Summer Corn Pudding

I love corn pudding. Traditionally my family serves it at Thanksgiving, but with corn just coming into season around here, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into my summer eating. Not quite a souffle, this pudding is airy and sweet with a touch of savory heat. It's a perfect side dish for those dog days of summer when you don't feel like eating anything too heavy.

I searched for a good corn pudding recipe and came across this one from Vegetarian Times. I loved the idea of individual puddings, so I snagged that and adapted the recipe to have a bit more of a zing to it.

This recipe was a part of the vegetarian meal I cooked for my family on a recent visit home. These little babies were a big hit! The individual serving size makes them perfect for large gatherings of people, and they make quite a statement with their puffy browned tops that give way to a satisfyingly light pudding.

I don't own individual ramekins, so as you can see in the above picture I just used mugs. Any oven-safe ceramic container will work, although you may have to adjust your cooking time if your container is larger/smaller. Be sure to fill them only 3/4 of the way, as the pudding will rise in the oven. The puddings are done when they are big and puffy and the top is slightly browned and firm. Once removed from the oven, they will fall a little.


Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30-40 minutes
SERVES: 4-5, depending on the size of your containers


INGREDIENTS:
6 ears of corn, kernels removed, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs & seeds removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup whole milk or half & half
1 large red bell pepper, diced finely
3 large eggs, beaten
1 large pinch kosher salt
4-5 twists of the pepper mill
cooking spray


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the kernels from 4 ears of corn, diced onion, chopped jalapeno, milk and cheese in a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in finely diced red bell pepper, kernels from the remaining 2 ears of corn, beaten eggs, salt and pepper, taking care to thoroughly incorporate.

Coat the inside of the ramekins (or mugs!) with cooking spray. Divide corn mixture evenly between ramekins, filling only 3/4 of the way to the top. Place ramekins in a large casserole dish with deep sides and add enough hot water to the dish so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Pudding in it's water bath:

Carefully place in oven (it's heavy!) and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until pudding tops are brown and firm. Remove ramekins from the water with tongs-- they will be hot!

Serve as a statement-making side dish to your next summer meal soiree!

HEIRLOOMS: Jackie's Mac 'n Cheese

This recipe is a part of a series on The Cozy Herbivore called HEIRLOOMS, in which I am sharing old family recipes that have been handed down to me. These recipes are the tastes of my childhood, prepared over and over again as I grew up. My love of comfort food began with these dishes, and I'm so excited to pass them along to you! In some cases I'll adapt the recipes to be vegetarian, but other than that I'm not going to futz around with them too much. They're best as I remember them: simple, comforting and delicious.

Have a family recipe that you'd like to see on this site? Please pass it along!


My mother's mac 'n cheese is the stuff of legends. It was the comfort food we all begged for, the dish that became a staple of my mother's feel-good cuisine. When my siblings and I came home for visits during our college years, it was our number-one requested dish. Moving away from home and beginning a new life can be shaky and scary, but my mother's mac 'n cheese reminded us of our roots and our family. Even in our adult lives we ask for it on our visits home. And my mother, bless her, is always happy to oblige.

This may sound like a lot of hyperbole to you, but I'm not exaggerating the powers of this mac 'n cheese. Just ask any of my childhood friends. Ask my cousins. They'll tell you how awesome Aunt Jackie's mac 'n cheese is. And then they'll ask if they can come over and have some.

Now this recipe is straight-up comfort food, with tons of fat and calories. I'm just telling you this up front so you can get the guilty feelings over with before you dig into this heavenly, gooey, cheesy casserole. It's definitely an indulgence-- but what good would life be without indulgences like this? You won't be sorry you tried it, I promise.

Keep in mind this is a most basic recipe (although basic is DELICIOUS, I promise you!) so feel free to jazz it up by adding bell peppers, stewed tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, corn kernels... basically any kind of vegetable you enjoy smothered in cheese. You could even get really crazy and throw in some veggie hot dog chunks, if that's the way you roll.

Of course there is endless debate about the "perfect" mac 'n cheese: some people insist that elbow noodles and bread crumbs be used, some people think that cheeze product is better than good ol' cheddar. Hey, whatever floats your boat. Although my mom's recipe may deviate a little from the elbow noodles and breadcrumb route, it is so simple and so delicious you'll forget all about your strict rules for a "perfect" dish.

