Tuesday, July 21, 2009

CJ's Roasted Off the Cob Corn



Fresh corn is such a blessing every summer. Who doesn't love a cob of corn fresh off the grill, dipped in a lot of butter? My son, CJ shucked this corn, buttered it up and just used simple seasonings, heavy on the pepper for a kick!

This is the same corn but it is off the cob.

Enjoy!


CJ's Roasted Off the Cob Corn

8 ears of corn
water
4 Tbsp. butter or casein free vegan margarine
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Soak the corn in a large stockpot at least 8 hours, we soaked it overnight. Remove from water and grill over medium heat turning every 3-5 minutes
grilling for a total of 15-20 minutes.
Remove husks, shuck the corn and combine in a bowl with butter or margarine. Season with salt and a lot of fresh ground pepper.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Summer Calls!

Farm Fresh Vegetables call us!


Now that the sun is out, birds are singing and flowers are blooming, it is time to get outside and get your vitamin D. The sun makes plants grow and helps us to get vitamin D. Vitamin D comes from the sun to you within 15 minutes of exposure. This will give you about 10,000-15,000 IU of vitamin D3. Calcitrol, a hormone that comes from vitamin D3 is needed to prevent heart disease, cancer, helps to form bone, assists in cell growth and hormone balance. If you have had difficulty with gluten and/or casein intolerance you may have inflammation in your digestive tract and need to supplement with vitamin D3 to facilitate healing as well as maintaining a gluten and casein free diet.

If you can't or don't want to get sun exposure, you can supplement vitamin D3 (natural form) by taking supplemental D3, consume fish, or take cod liver oil. I encourage you to get a baseline serum (blood) test of your vitamin D level, 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. The optimal level is 50 so if you below that, please work with your health care provider to take supplemental vitamin D3 until you reach that level. If you have any difficulty with seasonal depression (affective disorder), you might find supplemental vitamin D helpful during the wintertime.


Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

1 whole orange, I used Cara Cara orange, peeled using a paring knife
1 TBS. dried onion
3/4 c. ketchup, either without any sugar or high fructose corn syrup (Whole Foods 365 Brand has cane sugar)
1 TBS. Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
1/4 c. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper (use more if you desire more heat)
3 TBS. Light Agave Nectar

Place orange in food processor or blender and blend until pureed. Place pureed orange in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Use this sauce on any type of meat or even fish you would like to barbecue. Grill and baste with sauce frequently during cooking.

Or...

I used it on 6 organic chicken legs. I seasoned the legs with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Placed them on a foil lined, oiled baking sheet. I basted the legs with the sauce and baked them at 375F for 30 minutes, increased the heat to 400F and basted them again, after 10 minutes I reduced the heat to 375F and added the last layer of sauce baking for another 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes after removing from oven and serve.

Tamari Potatoes

4 organic potatoes of choice, cleaned, scrubbed and diced
2 TBS. dried onions
4 TBS. Tamari
2 TBS. extra virgin olive oil

Combine the onions, Tamari and oil in a bowl. Mix well and add potatoes. Toss to coat potatoes and bake at 350F for 30 minutes until fork tender.

Summer Salad

1 1/2 c. cut green beans, defrosted or fresh (steam for 5 minutes first)
1 c. kidney beans
1/ c. navy beans
2 ears of white corn shucked (soak for two hours prior to using)
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/2 red pepper diced
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Agave nectar
3 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar (not distilled, Bragg's)

Combine beans to red pepper. Over low heat in a saucepan, add the water, oil, nectar and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Pour over the salad and toss well. Better if refrigerated overnight as flavors have time to meld.