desired. Garnish individual servings with creme fraiche and parsley.

Notes: I tweaked a few things - dried sage because the store didn't have any that was fresh, sour cream because I didn't see creme fraiche in the areas of the store I checked, and regular paprika I always have on hand instead of Hungarian paprika I don't have. I always prefer using an immersion blender in the pot over transferring batches of soup from pot to blender to bowl and back to pot. This recipe came from Big Table Farm, which was featured in a Sunset magazine article. 

GREEN CHILI CORN SOUP

~ Cynthia Hockman-Chupp

6 c. corn kernels, divided
1 c. broth
2 T. butter
2 c. milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz. can diced green chiles
2 c. grated cheese
salsa
tortilla chips (optional)

Puree 4 cups corn and broth in blender. Melt butter in saucepan, then reduce heat to low and add pureed corn, remaining kernels, milk, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and stir in cheese. Soup is ready when cheese is melted. Serve with a dollop of salsa. Garnish with chips, if desired.

Makes about eight cups.

Notes: We've enjoyed this with both frozen chiles from a garden harvest and store-bought canned ones, with and and without salsa, always with cheddar, and never with chips.

ROASTED VEGGIE & BLACK BEAN TACOS

~ Cooking Classy

1 1/2 c. tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 c. corn kernels cut from cob
1 1/2 c. diced zucchini
1 1/2 c. diced yellow squash
1 c. diced yellow onion
1 c. diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 T. canola oil
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder, divided
3/4 t. salt, or to taste
1/4 t. pepper, or to taste
1 c. canned black beans, drained, rinsed, and warmed
1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 T. lime juice
corn or flour tortillas, warmed
queso fresco (optional)
sour cream (optional)
Mexican hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place first six ingredients in a mound on a large baking sheet. In a small bowl mix both oils, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, salt, and pepper. Drizzle oil mixture over veggies, toss to coat, then spread veggies in an even layer. Roast ten minutes, toss and spread again into an even layer, then roast another ten minutes or until veggies reach desired tenderness.

Just before the veggies are done roasting, toss warmed black beans with remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Once veggies have been removed from the oven, add bean mixture, cilantro, and lime juice. Toss until well mixed. Serve on warmed tortillas and top with queso fresco, sour cream, and hot sauce, if desired.

Notes: Dice all veggies approximately the same size for even cooking. We use crockpot beans instead of canned, frozen corn that's been thawed instead of fresh off the cob, cotija or queso fresco, and corn tortillas. We double this for our family (about 18 cups of produce and beans for six people) and only have a little left at the end of the meal.

CORN & COTIJA CHEESE DIP

~ Minimalist Baker

2 T. olive oil, divided
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 c. fresh corn, cut off the cob
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 c. sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
4 oz. cream cheese
1 c. grated cotija cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, shallot, and garlic, stirring constantly. Add corn, salt, and pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallots have softened and corn has darkened slightly. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, and cotija. Add corn mixture to the cheese mixture, stirring until well combined.

Use remaining tablespoon of oil to lightly grease the skillet and spoon the dip back in. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Notes: We've served this with tortilla chips (regular and blue) and various colors of bell pepper slices, but I'm sure it would also be good with other dippers.

CORN & BEAN SALAD

~ Maryanne Gobble

8 small (4-5 inch) ears of corn
vegetable or olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
chili powder, to taste
4 c. crockpot beans
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 - 1 small onion, chopped
1 c. chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut into 12 wedges

Place oven rack 4-6 inches from top burner, then turn broiler to high. Rub or spray a little oil onto the corn, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Place corn on pan and broil 8-10 minutes, turning once. Once the corn has cooled enough to handle, cut kernels off the cob and into a large bowl.

Add beans, garlic, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro to corn and toss well. Serve lime wedges separately to allow people to add as much juice as they prefer. 

Makes about 12 cups. 

Notes: I suppose you could use canned pinto or black beans for this, but that's pretty unappealing when you can always have quart-sized bags of crockpot beans in the freezer. I don't like a ton of oil on my corn, so I just give it a quick spray to help the spices stick. It's great as is, scooped up with tortilla chips, served over a bed of lettuce and/or spinach, garnished with avocado dressing, or eaten alongside cornbread.

NORTHWEST SALMON CHOWDER

~ Taste of Home

1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. butter
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 c. uncooked diced peeled potatoes
1 c. shredded carrots
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 - 3/4 t. dill weed
14.75 oz. can cream-style corn
2 c. half-and-half
1 3/4 - 2 c. fully cooked salmon chunks or 14.75 oz. can salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed

In a large saucepan, saute celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Add broth, potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, and dill; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, half-and-half, and salmon. Simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Makes about two quarts.

Notes: I've made this with fresh, canned, and smoked salmon, and it's good no matter which way I make it. I occasionally make a dairy-free version by replacing the half-and-half with cashew cream, which tastes just as good as the dairy version.