My mom likes to use whatever cheese she has on hand for this dish, and most often that's a combination of extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack. I encourage you to experiment with the cheese: add a sophisticated flair by throwing in some bleu cheese, or try a nutty aged Gouda or a creamy mozzarella. Or whatever combination you think is the tastiest! Of course the salt content of each cheese will be a little different, so taste your sauce before you put it in the oven. If it's a little bland for you, add a pinch of salt.



Bain taitneamh as do bheil!



PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
SERVES: 8-10


INGREDIENTS:
1 lb whole wheat rotini pasta
8 cups veggie stock
4 tablespoons butter (about 1/2 a stick)
1 large onion, diced finely
5 tablespoons corn starch
5 cups milk, divided (I would use at least 1% here-- skim milk would make the sauce just a little too thin)
6 cups grated cheese (for the above picture I used a mixture of mild cheddar, extra sharp cheddar and pepper jack)
1 tablespoon dried mustard
5-6 twists of the pepper mill



DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook pasta in vegetable stock (add water to completely cover pasta, if necessary) until just al dente. Drain, toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, melt butter until just bubbly. Add onion and saute until just translucent. Add cornstarch and stir to combine. Immediately add 1 cup milk and whisk to combine. Continually whisk milk and cornstarch mixture until it begins to thicken. (Seriously, don't step away from the stove at this point-- this is very easy to burn.) As soon as mixture begins to thicken, add the remaining 4 cups milk. Bring milk to just a simmer, stirring frequently. As soon as the milk begins to simmer, add mustard and black pepper, stirring to combine thoroughly. Remove from heat and immediately stir in grated cheese.

Look at that gooey sauce!

Grease a large casserole dish and spread cooked rotini over the bottom. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine thoroughly.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and a bit of a brown crust forms on the top.

Serve as a side to your favorite barbecue dish or, if you're like me, eat standing up next to the stove. When you're putting leftovers away, remember to scrape all of the browned bits off your casserole dish-- they're the best part!

Smokehouse Cheddar Veggie Burgers

Ah, the humble veggie burger. A staple of every modern herbivore's diet (especially in the barbecuing summer months), the myriad packaged and restaurant varieties inspire fierce loyalty and equally fierce hatred. Notoriously difficult to get "right", the texture of the homemade veggie burger risks being alternately too mushy or too hard, too greasy or too dry. There are so many questions to be answered, so many problems to be solved-- to make it vegan or to add dairy/eggs? To cook on the stovetop or to cook on the grill? To try to replicate a "meaty" flavor or to embrace the vegetable nature of the burger?

Let me tell you, making veggie burgers from scratch is stressful. Developing this recipe for our recent 4th of July party, I will admit to pots being banged in frustration, a few angry tears shed and some harsh words directed at entirely blameless foodstuffs.

But with the encouragement of my ever-patient girlfriend and many, many experiments and substitutions, I believe I have come up with a decent recipe. I submit it to you, veggie lovers, to be the true judges of this humble burger. It's soft without being too mushy, and I chose to steer away from the "meaty" tasting burger-- although the barbecue sauce adds a little smoke, the vegetables do take the spotlight. It is not, however, vegan. The cheese and eggs serve as great binding ingredients to keep the patties compact and easy to cook.

This burger successfully cooks on both the grill and on the stovetop with a few minor caveats. If you're cooking it on the grill, I suggest using a greased grill pan or coating the racks with greased aluminum foil. Because of the cheese in the burgers, they may be a little loose when they are heated up, but once removed from the grill/stove, the cheese begins to cool and they firm up. If you're cooking them on the stovetop, I recommend using a non-stick pan with a good dollop of olive oil warmed up on the bottom.

This recipe makes a party-sized batch, but if you're just cooking for a few people, feel free to halve it. It also freezes really well-- I recommend forming patties and freezing them on a greased cookie sheet. After the patties are frozen solid, simply remove them from the cookie sheet and pop into a freezer bag to save some space in your freezer.


Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: about 45 minutes
COOKING TIME: about 30 minutes (for barley) 10-15 minutes (on the grill)
SERVES: 15-20


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups uncooked pearled barley
4 cups veggie stock
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, diced finely
1 ear corn, kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, diced finely
10-15 button mushrooms, diced finely
1 Japanese eggplant, skin removed and grated (if you can't find a Japanese eggplant, a grated zucchini would work)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Annie's Natural Organic BBQ sauce, but feel free to substitute your favorite variety. Bonus points if it's homemade!)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking
2 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5-6 twists of the pepper mill


DIRECTIONS:
In a large stock pot, bring veggie stock to a boil. Add barley, reduce heat, cover and simmer until stock is absorbed and barley is fluffy. Spread cooked barley over a cookie sheet and place in the fridge until it is cool.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, saute diced onion & garlic in a little olive oil until they soften. Add corn kernels, diced peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant and continue to saute until mixture is soft and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ricotta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce, stirring thoroughly to fully incorporate. Add sauteed vegetables and stir to combine.

In another large bowl mash black beans with a potato masher or a fork until they form a thick paste. Add cooled barley to the bowl, stir to combine and continue to mash both barley and beans. (To really work out some stress, toss away the potato masher, get your freshly washed hands into the mix and squeeze those beans & barley!) The finished texture should be about like chunky mashed potatoes-- I like to leave some of the barley grains whole for a more toothy burger. Add the eggs, cheese, and vegetable mixture along with 1 cup panko crumbs and spices to the barley & beans and stir to incorporate fully.

Chill mixture in the fridge for at least one hour.

To cook burgers, form into round patties the size of your palm. Roll patties in remaining panko until lightly coated. Place on a well-greased hot grill or non-stick pan for about 5-7 minutes, or until seared on one side. Carefully flip burger (remember, the mixture will be a little loose because of the melting cheese) and gently squash burger until flattened with a spatula. If you're feeling in a particularly cheese-y mood, top with a slice of cheddar. Burger is done when both sides are seared and the middle of the burger is warm with melting cheese.

Serve on a toasted bun (spread with mayo, mustard, barbecue sauce or ketchup) and top with your favorite combination of lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and/or pickles!

A Little Housekeeping....

The Cozy Herbivore is really sprucing up these days! Frustrated with my own clumsy attempts at blog formatting, I sent out an SOS over facebook and my friend Mona responded to my pleas for help.

I'm so happy with my new header designed by Mona that I could just spit. Everyone should check out Mona's lovely blog for her wonderful insights on motherhood, Islam and living in Egypt. Thanks for your help, Mona-- and the next time you're stateside, I'm definitely cooking for you!

ALSO, The Cozy Herbivore has finally joined the 21st century by getting a facebook page! Check it out and become a fan here.

Stay tuned. I've got a veggie burger recipe coming your way very soon plus a few more summer favorites guaranteed to knock your socks off.

Three Berry Crumble

Happy summer, herbivores! In my part of the country, the heat is upon us, the farmer's markets are bursting with produce and I've been stuffing myself silly with fresh and local foods. In a word, it's heavenly.

I recently visited my folks in Central New York and at the request of my mother, prepared a meal for our family. My family is omnivorous, so it was quite a challenge to prepare a vegetarian meal that would satisfy those life-long meat eaters!

I pondered the menu carefully-- I knew I wanted to use local produce and that I wanted to keep the fake meat out of it. Seitan, tempeh and tofu are such a boon for us vegetarians who crave those meaty flavors, but they can be a bit intimidating/strange for people not used to consuming them. Besides, with so many fresh fruits & veggies at my fingertips, I knew I could let them take the spotlight with out worrying that my family would miss meat.

Here's the dinner menu I came up with:

Farmer's Market Pasta
Baked Summer Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese (from Vegetarian Times-- I highly recommend!)
Corn Pudding (recipe to come very soon!)

We washed it down with some Three Citrus Basil Cocktails (also from Vegetarian Times)

And for dessert, I decided to create this berry crumble. It comes together in a snap and it's a very easy way to highlight whatever fruits are in season in your area. You could also use peaches, plums, apricots, blackberries, strawberries, apples... the sky is the limit!


I'm proud to say that the meal was a rousing success, and everyone left stuffed full of a meal made with fresh and local produce. A huge thank-you to my family for being such willing (and hungry!) guinea pigs.



Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30-35 minutes
SERVES: 4-8


INGREDIENTS:
For the filling:
6 cups mixed berries (I used raspberries, blueberries and pitted sweet cherries)
1 large orange, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the crumble top:
1 cup whole rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, stir corn starch, orange juice & zest and nutmeg until corn starch is totally dissolved into liquid. Add fruit and toss to combine. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, salt and cinnamon. Drizzle in olive oil and honey and stir to combine thoroughly. The mixture should be just a little wet-- if it seems too dry or sticky, add more oil until the desired texture is reached.

Grease a 9" by 13" pan and pour fruit mixture on the bottom. Top with crumble, making sure to spread evenly over the fruit.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until top is brown and fruit is bubbly.

Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream (If you're not going the homemade ice cream route, I prefer Haagen Dazs 5 ingredient Vanilla Bean because it's made simply and with no mystery ingredients) and enjoy the tastes of summer!